Dear College Prep Community,
In 2020, with the urging of our Black Student Union, Black families, alumni, and allies, College Prep renewed its commitment to deepening its racial justice and equity work, with a particular focus on the experience of our Black and Black-identifying community. In June of 2021, The Board of Trustees affirmed multi-year commitments designed to guide College Prep’s efforts across all aspects of school life.
Our work in this essential area is ongoing and continues to inspire us. As described in the results of College Prep’s 2022-23 Equity Audit, engaging in racial equity work is often a gateway into broader questions of what it means to be a compassionate, equitable, and affirming school culture. In addition to our continued focus on racial identity and belonging, we explored strategies for increasing support for neurodiverse students and held our community through the devastating and on-going crisis in the Middle East. These and many other moments remind us of the complexity of our intersectional identities, and serve to deepen our commitment to the values of dignity, belonging, fairness, inclusion, and respect that are at the heart of our mission.
We are grateful to the many in our community who have shared their experiences and expertise, and who have supported the School’s efforts in this area. We know that we will continue to reflect, learn, and grow together toward our goal of having every student feel cared for, equitably supported, and prepared to participate in the creation of a more racially and culturally just world.
With appreciation,
Monique DeVane Alexandria Osei-Amoako
Head of School Dean of Equity and Belonging
I Racial Equity & Belonging 2020-21 End of Year Update
The College Preparatory School 6100 Broadway Oakland, CA 94618 510.652.0111 college-prep.org
College Prep’s culture must cultivate and express the values of dignity, fairness, inclusion, and respect that are at the heart of its equity and justice work. We continue to develop and amplify resources, systems, and programs that support a compassionate, equitable, and affirming school culture.
Expansion of Support for Affinity Groups: Over the past three years we have seen an expansion of affinity groups, including the Taiwan Club, Japanese Culture Club, Students with Disabilities, and the Neurodivergent Affinity Club. To support both old and new affinity clubs, the Dean of Equity and Belonging provides each group with a budget at the start of the year.
Equity Roundtable and Affinity & Identity-Based (AIB) Representatives: The Equity Roundtable is a monthly meeting of all affinity club leaders that supports new events and initiatives and builds community among student leaders. These meetings are led and facilitated by the AIB Reps who are also elected members of the Student Council. The Roundtable provides students and administrators opportunities to discuss and consult on issues of campus climate and student experience. This year, Roundtable members utilized the space to discuss community events and programming, provide feedback to administrators and faculty, discuss current events, and ask for advice and support from peer affinity leaders/groups.
Student Diversity Leadership Conference: This year marked the first time that AIB Reps attended NAIS’s Student Diversity and Leadership Conference as a group. This experience allowed them to connect with students across the country who also center diversity and equity in their leadership. Afterwards, AIB Reps shared their learnings and experiences with the Equity and Belonging Committee of the Board of Trustees.
Belonging Pulse Survey: The fourth administration of College Prep’s Belonging Pulse Survey happened in early November. The Pulse Survey is built on eleven statements that correlate with an overall sense of belonging, one open-ended question, and a number of identity and demographic questions. Six percent of students reported
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either somewhat or strongly disagreeing with the core statement, I feel like I belong at College Prep. The statement with the lowest agreement was I am comfortable expressing my opinions to others in the College Prep community, with 16 percent of students either somewhat or strongly disagreeing.
For this administration of the survey, the Director of Curricular Innovation and Research and the Dean of Equity and Belonging worked with Equity Roundtable members to expand and refine student demographic descriptors to include new optional questions about religious identity, neurodiversity, and disability. Cross-tabulating these new identity markers gave us fresh insights into patterns around our students’ sense of belonging that will inform our programming going forward. Results of note included:
Harm Incident Reports: The office of the Dean of Equity and Belonging manages reports of harm around race/ethnicity, gender, religion, ability, language, body size, sexuality, socio-economic status and other targeted identities. Students have the option of reporting such incidents in person or via the online harm incident reporting system. This year, five students submitted incident reports via the online platform, with three of the five choosing to mask (hide) their identities. In addition, there were ten in-person reports shared directly with the Dean of Equity and Belonging. Themes
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included racial microaggressions, targeted and harmful language around ethnicity, gender, religion, and body size, as well as the harmful impact of peer social media use. The Dean of Equity and Belonging followed up with all students who shared their identity during the reporting process and engaged other supporting adults as appropriate.
In the late spring, several younger students expressed concern about anti-Black microaggressions they were experiencing. The leaders of the Black Student Union (BSU) shared a message with the entire school community to raise awareness about these behaviors. Following this announcement, BSU leaders invited Black-identifying students, faculty and staff to an affinity meeting where students were able to share their experiences with microaggressions, most of which centered on peer interactions in the ninth and tenth grade. We are proud of the way student leaders stepped up to support their younger peers and grateful for their confidence in enlisting faculty and staff support. We will continue to educate the community in both curricular and informal spaces about the ways microaggressions, racism, and anti-Blackness manifest at College Prep and in our larger society.
Community Response to October 7th and the War in Gaza
Like many across the country, our students, faculty members and staff struggled to make sense of the horrific attack on Israeli civilians on October 7th and the subsequent devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. These events impacted our community members in different and personal ways, informed by their identities and beliefs and amplified by the realities of longstanding and dangerous bigotries, antisemitism, and Islamophobia. Here are some of the issues that we faced as a community, how we sought to address them, and the observations and learnings we gained through the process.
Care Taking and Stance Taking College Prep’s primary duty of care is to sustain an environment where all students can learn, fostering belonging and empathy and building the capacity for dialogue across differences. In the event of any local, national, or global crisis, the School’s first priority is to show awareness and care, and to provide avenues of support. We are also unequivocal in our stance against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and bigotry in all forms.
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In response to the events of October 7 and in their aftermath, many students reported carrying extra burdens of fear, grief, anger, and increased feelings of polarization and stress. Administrators, faculty members and students expressed care and concern through multiple channels, including individual and affinity meetings and written and verbal statements The School facilitated a number of gatherings designed to allow for opt-in conversations to occur while also respecting students' choice to not engage with the subject at school.
In conversations with students and faculty, we heard feedback about the varied ways that students and faculty look to the institution in times of external crisis. While many appreciated the space to engage with or step away from the intensity of the situation, others wanted stronger and more specific institutional stancetaking as a demonstration of support for student identity and experience. For these students, care without admonition did not feel sufficient.
Free Expression and Student Safety As an educational institution, we take seriously our obligation to encourage open thought and expression and also to ensure that community members feel appropriately safe and heard. We struggled in the fall with tensions between and among these values, including questions of the function of social media as an extension of our community. In response, the Head of School opened the second semester with an assembly announcement and letter outlining the principles and guidelines for community members to follow when discussing the crisis at school.
During a feedback and reflection session, students expressed appreciation for the boundaries this provided and wished they had been established sooner. Students also expressed a desire to be publicly informed of the disciplinary consequences for their peers who violated the boundaries. While disciplinary action is considered a private issue between the students and the School, some students argued that cases involving harm to the broader community required a public response.
Community Education and Student Voice Throughout the school year, both adults and students worked to create times and places to process grief, engage in reflective discussion, express solidarity and activism, and become better informed about both
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current events and the long-standing cultural and historical roots of the conflict. The Muslim Student Association and The Jewish Student Union each played important leadership roles for the community, as did their respective advisors and a number of other adults, including the Dean of Equity and Belonging, the Dean of Students, the Director of Experiential Learning, the Wellness and Belonging teacher, and Head of the History Department. While these efforts were appreciated, some shared feedback that they wished the School had provided more immediate spaces for student learning in the form of additional Common Classrooms and more in-class discussions and outside speakers.
The conflict in the Middle East will continue to play out in intense and consequential ways, and we hope to embrace the power of diversity and pluralism as stabilizing rather than destabilizing forces here at College Prep. We remain especially grateful for the faculty and staff members, student leaders, and outside guests who stepped forward this year to help us become better informed, listen to each other with empathy, express voice and conscience, and find common ground.
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Our program must empower each of our students with the skills and understandings needed to have agency in their own lives and affect positive change in their communities, including by developing an understanding of systems of power and oppression that shape our society.
Wellness and Belonging Course: In response to feedback from advisors and students, the four semester Wellness and Belonging course sequence was shifted to begin earlier, in the second semester of ninth grade. This spring’s ninth graders explored topics such as identity, mental health, physical and sexual consent, harm reduction, and healthy relationships. Students will deepen their study of these topics in their tenth grade Wellness and Belonging class with their PHIRE (Peer Health Initiative Resource Educators) seniors.
Senior Compass Program: Building on last year’s pilot of a senior project program, all students in the Class of 2024 undertook a significant community-based leadership project. Some chose to take a Social Impact Practicum course centered around group-designed interdisciplinary work addressing an issue of social or environmental justice. Others choose to learn about urban education and to work with Oakland middle-schoolers through the Partners Program. A third group designed and worked on independent projects. Students approached their work with energy and purpose, creating projects that ranged from making a documentary exploring the immigrant experience, to doing trail restoration work, to exploring the stigmatization of menstruation and the politics of access to period products.
Connections, Pride and Spirit (CPS) Week Pilot: This year, we experimented with a new format for CPS Day, expanding the program across a school week. We explored issues of equity and social justice through the theme of Conscious Consumerism and Media Awareness. Student organizers brought in speakers and coordinated workshops, hands-on activities, and field trips led by students, faculty, staff, parents, and community leaders designed to increase our awareness as informed consumers, help us recognize our purchasing power, and understand the connection between our identities as citizens and consumers.
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Supporting Neurodiverse Students: The findings of the external Equity Audit and our own Belonging Pulse Survey prompted the School to examine and broaden its support for neurodiverse students. The members of the Student Support Team (made up of the Director of Learning Support, School Psychologist, Dean of Equity and Belonging, Dean of Students, and Academic Dean) created action items designed to better meet the academic needs of students with varying learning profiles. This work included updating the Student Handbook to articulate document requirements for accommodations, advocating for and financially supporting students' access to neuropsychological evaluations, and creating more equitable policies around extended time for assignments and assessments. The Learning Center and Student Support team also provided more teacher support during final exams and assistive technology to students who needed additional support.
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To be a school where Black students find community and a multidimensional sense of belonging, College Prep strives to increase representation of Black students.
Outreach and Recruitment Efforts: The admission team offered a series of dynamic recruitment events, hosting both online and in-person gatherings throughout the year including a public and parochial school information session and two Black affinity space gatherings. A Latine affinity event was added and we held our annual Equity and Belonging Evening on campus after three years as a virtual event.
The admission team focused outreach efforts on events that serve high populations of public and parochial school students, attending the following fairs: Summerbridge, San Francisco Public and Parochial School Fair, the A Better Chance School Fair, Hillcrest High School Night, and the Contra Costa School Fair. We also created opportunities for organizations like Squashdrive in Oakland to bring all of their students to visit campus.
The Admission Office and the Dean of Equity and Belonging jointly hosted a late spring picnic for Black and Latine families to celebrate both incoming and graduating students.
Class of 2028 Results: The incoming Class of 2028 comes from 42 different sending schools and 47 different zip codes. 64 percent identify as students of color; 9 percent identify as Black or Multiracial Black.
Overall Student Enrollment By Race: For the 2024-2025 academic year, 71 percent of the student body identify as students of color, continuing the enrollment trend of increasing racial diversity over the last 20 years.
Financial Assistance: This school’s commitment to making College Prep accessible and affordable to families from across the socioeconomic spectrum has never been greater. For the second consecutive year, the Board of Trustees approved a non-standard increase to the financial aid budget, supporting a financial aid budget that will top $3.5 million next year, an all time high. This budget will support 25 percent of the student body, with an average financial aid award of $37,000, the equivalent of 65% of tuition.
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All students should be able to see their identities represented in the adults who are teaching and guiding them, as well as benefit from having faculty and administrators whose backgrounds are different from their own. These adults should be engaged in professional development that prepares them to support all students in culturally competent and effective ways.
Hiring: All hiring committees and departments participated in a bias awareness training prior to the hiring season. We are happy to welcome a group of skilled and diverse educators to our community for the upcoming school year, with three out of our six non-temporary hires identifying as people of color. (last updated July 15, 2024).
Equity and Belonging (E&B) Workshops: We continued to hold bimonthly E&B professional development and community building spaces for faculty and staff. The these gatherings aim to create more awareness about equity-related issues, to provide adults with spaces to process consequential moments in our community and nation, to cultivate and build relationships among the adults in the community, and to prioritize care for ourselves and one another.
During some of the adult E&B Spaces, the Dean of Equity and Belonging invited students to share their experiences and perspectives, including ways adults can support students during particularly vulnerable and challenging moments.
Parent Association Equity and Belonging Committee (PAEBC): Our PAEBC created spaces for parents and families to gather and share stories about identity, belonging and community. These spaces were a powerful reminder of the diverse backgrounds of the families we serve. We are grateful for their engagement and care.
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LOOKING FORWARD: 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR
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We thank everyone who has given their time, insight, and leadership to help College Prep continue to advance its equity efforts. Next year’s areas of focus will include:
The Coalition: Muslim Student Association (MSA) and Jewish Student Union (JSU) leaders and members have established The Coalition to foster intergroup dialogue and community engagement and processing.
Conflict Resolution Training: All PHIRE seniors and affinity leaders will engage in conflict resolution training at the start of the school year. This will strengthen their skills as facilitators, particularly during complex or challenging conversations.
Reading/Study Group on Anti-Blackness: A group of faculty and staff came together this summer to engage in a self-guided course around the historical and current manifestations of anti-Blackness and racism in education. This working group will continue throughout the school year, sharing its learnings with the wider adult community.
CPS Day: Our Oakland Roots: Students will spend CPS Day connecting to the wider Oakland community, learning more about the political, social, economic, and communal health of our town. By focusing on a broad exploration of Oakland's vibrant art, culture, activism, history, and ecology, we aim to cultivate a deeper understanding of and connection to our community. Our goal is to provide a meaningful day of learning and engagement through a familiar format of keynote speeches, interactive workshops, and communal spaces. This annual event aspires to strengthen the bonds within our community, honoring the rich heritage and dynamic spirit of Oakland.
Civic Engagement and Empowerment: We are encouraging faculty, staff and students to create and participate in curricular and non-academic spaces and activities that explore civic engagement and empowerment. The upcoming election provides an opportunity to learn more about our electoral process and ways we can exercise our civic voice. In addition, some student leaders will attend a national conference on student civic leadership, sharing their learnings with the wider community.