Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

List of 9 items.

• Faculty/Staff Affinity Groups

  Peck’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Committee launched faculty/staff affinity groups during the school’s April 18, 2022 Professional Development Day. Faculty and staff members had the option to participate in one of six affinity group choices to connect with colleagues who share a similar identity characteristic or interest.

  
  

  “Affinity groups promote self care and wellness, cultivate a sense of belonging, and can be a vehicle for positive change within a community,” said Alex Soudah, chair of the DEIB Steering Committee.

• Parents Association Group on Inclusivity

  In 2021, The Peck Parents Association (PA) launched a new group to give time and space for open conversation, connection, and relationship-building between all parents, and to foster a sense of belonging for all families.

  
  

  Building upon existing PA initiatives surrounding inclusivity, PAGI (Parents Association Group on Inclusivity) acts as a vehicle to better connect parents with Peck’s core values and commitment to Consideration of Others, particularly in ensuring that a sense of belonging is integral to the Peck experience for all families.
  
  PAGI “recognize[s] each family’s unique story brings strength and richness to our school, and [is] committed to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion, and equity.”
  
  Meetings occur approximately monthly, and are open to all parents. Agendas often draw from news articles, books, or other resources on topics of diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice.

• NAIS POCC Conference

  Peck sends several community members to the NAIS People of Color Conference each year. The conference strives to provide a safe space for leadership, professional development, and networking for people of color and allies of all backgrounds in independent schools. Among the many opportunities provided for professional development, this is consistently named as one of the most impactful by Peck employees. 

• Far Brook 'Widening the Lens' Conference (Students, Parents, Teachers)

  Each fall for the past three years, Peck students, faculty, and parents have attended The Far Brook School’s annual Widening the Lens diversity conference for New Jersey independent schools. The theme of the 2020 online conference was Lift Every Voice: Centering the Student Experience in Building Anti-Racist Communities.
  
  The Far Brook conference is notable for its emphasis on the representation of various constituencies from participating schools, including students, faculty, trustees, parents, alumni, and Heads of School.

• Parent Education Series with Liza Talusan

  Following the successful book discussion, the PA offered a series of three one-hour-long Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Parent Workshops led by Dr. Liza Talusan—the renowned educator who also facilitated Peck's faculty/staff workshops. Parents attended sessions covering the following topics:
  

  • Why diversity, and race in particular, matters
  • Learned biases and how they show up in our work and personal lives
  • Action steps to support diversity, equity, and inclusion

• Professional Development with Liza Talusan

  This fall and winter, all Peck faculty and staff attended a series of workshops led by Dr. Liza Talusan—an engaging, award-winning educator and facilitator for topics on diversity, inclusion, and antiracism.
  
  Topics discussed included:
  

  • Defining diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice
  • Identity-conscious leadership
  • Working toward antiracism
  • Dismantling oppressive structures

• Board of Trustees Diversity Committee

  The Diversity Committee works to examine and define the definition of diversity as it applies to the Peck community and our mission, especially with regard to racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds; to understand key trends across independent schools with regard to diversity and the support of it, and to ensure Peck’s policies support an inclusive and diverse community.

• NAIS AIM Survey

  In January 2020, the Peck community (students, faculty and staff, and current parents) completed the NAIS AIM Survey (Assessment for Inclusion and Multiculturalism). This survey is designed to elicit feedback on school climate and culture and was intended to assist the Board and Administration in identifying strengths that can be built upon and areas that need work to ensure our community’s continued growth. In the assessment of results, community members noted that the school is a warm and welcoming environment where both students and adults are treated with respect. The school’s commitment to ethical values and character development led to a sense of pride in Peck for many. 
  
  Survey respondents indicated a need for multiculturalism and related efforts to be more deeply woven into the curriculum, with a greater emphasis on promoting diversity and inclusion.

• Alumni Survey

  This year, we eagerly sought alumni feedback as we sought to better understand how they were (or were not) prepared for what they encountered beyond Peck through the lens of diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion. The responses are informing us in the development of our plan to ensure our graduates have the tools they need to navigate and thrive in a vast multicultural world, where our differences are both acknowledged and celebrated. With these tools, and with our Peck values, we hope that our graduates will not be bystanders, but rather actors, when it comes to recognizing and disrupting systemic racism and injustice in all of its forms.