The Westport Public Schools strives to be a school system in which the stories, cultures, and identities of all students are seen, heard, and valued. In order to do this, we must always be reflective and analytical, looking for the areas in which we can strengthen our work with students and families. Therefore, the Westport Public Schools is currently undergoing an equity study in partnership with New York University’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of School - Innovation in Equity and Systemic Change.

This work is not new to Westport. In 2003, the town formed TEAM, “Together Effectively Achieving Multiculturalism”, a group of volunteer community members, who either live or work in the community, appointed by the First Selectman. TEAM’s charge has been to “achieve, celebrate and extend a more welcoming, multicultural community” by focusing on issues of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion within the Westport community. We see this study with NYU as an extension of the work the town started almost two decades ago.

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected and diverse, it is critical that our students graduate with the skills to communicate and collaborate with people from different backgrounds, including ethnicity, religion, race, gender, dis/able bodied, sexual orientation, or neurodivergent/neurotypical groups. Learning about the ways in which we can support and honor the backgrounds of all students is critical for individual students and serves to strengthen our entire community.