Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Children walk to school with signs for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging:

Episcopal Day is committed to building and sustaining an inclusive community, which represents diverse backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs. We embrace the qualities of each individual. This includes but is not limited to race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, socio-economic status, learning styles, abilities, and varied points of view. We are dedicated to building an environment where students learn from each other because we believe our mission of academic excellence and positive change in the world depends on understanding and respecting human diversity.

Living Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

At Episcopal Day School, we believe that cultivating a sense of belonging is foundational to learning, leadership, and community engagement. As part of our ongoing commitment to DEIB, we continue to deepen our institutional practices through meaningful partnerships, professional learning, and supportive spaces.

Diversity Initiatives

School Programming

Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

We care about the people our students will become. From pre-kindergarten to eighth grade, Episcopal Day’s core values of moral courage, service, respect, and compassion are woven into the fabric of our program. We are committed to the social and emotional health and well-being of each of our students. Learn more about our SEL program.

Learning for Justice Standards

Implemented in the middle school Leadership and Social Justice class, the Social Justice Standards act as a framework for anti-bias education. This framework provides a common language and organizational structure educators can use to guide curriculum development to make schools more just and equitable.

Pollyanna Curriculum

Pollyanna is a DEI curriculum designed to enhance cultural competency, racial literacy, and equity practices. We implement this program through our Service Learning Projects that vary according to grade level.

Inclusive Chapel Services

At Episcopal Day, fewer than 15% of the students are Episcopalian. Our student body is comprised of students representing various religious backgrounds, including but not limited to Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, interfaith families, and those with no particular faith tradition. Various traditions are honored at our school through themed Chapel celebrations including Bodhi Day and the Lunar New Year.

Social Justice Club

Our middle school Social Justice Club leads initiatives on campus including raising money for vulnerable groups including the LGBTQIA+ community. In 2022, students raised over $800 by hosting a school dance and used they money to create care packages for homeless youth.

Organizational Assessment

Assessment of inclusivity and multiculturalism

Our school has committed to completing the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) every three to five years. This assessment provides us with a deep understanding of the climate of inclusion on our campus, and informs how we advance initiatives toward diversity, equity, and inclusion that are crucial to our school’s success.

Strategic Partnerships

Our work is enriched through collaboration with organizations that share our values and expand our perspectives:

Private School Village: Strengthening connection and representation for Black families in independent schools.
Little Justice Leaders: Providing age-appropriate, justice-oriented educational resources to support classroom learning and home conversations.
Landing Places: Supporting our faculty and staff through identity-affirming affinity spaces and gatherings.
Northern California People of Color in Independent Schools (NorCal POCIS): Offering professional growth opportunities and community building for educators of color across the region.
Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education “A valuable partner to schools fostering ethical thinking, a sense of purpose, and the advancement of empathy, equity, and justice.”

These partnerships are woven into the fabric of our school life, impacting curriculum design, classroom culture, and community engagement.

Strategic Plan

Our Vision Statement for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Episcopal Day

Episcopal Day School is a compassionate community of learners founded on the Episcopal ethos of exploring the complexity of our world, working towards justice for all people, and embracing diversity and the dignity of every human being.

At Episcopal Day, we believe the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion lights the path toward our mission to prepare our students to be leaders of positive change. It shines through our school’s purpose to educate and inspire, through our sense of shared responsibility for our values and outcomes, and through the spirit of belonging that we expect all members of our school community to uphold.

The Purpose, Responsibility, and Spirit of our Vision
The purpose of our diversity, equity, and inclusion work is to ensure that Episcopal Day School reflects a diverse set of identities, embeds a wide range of perspectives into an academically challenging course of study, and equips our students with the skills and courage needed to make a change in our world.

The responsibility for our diversity, equity, and inclusion work sits with all of us, as reflected in our school’s central prompt - “This is my day. What will I do?” To that end, our strategies and goals encompass all constituencies in the school, provide opportunities for everyone to participate, and hold ourselves accountable to measure our progress toward our stated intentions.

The spirit of our diversity, equity, and inclusion work is anchored in our pursuit of a community where all people, with all of their identities, feel welcomed and valued. Together, we support each child in realizing their full potential so that when they graduate, they carry the strength of character and confidence to make decisions that are consistent with their values.

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work in Action
Our vision, rooted in our Episcopal values, weaves diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of our school. This commitment is evident from the start of the day in Chapel to our central focus on purpose, responsibility, and spirit. It is reflected in our instructional practices and institutional policies, extending from our classrooms to our Boardroom.

As we pursue our vision, this is what our actions will look like in the months and years ahead:

We are committed to a program, pedagogical practices, and curriculum that promote belonging, justice and equity. Our vision allows students to see themselves and others, providing both “windows and mirrors” into lived experiences. These experiences advance a broad understanding of all life experiences and provide opportunities to understand how inequities lead to injustice. Our students will be taught to recognize the barriers that interfere with an individual’s pursuit of a full life, which will support them in developing strategies and steps to dismantle those barriers in the world. In addition, our vision seeks ways to engage in local projects and initiatives that promote belonging, justice and equity, aiming to build trusting, mutually beneficial relationships in the partnerships we develop. Therefore, we will educate our students to:

○ Tell their own stories with confidence and listen to and learn from others’ stories

○ Challenge assumptions

○ Interrupt bias

○ Recognize how advantage and power may support or diminish a just world

○ Think critically

○ Develop empathetic mindsets

○ Engage in thoughtful discourse

We are committed to reflecting the changing demographics of our community, state, and country. Therefore, we will:

○ Nominate individuals for trusteeship who will bring diverse perspectives to the Board

○ Commit to increasing the number of students and families that are currently underrepresented in the school

○ Enhance and sustain a diverse professional community

As the intentions outlined here become more fully evident in our institutional policies and our classroom practices, we expect a wide range of opinions to be voiced – an essential resource for critical inquiry. We embrace this truth and have faith in our ability to bring forth differing perspectives in kind, constructive and respectful ways. We know we live in a rapidly changing society. As such, we expect that while our
commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is unwavering, we will consistently challenge ourselves to revise and improve our approach.

Most importantly, we know that the deliberate pursuit of this vision will allow our graduates to have an advantage in their future education precisely because of their well-honed ability to dig deeply into this generation’s most pressing questions and dilemmas.

Consistent with foundational beliefs of the Episcopal faith, Episcopal Day School imagines a future that is more equitable and just. We align our academic program as a tangible means to move ever closer to making this dream a reality.

Faculty & Staff Professional Development & Personal Growth

SEED

The National SEED Project is a peer-led professional development program that creates conversational communities to drive personal, organizational, and societal change toward greater equity and diversity. We do this by training individuals to facilitate ongoing seminars within institutions and communities where they are employees or members, in order to create momentum toward social justice. SEED leaders design seminars to include personal reflection and testimony, listening to others' voices, and learning experientially and collectively. Through this methodology, SEED equips us to connect our lives to one another and to society at large by acknowledging systems of oppression, power, and privilege. Our faculty/staff SEED group is starting its 7th year, and our parent community has completed their second year.

Just Cause

The issues explored throughout the Just Cause interactive diversity program led to discussion about how we each view diversity topics in today’s society and in our own lives.

Gender Spectrum

By providing the Gender Spectrum training for our faculty and staff, we show our commitment to the celebration of all people. We are committed to creating gender-sensitive and inclusive environments for all children at our school.

Affinity Spaces for Professional Community

2025-26 Professional Learning Focus

As a community (students, faculty, and professional community), we build our skills in the following competencies:

Self-Reflection & Bias Awareness – The practice of examining your own thoughts, behaviors, and assumptions to recognize personal biases and how they may influence decisions or interactions.
Assuming Good Will – Choosing to believe that others’ words and actions come from positive intentions, even if there’s misunderstanding or disagreement.
Spectrum Thinking – Viewing issues, identities, and perspectives as existing on a range rather than in fixed, either/or categories.
Systems Thinking – Understanding how individual actions, events, and policies are connected within larger structures and patterns.
Inclusive Language – Using words and phrases that respect and affirm people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences.
Conflict Resolution – The process of addressing and resolving disagreements in a constructive, respectful way that aims to meet the needs of all involved.

These competencies reflect our belief that building an inclusive school culture starts with personal growth and collective responsibility. By equipping our faculty and professional community with these tools, we prepare them to lead and support a learning environment where all students feel seen, heard, and valued.

Uniquely Episcopal

Students develop an appreciation for themselves and others.

Mission and Philosophy

We are an inclusive community.

Our Traditions

The things we remember most about our school days are the friendships, traditions, events, and celebrations.

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