Racial Equity and Belonging
2020-21 End of Year Update
June 2021
Dear College Prep Community,
Last summer, College Prep renewed its commitment to centering the work of racial justice and equity across all aspects of school life. Our goal continues to be for every student to feel cared for, equitably supported, and prepared to participate in the creation of a more racially just world.
As the School builds on and expands this critical work, we continue to reflect, learn, and grow. We reported our mid-year progress in January of 2021, and then again at the end of our 3rd quarter. With admission for the Class of 2025 complete and the hiring for next year largely done, we are pleased to share updates on these, and other areas we’ve focused on over the final months of the school year. We’ve also included our next steps for summer and fall.
At its final meeting of the year, The Board of Trustees affirmed multi-year commitments that will guide the School’s ongoing efforts. We are grateful for the many students, parents and guardians, alumni, and faculty/staff members who have shared their experiences and expertise and who have championed this important work. We look forward to building on all that we’ve learned from and with each other.
With appreciation,
Monique DeVane, Head of School & Kevin Katari, Board Chair
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.
Dean of Equity and Belonging: We are delighted to welcome Alexandria Osei-Amoako to the College Prep community. She will be joining in this newly created position this summer.
Incident Reporting System: Worked with students throughout the spring to develop an anonymous mechanism for reporting harm relating to discrimination or harassment, to be piloted Fall 2021.
N-word Policy: Adopted in March 2021, and added to the Student Handbook, this policy augments existing language prohibiting hate speech: Given the violent and painful history associated with the n-word, no student or teacher will use this word within the context of our school environment, even when reading aloud from an academic text or repeating as part of a song.
“Belonging” Pulse Survey: Students participated in a pilot survey on their experiences of belonging, providing a baseline for biannual surveys going forward.
Student Council Representation The structure of Student Council has been expanded to include two seats for representative members of affinity groups.
Training & Professional Development: Completed year-long program with Circle Up. Summer planning underway for continued trainings on anti-bias and anti-racism for the upcoming school year.
SCHOOL CULTURE
I Racial Equity & Belonging 2020-21 End of Year Update
Our academic 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, by developing an understanding of systems of power and oppression that shape our society. We are auditing and adapting curriculum and pedagogy to support teaching and learning for equity.
Academic Course Changes: Please click here for curricular changes made this past school year, and here for new 2021-22 courses.
Student Experience Surveys: Every academic course concludes with the administration of a Student Experience Survey that collect anonymous feedback on individual class sections. New questions were added to address student perceptions of inclusion and belonging; responses were both scaled and open-ended. Faculty and department heads will use this data to better understand and respond to our students’ experiences.
Compass Program: The Life Prep Task Force, a group of teachers, staff, and students, met throughout the spring to review current programming and make recommendations for an integrated four-year curriculum that blends social justice education with personal decision-making and individual and interpersonal health. The 2021-22 daily schedule has been redesigned to create dedicated space for this enhanced programming, and a new position, Wellness and Belonging Educator, has been funded. This teacher will report to the Dean of Equity and Inclusion.
Critical Friends: The members of the faculty and staff Equity and Inclusion Coordinating Committee launched an equity-centered forum where teachers meet in small cohorts to collaborate and get peer feedback on classroom practices.
CURRICULUM AND PROGRAM
I Racial Equity & Belonging 2020-21 End of Year Update
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. We are increasing representation of Black and Black-identified people in faculty and administrative roles, with a focus on teachers in core academic areas.
Hiring Process: We have revisited College Prep’s hiring processes, including review of job description templates, job criteria, interview questions, finalist interview day format, and the faculty/staff evaluation processes to ensure that equity practices are centered and clearly articulated. We have expanded our channels for advertising positions, and are developing a network of informal “referrers” to notify about open positions.
2020-21 Hiring Results: We are excited to welcome a number of talented and diverse educators to our community. To date, of the nine new classroom teachers, eight self-identify as persons of color, with half of these Black or Latinx. Of the eight staff and administrative hires, six self-identify as people of color, five of whom are Black, multi-racial Black, or Latinx. (updated 07.15.21)
The Class of 2021 Fund for Faculty Representation: This year’s Senior Parent Gift established a named Endowment fund in recognition of the critical importance of a diverse learning environment. The Fund, founded with $117,290 is designated for the recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty. For the first five years, this fund will focus on initiatives that support Black-identifying educators. We thank the parents and guardians of the Class of 2021 for their inspired and important generosity.
ADULT REPRESENTATION
I Racial Equity & Belonging 2020-21 End of Year Update
College Prep needs to be a school where Black students find community and a multidimensional sense of belonging. We are increasing representation of Black and Black-identified students.
Reimagining the Admission Process: Occurring during the pandemic, we redesigned the 2020-21 admission recruitment events and processes. This included adopting a test-optional policy, requiring a graded writing sample, expanding our interview format to include parents, and editing our application questions to elicit responses with as much depth and character as possible.
Class of 2025 Results: We were pleased to see an 18% increase in 9th grade applications compared to last year and a steady yield of 70% (conversion of admission offers to enrollment). The Class of 2025 is the School’s most diverse ever: 74% identify as students of color, and geographic and sending school diversity are also on the rise. Please click here to learn more about the Class of 2025.
Historic Student Enrollment By Race: Please click here to see historic enrollment trends from the Class of 2006 through the Class of 2025.
STUDENT DIVERSITY
I Racial Equity & Belonging 2020-21 End of Year Update
Equity and Belonging Institutional Assessment: Identify outside partners/consulting firm over the summer; begin assessment process in the fall. This work will involve data collection that will include both a second administration of the “Belonging” pulse survey, and a broader climate study. Create opportunities for all constituents to provide input into the equity assessment.
Community Conversations: In tandem with the assessment and post assessment, we will hold gatherings with students, faculty/staff, and parents/guardians in the fall to introduce the new Dean, and to engage in dialogue about needs, goals, and progress. We will also continue to foster opportunities for alumni and students to engage directly.
Social-Emotional & Equity Curriculum: Continue to develop the Compass Program curriculum, refining the offerings in 9th grade Connections and Advising (CAP) and expanding Wellness and Decision Making to be inclusive of new course themes blending social justice education with personal decision-making and individual and interpersonal health.
Pilot the Incident Reporting System: Implement and evaluate newly created anonymous mechanism for reporting harm related to discrimination or harassment.
Update Policy Language: In addition to the n-word policy of March 2021, there will be updated sections in both the Student and Employee handbooks that more fully address harassment and discrimination. This will be published prior to the start of the school year.
Academic Course Changes: Please see new 2021-22 course offerings here. (Course updates from 2020-21 are found here.)
Training: Continue to provide anti-bias and anti-racism training.
NEXT STEPS FOR SUMMER AND FALL 2021
I Racial Equity & Belonging 2020-21 End of Year Update