D.E.I.| United States | Sycamore School

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

Mission:

Our mission is to expose students to a variety of perspectives and experiences. We will teach empathy and encourage them to take action in solving problems they encounter. As students learn to think critically, make observations, and ask questions, they will learn to come up with their own opinions. Our goal is not to tell students what to think, but aid them in developing mindsets which allow them to draw their own conclusions by providing an environment that allows for diverse and inclusive experiences. Sycamore students are given agency. They are empowered to take action as upstanders to solve the inequities and injustices they observe around them... at the school level, the community level, and beyond.

Diversity Statement:

The Sycamore School is committed to creating an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment that fosters the growth and development of all students, staff, and community members regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and ability. We believe that diversity is essential to impactful collaboration and problem solving.

What it looks like at Sycamore:

Diversity and Inclusion education is embedded in the daily activities and experiences inside and outside of our learning spaces. While engaging in our core classes: Communications Literacy, Patterns and Modeling, and Theme, students will be given opportunities to empathize with others, solve problems, consider audiences with diverse backgrounds, and learn about a wide variety of human perspectives. Service learning and field trips are also places where students have the opportunity to help others and gain insight into human experiences. Students are expected to develop their own opinions around all topics, ideas, and events. This leads to the kind of problem solving that values and considers all parties.

How we focus it and practice it:

We support our diversity and inclusion initiatives through our... focus on teaching and modeling Emotional Intelligence; the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate our emotions. EQ (Emotional Intelligence) is the foundation for deep and meaningful learning. We believe that it is important for both students and educators to recognize and understand their own feelings and emotions. Learning to understand and communicate our needs to ourselves and others will serve students for a lifetime, both in their academic and personal lives.

MINDSETS (providing students an opportunity to develop skills and perspectives that lead to more diverse thinking and problem solving)

TOOLKITS (providing students opportunities to visualize processes for thinking and learning)

UNIQUE CURRICULUM DESIGN

Diverse literature - cultural norms and perspectives, gender, race, socioeconomic, and varying abilities (diversified libraries)

Historical and scientific long-form thematic units - explores similarities and differences of cultures, conflicts, and the human condition from the past and present with an eye on the future, perspectives, experiences, and technological advancements.

Patterns and Modeling - data science helps students understand economic challenges and global impacts on human groups and societies.

Field Trips - getting beyond the school walls and outside of our own community in order to learn about and experience different perspectives and ways of life.