Effective Practices Guides

Principles, practices, and resources to support the development of accessible tuition in your school or institution.

Out of decades of experience leading and supporting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Committees (who use many variants of the acronym, including EID, EDI, JEDI, and more), we know that strong leadership and clear structure are essential to a committee’s sustainability and working relationships. How can a DEIJ Committee - often made up of volunteers - synthesize a range of opinions, function transparently and effectively, and impact their community for the good of all?

Communities thrive when leadership, employees, students, and families come from a variety of backgrounds and identities. How can independent schools and other organizations recruit and retain a wider range of candidates?

There are many ways to assess a student because, in essence, we are assessing students all the time. It is the responsibility of the school to constantly attune to each of its students in order to determine whether they are best supported to learn within the school and the classroom environments it offers.

Student assessments range from being a formal, structured process to constant informal touchpoints within the classroom. This document offers suggestions for approaching the assessment process at all points of this range to support students from a broad spectrum of backgrounds.

Using the lens of inclusive assessment, we provide guiding questions and practical tools to help teachers meet students where they are, scaffold learning, and recognize and communicate the school’s limits.

We also discuss how to build collaborative partnerships with parents and caregivers, based on a shared framework and trust.

Theater productions are incredible opportunities to introduce students to the beautiful and complex nature of our world. Theater is a portal to other times, places, and cultures. Because theater is so vivid and emotional, there are also many places within it where our own biases can lurk. This document provides and offers ideas and examples for a consciously produced show. May all your productions open your students’ eyes and swing open the doors of wonder and empathy.

In a world where wars, other tragedies, and a deeply polarized political landscape inevitably touch everyone, it is imperative that institutional leadership has clarity about their approach to navigating challenging conversations. An institution’s approach will be most effective when its actions are rooted in its vision, mission, and values. In this document, we outline some effective practices, resources, and questions to ask as your organization navigates discussions of current events.

It’s common for enthusiastic teachers to join schools, but then quickly burn out because of avoidable problems. It is also common for teachers to join a school community that isn’t prepared to welcome them authentically, due to oversights and assumptions embedded in the school’s culture.

How can a school set up onboarding and mentoring systems that prioritize clarity and accountability, rooted in strong relationships? In this document, we will share solution-oriented practices that guide school leadership to focus on retention, culture-making, and clear onboarding processes, all of which support new faculty to thrive in their schools.