Our Journey Forward: Pilgrim School's 2023-24 DEIB Report

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING Our Journey Forward 2023-24

"Inclusion and belonging are essential for creating a sense of unity and shared purpose, where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their unique talents and voices. By embracing these values, we ultimately cultivate a more vibrant, compassionate, and forward-thinking community at Pilgrim School."

—Patricia Kong Head of School Ms. Kong, 2016 US Citizenship Ceremony

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t Pilgrim School, we foster a culture that values and celebrates differences in backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We create an environment where every member of Pilgrim’s community feels respected, supported, and included. Embracing diversity enriches our learning environment, promotes understanding, and encourages collaboration among students, families, faculty, and staff. Prioritizing equity ensures that all members of our community have genuine opportunities to thrive and succeed.

SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND FAMILIES

Creating a diverse community of students and families is integral to our DEIB efforts.

We are working to actively cultivate and sustain a student and family community that reflects the population of Los Angeles.

BY THE NUMBERS Maintaining a diverse student body is best supported by having a leadership team that mirrors the diversity of the students we serve. Pilgrim’s Board, consisting of 60% People of Color, has been recognized by NAIS as one of the most diverse Boards in the country.

53%

60%

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Students of color, surpassing the National Association of Independent Schools' (NAIS) average of 33%

Staff and faculty are people of color.

Patricia Kong, Pilgrim's Head of School, is a trailblazer as the first Korean female K-12 Head of School in California.

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We have developed recruitment strategies, partnerships, and funding to help connect and support students from all backgrounds.

Our Neighborhood Scholars Program provides neighborhood students who might not otherwise be able to access private school an opportunity to attend our school with a full scholarship and funding for uniforms, academic support and extracurriculars. We are also proud to partner with Axis and Private School Village, non-profit organizations that work with Independent Schools to create pathways for underrepresented students and families of color to access, navigate, and thrive in private education.

In 2023, a small group of Pilgrim parents, as part of efforts of the Black Alliance, established Fill the Gap. This internal fund supports tuition for Black students. The fund is intended to offer financial support for existing Black families and students at Pilgrim to cover additional school costs, such as supplies and extracurricular activities, or to fill the gap that might arise in covering tuition. This fund intends to help retain Black families and Black students at the school by creating a community for these families and offering funds to “fill the gap” when needed. This program's success is mainly due to the trust and collaboration between Pilgrim School’s Administration and the involved staff, faculty and families in our Black Alliance.

AFFINITY GROUPS AND ALLIANCES

Our race and ethnicity-based affinity groups at Pilgrim provide safe and supportive spaces for people of the same racial and ethnic identity to engage in social and educational conversations and activities that deepen relationships and explore how race and ethnicity impact our experiences on campus and in society. This year's student affinity groups are Black Affinity (3rd - 5th and Secondary) and Jewish Heritage (Secondary). In addition to the student groups, for the first time at Pilgrim, we have the following affinity spaces for faculty and staff: Asian American Pacific Islander, Black, Latinx, and White Allies. We are determining the resources and structures that will support and maintain affinity groups as they continue to grow in number and look forward to offering more affinity groups in the coming school year.

JEWISH HERITAGE COMMITTEE

HERITAGE AND

Holiday

CELEBRATIONS

As a whole school and with our families, we have celebrated Lunar New Year, Holi, Dia de Los Muertos, Hanukkah, and our multicultural Winter Sing. We’ve enjoyed the power of community and connection as we’ve gathered for Hispanic Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month, and most recently, Black History Month. These events have been a resounding success and highlight the essence of our school’s commitment to community connection.

Looking ahead, we’re planning events for Holi, Women’s History Month, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and LGBTQ+ Month.

ilgrim Parent Association (PPA) plays a vital role in the organization by fostering a sense of community and inclusivity. Their dedication to celebrating shared identities and embracing differences creates a space for togetherness and belonging within our school community. The PPA organizes many events throughout the school year that raise funds for different needs each year, like equipment for our Physical Literacy Program, the Neighborhood Scholars Program, and Fill the Gap fund. This work showcases their commitment to equity and support for all members of our school community. Through their initiatives, the PPA helps ensure that Pilgrim School is a place where every individual feels valued and supported.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH FOR FACULTY AND STAFF

LAYING A DEIB Foundation During the 2022-23 school year, all staff and faculty received foundational training with Blink Strategic Consulting. Blink collaborates with schools and other organizations to critically, compassionately, and strategically rethink diversity, equity, and inclusion.

During whole group sessions and smaller group break-outs, Pilgrim staff built a common, shared vocabulary around critical DEIB topics, such as implicit bias, affinity spaces, and privilege, learned about different approaches to inclusive curricula, and got hands-on practice having challenging conversations about DEIB. This training encouraged our staff and faculty to see our DEIB mission as vital and emphasized the need to be accountable for our intentions and impacts.

Pilgrim School is tremendously grateful to our Board for their generous donation of $100,000 to initiate this important work. This contribution helped us lay the groundwork that we proudly continue to build upon.

2023-24 DEIB PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT During the 2023-24 school year, we are building off of this foundational training by providing opportunities for all faculty and staff to participate in monthly Learning Pods. During these differentiated, small group sessions, Pilgrim employees collaborate with peers and are deepening their knowledge of DEIB in everyday conversations, anti-racist education, Social Justice standards, and inclusive curricula. These peer-led groups are powerful spaces for the adults in our learning community to grow, be challenged, and continue building a shared vocabulary around DEIB at Pilgrim.

To further our commitment to DEIB in our curricular program and in our systems and day-today operations, we have planned various professional development opportunities during this school year. We prioritize collaborative learning and support faculty to attend training in groups.

This year alone, faculty members have attended Values-Based Incident Response training, workshops on Anti-Bias Curriculum Redesign and Affinity Group Leadership, and sessions around Universal Design for Learning and Supporting Students with Dyslexia.

We were also proud to support our staff and faculty's attendance at the Pollyanna Conference, where groups of teachers, administrators, and student leaders explore diversity, inclusion, and equity and share ideas, experiences, and knowledge to become change agents in their immediate communities. Additionally, our staff and faculty have access to monthly webinars through Pollyanna to build community, enhance racial literacy knowledge, and support inclusive and equitable practices when working with students, families, and colleagues.

Looking ahead to the 2024-25 school year, we will be kicking off our school year with a fullfaculty Restorative Practices training, during which we will enhance and refine our knowledge of key strategies and approaches for building relationships with students. In addition, we’ll have an opportunity to discuss the importance of equity in classroom management and discipline, and learn about alternative, innovative discipline approaches.

PEOPLE OF COLOR CONFERENCE

We were so glad to have Pilgrim faculty members attend this year’s People of Color Conference, which took place in St. Louis, Missouri, from November 29December 2nd, 2023. PoCC is the flagship of the National Association of Independent School’s commitment to equity and justice in teaching, learning, and sustainability for independent schools. The conference theme - Gateways to Freedom: A Confluence of Truth, Knowledge, Joy, and Power - brought together educators and thought leaders from across the US, and we’re thankful for the knowledge our faculty members brought back to our community upon their return.

“PoCC was a chance to reflect and evaluate my own process and understanding.

Having a chance to meet with the BIPOC community in independent schools gave me an opportunity to see the wealth of effort and work that has been accomplished thus far around the country. Access to this organization and group was essential to create the forum for discourse that all educators and students need. Focused engagement and dealing with many of the contemporary concerns that educators face was extremely impactful. We used our time to create solutions, which gave each of us takeaways to bring back to our schools for meaningful lessons and discourse.”

—Jonathan Woods, High School Dean / Secondary Social Studies Teacher "PoCC was a life experience I didn't know I needed and I'm forever grateful for. It opened my eyes to the work that has been done, is currently being done, and still needs to be done to ensure BIPOC people are properly represented in underrepresented places but most importantly, once they are represented, they are seen for who they are and they are safe."

—Bryanna Miller, Elementary Music Teacher

STUDENT DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

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hile some of our Pilgrim faculty participated in PoCC, two of our students participated in the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), a branch of PoCC designed to engage high school students in conversations and activities that develop their knowledge of DEIB and their understanding of how to continue dialogue about DEIB in their schools and communities. Sending students to this conference in person was a first for Pilgrim and something we look to commit to annually.

“It was such an amazing experience attending the SDLC with my Pilgrim School family. Prior to this conference, I had a chance to hear from so many people in my age group about their DEIB experiences. It was very enlightening and I am sharing much of what I learned with my classmates and peers.” -Sophia M., 11th Grade “SDLC was an incredibly special experience for me. It is my first year in private school and I was able to meet other students who share my cultural and economic identity. As I am on a scholarship, I initially struggled at Pilgrim because I felt very out of place on scholarship at a private school. Getting to meet other students also on scholarship with similar experiences from across the nation was really special for me and helped me feel more comfortable at a private school. In addition, as a Cuban-American who has grown up in a very latin area but without many other Cubans, I had always felt out of place with other latinas. Getting to meet other Cubans who have also grown up in LA at SDLC was very special and made me feel a lot more secure in my identity as a Cuban-American.” - Tessa A., 11th Grade

Inclusive

CURRICULA Throughout the year, we have implemented several initiatives and programmatic changes to support our strategic plan goal of leading with an inclusive curriculum at every age. Our Early Education program continues to recognize, celebrate, and build awareness around the rich diversity in our classrooms and community. In our Elementary Division, students get a deep grounding in equity and inclusivity through the AmazeWorks Program, facilitated by our School Counselor. They also explore diverse perspectives and historical contexts through the Inquiry Journeys Social Studies curriculum. Our Secondary Division has integrated the AmazeWorks Anti-Bias Education Program and the Facing History Community Matters Curriculum into Advisory classes. These programs provide students with the tools to recognize and challenge bias while bringing them together to explore their individual and group identities and values.

It is vital to support our teachers and departments in their journey towards understanding and utilizing social justice and anti-bias frameworks. To achieve this, we have provided resources and guidance to help them redesign units and pedagogical approaches.

Teachers at all grade levels are starting to work in small group teams to integrate Social Justice Standards and anti-bias curriculum principles into their existing curriculum units.

Furthermore, we are conducting a comprehensive text audit to ensure that our English Department's texts align with our DEIB goals. This audit allows us to build on the efforts the English department has already been taking to amplify the perspectives and contributions of historically disenfranchised groups.

VISITING ARTISTS AND AUTHORS The Pilgrim School Visiting Artists and Authors Program is central to our dynamic and boundary-pushing arts education. Every year, Pilgrim invites a rotating group of artists and authors to share their work and perspectives with our students. We seek out vibrant and diverse talent to give students an opportunity to learn from individuals who challenge and inspire them. Visiting Artists and Authors Program is made possible thanks to the partnership we have with the Ahmanson Foundation. For over a decade, they have generously funded this program and we are truly grateful for their support.

One memorable Visiting Author visit featured bestselling authors Nicola Yoon and David Yoon, who joined us to kick off our Black History Month celebrations. Nicola and David co-publish Joy Revolution, a Random House YA imprint dedicated to love stories starring people of color. Nicola is the first black woman to hit #1 on the New York Times Young Adult bestseller list. Both authors opened up to our students about the writing process and the challenges of being authors of color in the publishing world. They are also both proudly part of We Need Diverse Books, a non profit that advocates for changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that is more diverse and inclusive of all readers.

Through this program, Pilgrim School invited artist Brandon John Lasalle to work with our students from K-12 to do a mural based on the theme of inclusivity. Students reflected upon Pilgrim as a community where students of different races, religions, and abilities are all included and created a final visual product that was representative of all students.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND GROWTH

MARKETING This school year’s Marketing Plan focuses heavily on connecting with our diverse community to target a broader range of countries, attract international students, and enhance the cultural diversity of our community. Since 1968, Pilgrim School has proudly offered an international studies program, providing ESL support and boarding on our campus, and we are looking forward to continuing to grow this unique program.

Additionally, our DEIB efforts must be accurately and robustly represented on our website and in other marketing materials. By focusing on these important updates, we can ensure prospective families and the broader community understand our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Moving forward, this information about our DEIB plans and achievements will be readily accessible to our school community and the public.

FACULTY AND STAFF LEADERSHIP

We have made significant strides in positioning Pilgrim School to drive transformational change in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our Educational Leadership Team has received coaching on building collaborative, inclusive teams and leadership in DEIB which ensures that our efforts are well-supported from the top. We have also established a Faculty and Staff DEIB Committee, which serves as an essential platform for dialogue, collaboration, and implementation of DEIB initiatives. For the remainder of the year, the committee will focus on developing a clear plan for responding appropriately and holistically to student incidents of bias and to incidents of bias dominating the media.

AN INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY Hiring and retaining a diverse faculty and staff is paramount in creating an inclusive community. To achieve this, we participate in the SoCal Diversity Recruitment Fair annually, where we connect with talented individuals from historically disenfranchised groups. This year, Dr. Sheryl Cohen, Director of Elementary, is on the planning committee for this important event and our own Head of School, Patricia Kong, and Secondary Student, Sophia Miller, are speaking on a panel at the fair. In conjunction with this, we care deeply about our student and family community and are committed to establishing enrollment goals that promote increased and diverse enrollment across all school divisions. By enhancing our recruitment strategies and focusing on retention, we aim to create a genuinely inclusive community that reflects the city of Los Angeles.

MOVING FORWARD Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) work is unwavering. We understand the profound importance of this work within our community and recognize that true growth and progress come from embracing our diverse perspectives. Moving forward, we are dedicated to hosting parent education sessions and fostering spaces and events where our community can come together to share about and celebrate our identities, educate one another, and strengthen our sense of belonging.

Affinity groups will remain a cornerstone of our community, providing vital support and community for our students, families, faculty, and staff. In tandem with this, we are committed to ongoing professional development, ensuring our faculty and staff are equipped with the necessary tools to reflect and grow in their practice.

As we inspire and challenge our students to shape a better world, we understand that this journey requires engaging in the essential, sometimes difficult, work of DEIB. Together, we will continue on this path of learning, understanding, and positive change.