Letter from the Concerned Dalton Parents of Black Students

Dear Jim,

The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others, have laid bare America’s most denied fact: that racism still exists in America in many forms: implicit bias, explicit bias, institutional racism, physical violence, and more. The Black Lives Matter movement has, at least for now, broken through the false notion that legal equality will bring forth real and lived equality. On the contrary, legal equality continues to allow an unequal society that perpetuates inequality.

While individual acts of racism are viewed as morally wrong, institutionalized racism is much more pervasive, and sometimes remains obscure, legitimized by dominant norms. This moment in our history has shown us that all American institutions must allocate extra time, energy, effort, focus and importantly, resources, to reversing the effects of hundreds of years of racism. Similarly, if Dalton wants to create an inclusive environment where Black students can truly thrive, Dalton must continue to recognize the fact that the Black experience will require the direct and focused attention from the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, parent body, students and alumni.

Each of us decided to entrust Dalton with our children’s’ education because we knew that they would acquire a world-class education, but also because of Dalton’s ideals of teaching to “each student’s interests, abilities and needs”, “valuing all dimensions of each child”, and “cultivating values of respect, integrity, compassion and justice to encourage community responsibility, combat prejudice, and engage students as participants in a democratic society and global community.” Dalton proudly identifies as a leader amongst its peers in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion; but it is not a utopia where racism doesn’t exist. There is still much work to be done, in terms of policies and practices, to instill an anti-racist culture at Dalton.

We know from your recent communications to the Dalton community that you are intent on doing this work. As you and the Dalton Administration engage in a period of radical listening and planning, we are providing the following list of expectations so that our voices can be amongst the chorus that you hear. These expectations are borne out of the collective effort of current students, parents, alumni, and parents of alumni through deep and painful discussions about the culture that has festered at Dalton for years. It is by no means complete; it is specific and detailed in some areas; broad and directional in others. It is important to note that while the need for dramatically improved communication, as well as complete transparency and accountability, are not explicitly articulated in the action steps, they are the most critical elements of a healthy culture and the most necessary steps the school must take.

We strongly urge the Board of Trustees and school administration, working in conjunction with Black parents, students, alumni and community allies, to use this document to create actionable short and long term plans that will make Dalton a school that truly embodies its ideals and values. We believe this work will benefit the entire Dalton community, and we will emerge as a stronger school, one that more demonstratively lives the ideals shared by Helen Parkhurst over a century ago.

Some of the action steps that follow were taken directly from the “The Dalton School Review of Faculty and Staff of Color Attrition Report” prepared by Taran Swan and presented to Jim Best in December 2018, and the “Office of Progressive and Inclusive Practice Three-Year Organizational Objectives, Structure, and Scope” plan prepared by Ayesha Long, Taran Swan and Lisa Waller and presented to Jim Best and Michael Hwang in October 2018. These reports outline recommendations for improving Dalton’s culture and DEI impact to create an authentic and sustainable competitive advantage for Dalton and its graduates. As stated in the report, “DEI excellence is required to survive in a world increasingly shaped by disruptive forces. Doing the hard work to re-invigorate Dalton’s culture and DEI profile will require steady effort, but those who put their shoulder to the wheel to get the job done will help build a sturdy cultural foundation that will support Dalton’s community, strengthen its brand, and honor its motto to “Go forth Unafraid!”

Executive Summary

The Dalton Parents of Black Students are committed to making Dalton an inclusive community. We are concerned about the culture that has festered at Dalton for years. While we recognize the work Dalton has done in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and the steps school leadership has taken over the past few weeks, as evidenced in Jim’s June 26th letter to the community, we acknowledge the urgency of much more important work on school policies and practices that still needs to be done.

If Dalton wants to create an inclusive environment where Black students can truly thrive, Dalton must continue to recognize the fact that the Black experience will require direct and focused attention from the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, parent body, students and alumni.

As Dalton engages in a period of radical listening, we urge the Board of Trustees and school administration, to allocate funds and resources to act on the proposed action steps to create measurable short and long term plans for Dalton to live up to its ideals and values. Dalton should also consider inviting Black alumni to consult and serve as resource partners to assist with strategy development and the implementation and oversight of plans.

It is important to note that some of these action steps were taken directly from the 3-year DEI plan presented to Jim Best and Michael Hwang in October of 2018 and from the Dalton School Review of Faculty and Staff of Color Attrition Report commissioned by the Head of School in December 2018. These action steps are further detailed in the Strategic and Tactical Plan sections below.

Immediate Actions (0-3 months)

Mandate accountability for creating an anti-racist culture in the Dalton community

• Review the Dalton Code of Conduct to more explicitly address acts of racism, disciplinary responses, and administrative actions. Enforce consistent faculty/staff mandatory reporting of race-based incidents and harassment.

• Make racial diversity and anti-racism training mandatory for all members of the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty and parent body with explicit accountability measures around participation for each community group. This expectation should be clearly outlined in the admissions process and in the Dalton enrollment contract for matriculating families. Revisit the idea of quarterly training to deepen the learning and improvement for all faculty, staff, and trustees.

• Send a strong and unambiguous signal about the importance of DEI to Dalton’s core values to administration. Set clear expectations around mandatory participation and accountability in racial diversity work. Compliance should be monitored by Human Resources and DEI. Non-compliance should result in termination.

• Create an anti-racism task force comprised of every constituency, including students, parents, faculty, staff and Black alumni. A member of the Parents of Black Students committee should be a participant in this task force at all times.

• Require each member of the administration, faculty and staff to develop an annual equity goal in their area of expertise, that must be approved by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

• To create accountability, utilize a performance improvement plan to review all employees who are not consistently incorporating the skills they have learned in the required, school-sponsored anti-racism training, with concrete disciplinary actions, up to and including termination, for those who fail to improve within a predetermined time period.

Provide resources to support anti-racist initiatives

• Hire an additional senior DEI director with deep experience and knowledge to execute the 3-year DEI initiative approved by the Board of Trustees as well as the action items in this document.

• Identify and engage a leading independent Multicultural Change Organizational Development firm with proven expertise and a proven track record in anti-racism work, immediately.

Create a transparent process for reporting race-based incidents/harassment with the option of anonymity

• Commence investigations of past incidents brought to the administration’s attention that involve current students and/or faculty/staff.

• Create a safe space for difficult conversations without fear of retaliation.

• Create a clear process for all community members to report an incident without fear of retaliation.

• Ensure HR / Talent Development and DEI are at the table solving race issues related to faculty and staff as they arise. Also, ensure DEI is at the table solving race issues related to students as they arise.

Create anti-racist evaluation processes for curriculum and teaching practices

• Re-examine curriculum and develop an inclusive curriculum and culturally competent pedagogy to be implemented across all divisions, effective fall 2020.

• Make progress on racial diversity work an integral component of the performance evaluation review process, with consequences for lack of engagement.

• Recognize and reward the additional labor (e.g. mentoring, affinity support) of all Black teachers as important work and worthy of additional compensation.

• Compliance with anti-racism standards should be monitored by Human Resources, DEI and the Multicultural Change Organizational Development firm, previously discussed. Non-compliance should result in termination.

• Train teachers to identify and mitigate stereotypes, microaggressions, and other social identity threats.

• Train supervisors to coach faculty on developing racially and culturally inclusive classrooms. Demand stronger support from supervisors, especially as it relates to Black faculty.

• Appoint an academic liaison to each department to communicate with administration and students on curricular and pedagogical initiatives.

• Evaluate and measure how disciplinary actions are taken against students of all races, to determine whether Black students, especially Black boys, are punished more harshly.

• Evaluate and measure the frequency with which progress notices are sent to students of all races, to determine whether Black students are more or less frequently acknowledged for exceptional work and progress, or if they are receiving more negative progress notices.

Ensure curriculum and transparent College admissions process that responds to a diversity of Black students experiences and needs

• Review high school student placement to ensure the mix of students within the advanced placement courses includes Black students, as represented by the student body ratio.

• Create an overall roadmap for students, so that they understand their academic path from 9th to 12th grade, especially if they are interested in a certain discipline.

• Support Black students throughout the college application process by ensuring that the College Counseling Office’s programming, mission and student engagement acknowledges, reflects and responds to a diversity of student experiences and needs.

• Make college trips affordable for students of lesser socio-economic means, and educate Black students about the College application process earlier than the current timeline.

Ongoing Actions (3-12 months)

Expand resources to create an anti-racist, inclusive and accountable community

• Provide clarity and transparency around how STEM programs and advanced placement classes are structured, and provide clear, advance guidance on the prerequisites for said classes. Work to ensure equitable participation and representation of Black students in STEM classes.

• Provide the necessary supplemental classes to support students on financial aid.

• Include socio-economic diversity and DEI-experienced professionals on the Board of Trustees.

• Form a standing DEI committee on the Board of Trustees to build an anti-racist Dalton community.

• Restructure the Parents Association to attract and embrace parents of all backgrounds, especially those with full-time work outside of the home, and Black families.

• Provide quarterly progress reports on the implementation of the 2018 DEI 3-year plan, and the Dalton School Review of Faculty and Staff of Color Attrition Report.

• Support the Black students by providing more robust programming focused on Black students’ social experiences, identity-development and mental health. Provide more programming for ALL students about the Black experience in America and around the world.

• Increase the impact of Diversity conferences with transparent post-conference follow up outlining actions and accountability.

• Ensure the DEI Director meets with divisional DEI Equity Chairs on a bi-weekly basis.

Protect and support Black students in every aspect of their academic and learning experience

• Hire full-time psychologists specifically trained in race-based trauma to support the mental health and psychological needs of children of color in a safe space.

• Assign mentors to students of color, and especially Black students.

• Encourage and support affinity groups for students of color.

Improve the treatment of, and create more opportunities for Black faculty

• Improve the treatment of prominent faculty and staff of color to leverage the power of “demonstration effect” and symbolism.

• Enhance mentorship/sponsorship programs, including an onboarding program and executive coaching opportunities, especially for Black faculty and staff.

• Acknowledge and highlight the accomplishments of Black faculty.

• Support professional development opportunities, especially for Black faculty.

• Enhance professional development and accountability among all faculty, to improve culture and increase retention of talented faculty of all races.

• Establish a professional advancement program for all highly talented faculty, with an emphasis on Black faculty.

• Provide professional, emotional and financial support to offset the additional burden placed on Black faculty, who are currently providing this support system to students.

• Train teachers to mitigate stereotypes and social identity threats.

Increase representation and retention of Black faculty and students

• Increase solicitation of qualified Black faculty. Implement a formal, transparent and consistent job application process.

• Improve retention of Black faculty by reforming the First Program faculty hiring, professional development and promotion processes. Reassess and update the competencies, talent evaluation and promotion processes to eliminate any racial bias.

• Increase admissions and retention numbers for Black students to a degree that is more proportional to the Black NYC population as a whole.

• Create a website and/or annual report tracking rates of attrition for Black students and faculty and provide updates on DEI anti-racist programming, community data, and accountability measures.

In recognition of the fact that the Black experience at Dalton is unique and requires focused attention, we are establishing a new parent body, Dalton Parents of Black Students, with a mission to assist the Dalton School in moving toward its ideals, convictions and goals as they relates to Black students. Initially, our focus will be on driving transparency, accountability and incremental progress.

To be clear, we believe in Dalton. We are proud members of the Dalton community, and we are still confident that Dalton can provide our children with the quality education that they deserve. Dalton has a track record as a leader on issues of diversity, anti-bias work, allyship, and inclusive practices amongst the New York City independent school community. However, the recent events and increased numbers of Dalton alumni breaking their silence on traumas they experienced at the hands of fellow Dalton community members (some of whom are still part of the institution today) shows us that none of this work can be taken for granted and that there is still much work left to be done.

We must fix our culture. We have provided these essential items as a first step toward achieving our goal of collaboratively working with Dalton’s Administration to repair the damage caused by racist practices. We ask that the same amount of due diligence and planning, that went into Dalton’s building expansion and other important events, is applied to addressing issues of systemic racism and neglect that have plagued Dalton for years. These foundational problems have caused great pain for both current and former students. The foundational problems do not align with and significantly impede Dalton's ability to fulfill its mission or reach its full potential. Members of the Dalton community, new and old, should experience a school that lives up to the inclusive and equitable culture that Dalton espouses: a school steeped in a holistic vision of equality that fully embraces the entire community across all dimensions.

We are hopeful that Dalton will commit to taking clear steps to achieve measurable outcomes around each of these action items. Jim, we look forward to working with you as Dalton’s leader, and with confidence that you will fully engage with Black parents as we reposition Dalton as a leader of DEI, anti-racism and social justice work in independent school education. We will lead by example as we build a sturdy cultural foundation that equips Dalton itself to be a more inclusive and equitable community for ALL of its students. We look forward to being engaged with you through the summer, in the 2020-2021 academic year, and beyond.

APPENDIX

STRATEGIC PLAN

Responsibilities of the Head of School

• Convey strong, consistent, and clear messaging about the importance of anti-racist and DEI work to the entire Dalton community (e.g., through the school newspaper and emails to parents) regularly.

• Set clear expectations regarding mandatory participation and accountability in racial diversity work. A majority of interview participants--both PoC and white-- consistently recommended that unwillingness to comply should result in termination. Termination for refusal to comply in this regard would send a strong and unambiguous signal about the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to Dalton’s core values.

• Make progress, through HR/Talent Development, on DEI and anti-racism work, an integral component of the performance evaluation review process, with consequences for lack of engagement.

• Require that the Board of Trustees and administration increase their involvement in DEI and anti-racism work, especially as relates to Black students..

• Deliver regular speeches and status reports covering the “state of the school” on non-negotiable DEI and anti-racism accomplishments, goals and expectations.

• Elevate the status and roles of the former Office of Progressive and Inclusive Practice (“OPIP”), currently the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office, and HR / Talent Development, including ensuring that members of these teams are at the table helping to solve major race issues as they arise. Moving forward, any effort at Dalton to address moments of racial crisis and/or race-related incidents should never be handled without input from OPIP/DEI and/or someone from the aggrieved racial group.

• Implement a Black history curriculum for staff, faculty, the Board of Trustees and students that consists of required readings (and other media), workshops, and training which should be taught during professional development periods and throughout each summer.

• Develop clear and concrete consequences for all racist statements and actions.

• Create a policy banning of the N-word by anyone in the Dalton community, with a clear disciplinary framework to discourage its use - especially by adults.

Board & Administration

Board Representation

• Evaluate board composition and include more socio-economic diversity and DEI-experienced professionals on the Board of Trustees.

• The Board’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee should partner with Administration and regularly interface with key stakeholders (i.e. faculty, staff, current students, parents, and alumni) in supporting and expanding the school’s DEI and anti-racism work.

• Develop a plan for how board members will support the school’s plan to become an anti-racist school community, including setting annual strategies and goals, and measures for tracking progress in meeting those goals (i.e. annual surveys).

• Include DEI committee members on all other major committees.

Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

• Engage an outside firm with expertise in placing educators of color to hire two or three more senior administrators with strong DEI backgrounds, organizational skills and strengths in goal setting, project management, follow-through, and communications for Dalton’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

• Implement the yet-to-be executed elements of the OPIP 3-year plan that was prepared in 2018, with a focus on providing sufficient resources for this critical work and driving continued DEI and anti-racism training across the school.

• Support the Black student experience by engaging division leaders, the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Parents of Black Student Association, the affinity group leaders and student leaders, to create more robust programming for Black students that focuses on social experiences, identity-development and mental health, among other needs.

• Support Black students leading up to and during the college application process by engaging the College Counseling Office, including gathering input from students and alumni, to ensure its programming, mission and student engagement acknowledges, reflects, and responds effectively to a diversity of student experiences and needs.

• Elevate the status and roles of the DEI and HR / Talent Development, bringing them to the table and involving them in decision-making when race-related issues arise.

Administration/Faculty

• Increase representation and retention of students of African descent.

• Publicly report, either through the website or an annual report, the number of Black students enrolled in the school as well as the attrition rates of all students of color, particularly Black students.

• Consistently implement a formal and transparent job application process. Hiring committees should at all times be composed of at least 50% people of color.

• Enhance professional development and accountability among all faculty, which will improve culture and increase retention of talented faculty of all races. (Note: as of the 2017-2018 school year, Dalton’s student population is 55% students of color and faculty is 27% people of color.)

• Reform the First Program faculty hiring, professional development and promotion process to improve retention of Black faculty. Reassess the Associate’s Program to include a real pathway to faculty positions at Dalton; with a focus on retaining talented faculty of color.

• Reassess and update the competencies and talent evaluation and promotion process to remove racial bias and align it with Dalton’s DEI and anti-racist commitments.

• Review the Dalton Code of Conduct and revise it to more explicitly address acts of racism and develop clear disciplinary responses, up to and including termination, for faculty members who fail to follow the set Code of Conduct as it relates to DEI and anti-racism practices. Students and parents should be made aware of any administrative actions taken for violation of DEI and anti-racist Codes of Conduct set by Dalton.

• Immediately identify and engage a strong independent Multicultural Change Organizational Development (MCOD) firm to hold Dalton accountable to its DEI and anti-racism work. Conducting an organizational assessment that directs a DEI and anti-racism lens on Dalton’s systems, norms and practices, such a firm can help carry Dalton through the transformation process from being a monocultural organization to a truly multicultural organization that reflects Dalton’s stated values and ideals.

Human Resources

• Set clear expectations around mandatory participation and accountability in DEI and anti-racism work. This work should be monitored by HR / Talent Development and DEI. Unwillingness to comply should result in termination for DEI insubordination, which would send a strong and unambiguous signal about the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to Dalton’s core values.

• Make progress on DEI and anti-racism work an integral component of the performance evaluation review process, with consequences for a lack of engagement.

• Elevate the status and roles of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and HR / Talent Development, ensuring that they are at the table and are empowered to participate in the decision-making process when major race issues arise.

• Utilize a performance improvement plan to review and hold accountable all employees who are not incorporating the skills they have learned in the required, school-sponsored DEI and anti-racism training, with a clear disciplinary framework, up to and including termination, for those who fail to improve.

• Build out the Talent Development / Human Resource department by hiring an additional senior-level HR/Talent Development professional to assist Joan Waldron in executing culture-related initiatives, DEI and anti-racism related training, and overall professional development.

• Assign HR/Talent Development with the responsibility to create retention plans and strategies based on an evaluation of best practices.

Students

Curriculum

• Develop an inclusive curriculum and culturally competent pedagogy that is aligned with Dalton’s DEI and anti-racism commitments. The existing curriculum should be completely reexamined, including the logics of including/excluding specific topics, texts and authors, and revised to include and feature texts by Black authors, Black history, and instruction on the contributions of people of African descent to the humanities, sciences, math, and the arts, from grades K through 12, more generally. This work should begin over the summer with initial marked changes manifesting in the fall semester and should continue in perpetuity.

• Curricular revisions should also give dedicated, sustained and wholistic attention to the history and persistence of racism, including the latest research on related topics (i.e. historical and current racism, overt and covert, systemic, microaggressions, implicit biases, etc.) particularly in the Dalton environment in every grade, K-12.

• Mandate that dedicated DEI and anti-racist discussions are given the appropriate priority, time and facilitation. These discussions should not only be at the House level, but full participation student assemblies must be held as well.

• Teach non-Eurocentric topics not just in relation to or in contrast to the European equivalent; teach the accomplishments and victories of diverse cultures.

STEM

• Provide clarity and transparency around how STEM programs and honors classes are structured, and provide guidance, well in advance of these classes, regarding prerequisites. This will help remove the perceived barriers for Black students who desire to participate in STEM programs and honors classes.

• Work to ensure equitable participation and representation of Black students in STEM programs and honors classes. Once clear criteria for placement decisions have been created and publicized, these placement decisions should be monitored and tracked to ensure equitable access to such courses.

• Provide the necessary supplemental classes (with financial support for students on financial aid), as it is well-established that many students of means receive the necessary and ongoing private tutoring to help them to qualify for honors classes. Failure to do so puts an already disadvantaged population at a further disadvantage.

Tracking Academic Achievement & Disciplinary Actions

• Evaluate and measure how disciplinary actions are taken against students of all races, to determine whether Black students, especially Black boys, are punished more frequently and more harshly.

• Evaluate and measure the frequency with which positive progress notices are sent to students of all races, to determine whether Black students are more or less frequently acknowledged for exceptional work and progress.

• Evaluate and measure the frequency with which negative progress notices are given to Black students to determine whether Black students are more or less frequently receiving negative notices than other students for the same work or behavior.

• Evaluate and measure the impact of negative progress notices for Black students as compared to their peers of other racial/ethnic heritage.

Wellness

• Commit to providing more trained administrators able to address race-based trauma and support the mental health of Black children in a safe space. Many times this burden falls on Black teachers who already have a full-time role of teaching and who are not necessarily trained for this work. A lack of resources in this regard sets Black children up for failure and unfairly burdens Black faculty, who it should be noted, are not being compensated for this additional role and responsibility.

• Hire a full-time mental health professional who is specifically trained in race-based trauma and is charged with being a resource for all students, but especially black students.

Community Members

• Restructure the Parents Association to attract and embrace parents from all racial/ethnic backgrounds, especially those who work full-time outside of the home, and Black parents.

• Make mandatory participation in DEI and anti-racism training, at an interval to be determined, for all members of the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty and parent body with explicit measures for accountability around engagement, and clearly set this expectation in the admissions process and in the Dalton enrollment contract.
  

In addition to the above-mentioned strategic plan, below we have outlined a number of tactical steps that we urge the administration to take to bring the Dalton community closer to its goal of creating an inclusive culture, one that better reflects the school’s stated commitments and the diversity of New York City, the nation, and the world.

TACTICAL PLAN

Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Administration & Faculty

• Increase the level and impact of Diversity conferences through post-conference follow up outlining actions and accountability.

• In addition to professional development and training in anti-racism and implicit biases, each member of the administration, faculty and staff should be required to develop an annual equity goal in their area of expertise that will be approved by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

• Appoint an academic liaison to each department to communicate with administration and students on curricular and pedagogical DEI and anti-racism initiatives.

• Require division heads to report to the DEI office on matters of race so they can collaborate on solutions and have stronger coordination.

• Require DEI to partner with faculty on classroom observations and curriculum design.

• Require DEI to regularly meet with divisional Equity Chairs (i.e. on a weekly or bi-weekly basis) to discuss how anti-racism practices, procedures and curricula are being implemented in their respective divisions, as well as to discuss and record any complaints made by students regarding issues of racism, microaggressions and anti-Black behavior on the part of faculty/staff and/or other students.

• Require the DEI Office, in conjunction with division heads, to ensure that all teachers learn the correct pronunciation of students’ names before the commencement of each school year.

Faculty of Color

• Improve the treatment of prominent faculty and staff of color to leverage the power of “demonstration effect” and symbolism.

• Enhance mentorship/sponsorship programs, especially for Black faculty.

• Consider a special onboarding program for Black faculty.

• Provide opportunities for executive coaching (from external coaches) for all employees of color, especially Black faculty.

• Acknowledge and highlight the accomplishments of Black faculty.

• Support professional development opportunities, especially for Black faculty.

• Demand stronger support from supervisors, especially as relates to supporting Black faculty. A supportive supervisor is a primary factor in retention.

• Provide professional and emotional support, as well as incentives/rewards (i.e. additional compensation) to offset the additional burden placed on Black faculty who are currently providing a support system to students.

• Establish a professional advancement program for all highly talented faculty, with an emphasis on Black faculty.

• Train teachers to mitigate stereotypes and social identity threats.

Students

• Assign mentors to students of color, and especially Black students.

• Provide an anonymous complaint system where students can report acts of racism perpetrated by either faculty and other students, without fear of retaliation.

• Identify a qualified person within the DEI office who is responsible for addressing the needs of students and especially Black students.

• Encourage and support affinity groups for students of color and explain to all students, including white students, why they are helpful, especially in the case of Black students.

Parents

• Establish mandatory DEI and anti-racism training, organized by the DEI office, to be held regularly. Parents should be required to attend at least one school-sponsored DEI and anti-racism workshop/training before their child leaves First Program.