RDS Diversity Strategic Plan
November 6, 2009
Letter from Head of School Mike Riera and
Middle School Coordinator and Facilitator of the Faculty/Staff Diversity Strategic Plan Committee Jeanne Coyne Song
“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” Barack Obama
The above quote by President Obama is an apt description of the RDS process and commitment to diversity. The path we are on is not straightforward—it meanders, has more than its fair share of switchbacks, and sometimes even a few dead ends. It also has moments of inspiration and clear vistas of breathtaking beauty. And always, we are better off for making the journey. With our Diversity Strategic Plan, we invite you to join us, no matter your pace. That is, we invite you to travel with RDS towards our vision of becoming an even more inclusive and welcoming community, balancing the tension and reaping the creativity between “intimate” and “diverse.”
Towards the end of Mike’s first year as Head of School, he asked a diversity consultant about creating a diversity strategic plan for RDS. The rather blunt response was “RDS is nowhere near ready for a plan of this scope and magnitude.” Just over four years later, we are proud to say that RDS is not only ready for a comprehensive diversity plan--we are indeed on the verge of making it happen, which is the reason for this week’s letter: to get the community caught up on our progress and to solicit your feedback on the most recent draft of the plan.
When you read the plan, you will notice first that it is directed towards and effective at the visionary level. That is, it is essential for the community to understand and believe in the big picture before getting caught up in the operational goals of how we will make all of this happen.
Here is the journey we have been making since October 2007, when RDS hired Frances Kendall, Ph.D., to do a climate study, which took place in the spring of that academic year. The results were shared with faculty, staff, board members, parents, and guardians in the fall of 2008 at a series of after-school and evening meetings. At that point, six faculty and staff came together to take on the daunting task of writing the first-ever RDS Diversity Strategic Plan. Since then they have met regularly, with much extra time put in over this past summer. Frances Kendall has continued to consult with the group, which has been facilitated by Middle School Coordinator Jeanne Coyne Song.
This fall the first draft of the plan was completed and shared with the Diversity Committee of the Board of Trustees, and shortly afterwards with the entire Board of Trustees, for critical feedback. That feedback was then incorporated into a second draft version, which was in turn shared and discussed with faculty and staff, which brings us to the present.
This link leads to the current draft of the RDS Diversity Strategic Plan on our website. We invite all parents and guardians to take some time to read this document. You have the opportunity to learn more about the plan directly from the committee members by attending one of two informational meetings listed at the end of this letter. Your feedback can come back to us via an online survey (look for a link by email next week) and/or a drop-box in the School’s Gallery.
Once the committee members have all the feedback, they will look for themes and ideas to include when they write up the action items that will bring the plan to life. The final draft will be presented to the Head of School for acceptance, after which he will work with the committee to create a process for oversight, planning, timing and accountability of the action items.
How we form, implement, and evaluate the operational goals derived from this plan is of vital importance. This process must keep the plan alive, durable, flexible, and purposeful. We imagine the final process will include a small committee working with the Head of School and Department Heads to formulate a set of clear, measurable goals on a regular basis to build into the plan. And in the spirit of inclusion, these goals will be made public, as well as the successes and setbacks in implementation.
The direction and work that the Diversity Strategic Plan will set forth is profound and appropriate for such a robust school as RDS. We are ourselves a diverse community that has come together for a singular purpose felt everyday in the hallways and on the grounds of our school: the well-being of our children—the future generation of our great nation. To some this plan will seem grandiose, to which we say the foundation of our country is built upon the shoulders of those who looked around and had the courage to say: “it could be better.” To others, the plan will seem to fall short, to which we say: the journey of 1,000 miles starts with one step, and to which we add, “and continues, step after step.”
As parents, guardians, and educators we have the responsibility to participate in making RDS an even more inclusive school. Our children are growing up and being educated to be successful and courageous members of a global community. We cannot stand in their way. In the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, “be the change you wish to see in the world.” Read the plan. Turn in your feedback. Have your voice heard and counted.
Please join us for one of these community information meetings.
Tuesday, November 17, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Lower School Multipurpose Room
6:00-6:30 p.m. Pizza & salad provided
*Childcare provided for school-aged children. Please RSVP to: DiversityCommittee@rdschool.org
Tuesday, December 1, 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Middle School Multipurpose Room
8:00-8:30 a.m. Light refreshments provided
Yours in service,
Mike Riera & Jeanne Coyne Song