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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Update Winter 2020/Spring 2021

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Building a community that lives its values of love, respect and celebration of our differences is a place we inhabit, not a job we finish. Love never finishes its work. Respect is never completed. Celebration of difference does not have an end date. It is perpetual.

- Pace Academy, Answering the Call for Racial Equity, June 25, 2020

The overarching goal of Pace Academy’s Action Plan for Racial Equity is to ensure that all students feel welcome and loved—from the time they enter Pre-First to when they walk across the stage at commencement and beyond. 

TEACHING & CURRICULUM 

To become prepared, confident citizens of the world, students must be taught from an antiracist curriculum, one that is factually accurate, includes multiple perspectives and inspires critical thinking.

  • We’re working with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights Education Program as they review and audit our history curriculum, beginning with grades Pre-First through five. The Center’s highly skilled and experienced program coordinators are positioned to identify areas that may need more scaffolding of resources and training. 
  • We listened to community members, particularly Black student leaders, and worked with the Upper School history department to implement a January “minimester” featuring short, intensive courses focused on African, African Diaspora and African American history and culture. “All of the classes were authentic courses that could have been taught as senior electives or college courses—they were that good,” says TIM HORNOR, chair of the history department. “I am grateful to our teachers for presenting such interesting and thought-provoking courses.”

OUR COMMUNITY 


Pace is grounded in the core value of respect for others and their unique ideas and beliefs. In an attempt to continue to create a cohesive, school-wide set of core values and community standards, we have...


Members of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion worked with leadership teams across all three divisions to walk through the Action Plan for Racial Equity with students.

In the Lower School community, agreements were developed by students for each Lower School class which will serve as models for developing community norms in other divisions. 

Middle School students used advisory groups to further engage in civil discourse. Director of Student Life Dr. Troy Baker met with Upper School student leadership groups (Student Council, Student Advisory Board, Peer Leadership, Pace Academy Board of Diversity) to solicit feedback on school culture, community norms and core values. Upper School students provided feedback regarding their understanding of the school’s disciplinary process expressing a desire for more transparency and understanding of the process. We responded by engaging in additional conversations around our restorative disciplinary process.

Listening & Learning 

All members of our community must have the capacity to engage in a manner that demonstrates fluency in addressing matters of race, diversity, equity and inclusion.

OUR PEOPLE 


To foster a sense of belonging in our school community, all students must see themselves reflected in our leadership, faculty and staff, and must experience meaningful, intentional and authentic support.

JOINING OUR COMMUNITY 

We strive to be a community reflective of the city and world in which we live. To continue to build an increasingly diverse, inclusive and equitable school family, community members must take seriously their commitment to fostering an antiracist environment.

  • The Office of Admissions increased the school's participation in virtual school fairs as part of our outreach efforts to historically underrepresented populations. Members of the Admissions and DEI teams represented Pace at the A Better Chance School Fair, Kendezi High School Fair and Black Parent Forum Fair, to name a few.

  • The DEI Office hosted a virtual session for prospective families to meet the DEI team and learn more about Pace’s commitment to racial equity and culturally responsive pedagogy.  

  • We have clearly communicated to prospective families our community values, standards and expectations as set forth in the Action Plan.

 

OUR PLEDGE 

Our Action Plan for Racial Equity calls for regular reporting and clear communication regarding our actions and initiatives.