Looking for schools without a dedicated DEI curriculum

[Anonymous]

Looking for private schools where DEI is not a dedicated, structured part of the curriculum.

Some context: I'm a minority parent and I've thought a lot about this. My concern isn't with inclusion or kindness. I'm fully on board with both. My issue is with the approach of repeatedly asking kids to categorize themselves and each other by race, skin color, hair texture, and gender. In my experience, that kind of constant identification reinforces the very distinctions we're trying to move past.

My philosophy: the best way to raise kids who don't see each other through a racial lens is to model that in the classroom. Treat every child the same, hold everyone to the same standards, and let belonging be the baseline rather than something that has to be constructed through curriculum.

From what I know, schools with a dedicated DEI curriculum includeoly Prep, Trevor Day, Town School, Sacred Heart, St Luke's and Friends Seminary.

Schools without standalone DEI curriculum: Basis

Would love to hear from others, especially minority parents, about schools that align with this philosophy. Any recs appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Can say from experience that Fieldston has an extensive mandatory DEI curriculum.

Honestly, having had kids in private, suburban public, and urban public schools, the last group are by far the least concerned with DEI - my oldest attends a majority-minority school and I don't think the subject of racial identity has come up all year.

[Anonymous]

Avenues does not have a DEI curriculum. They do actively look for talented urm to join their community, but race and identity are not a part of the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

BWL (Birch Wathen Lenox).

[Anonymous]

Browning seems to have channeled much of the DEI curriculum into something called "Civil Discourse," if you are interested in all-boys schools.

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure what their DEI programming is, but I know that Sacred Heart is considered the most conservative of the 7 girls schools.

[Anonymous]

Let me know which school you pick so we can avoid it. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

None of the TT has a dedicated DEI program. They are all very welcoming and make every effort to recruit URM.

[Anonymous]

CGPS I don't think has an official DEI agenda.

If you are a minority with the views you have they will welcome you. Especially if you also have a channel bag.

they did snag that homeless black chess kid who was a superstar. i thought that was an impressive pick up - given he probably could have gone to any TT he wanted to.

[Anonymous]

LREI does. But I would say it is a very progressive and "woke" school.

[Anonymous]

Sacred Heart does NOT have DEI programming...

[Anonymous]

Any Christian/catholic school.

[Anonymous]

A lot of the TT have dedicated DEI curriculum.
Brearley changed its whole curriculum around it and is dedicated to it. Collegiate, same thing. Look at the schools the current heads used to lead before the one they are at now. Also, look at who is in charge of the curriculum, the academic dean, see if they are really tied into conferences through the NAIS.

Read the copy on the website, count the number of diversity "officers." If the website has a lot of corporate copy pasta, it's probably a good bet that's their approach to students is similar to an HR office to their employees.

Trinity has a lot of multi-cultural programming, but it's more like a chapel, and the people I know who go there love it. Allen-Stevenson is a very ecumenical school and has a lot of different kinds of people in it. Buckley, I think is particular, but anecdotally the people I know who are there are happy.

[Anonymous]

Also, DEI and a diverse community are not the same. There are plenty of schools with very few minorities that have bustling DEI offices and are very dedicated to the ideas of anti-racism, and very diverse schools that have no DEI office at all. It's a particular approach and a particular lens to education that not everyone wants, and that's okay. This person asked a particular question and did not appoint you their judge and jury. I very much highly doubt any of you have done all that much work to advance civil rights other than vote the party line and call people names on message boards so chill.

The first person to say "MAGA" loses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the TT have dedicated DEI curriculum.
Brearley changed its whole curriculum around it and is dedicated to it. Collegiate, same thing. Look at the schools the current heads used to lead before the one they are at now. Also, look at who is in charge of the curriculum, the academic dean, see if they are really tied into conferences through the NAIS.

Read the copy on the website, count the number of diversity "officers." If the website has a lot of corporate copy pasta, it's probably a good bet that's their approach to students is similar to an HR office to their employees.

Trinity has a lot of multi-cultural programming, but it's more like a chapel, and the people I know who go there love it. Allen-Stevenson is a very ecumenical school and has a lot of different kinds of people in it. Buckley, I think is particular, but anecdotally the people I know who are there are happy.

Brearley and Collegiate have identity-based curriculum? Hard to believe.