DEI Faces Continued Scrutiny

DEI faces continued scrutiny for, among other things, silencing diverse viewpoints. According to a recent survey, “College Students Are Out of Sync with DEI Values.”

But what about the high schoolers who are preparing for college? 

Are any K-12 independent schools preparing students to be independent-thinking truth seekers instead of conformist social justice activists? 

If faculty and administration won’t promote critical thinking, what incentive will students have to discuss controversial issues in the classroom? While some schools are distancing themselves from DEI, others attempt to “redefine and repurpose” the work. 

Over a year ago, we highlighted that students and teachers are rolling their eyes over the incessant speech-chilling focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice & Belonging (DEIJB) that continues in schools. We asked how schools can expand the range of discourse. We suggested that schools should:

• Instruct students about the importance of civil discourse and model that behavior

• Ground students in the knowledge that not all discomfort is harmful

• Prioritize intellectual values such as courage and resilience

• Repurpose the DEI time to teach civics, digital citizenship, and financial literacy

Has any of this occurred? We would like to hear from you! Click the button below to rate how your school is doing regarding DEI programming, gender ideology, viewpoint diversity, and financial literacy. 

Take the poll

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A Positive Example

We learned that Deerfield hosted a special event in September to help “students ‘learn across a political divide.’” This event, Political Parties in Polarized Times, is an excellent example of how schools can encourage viewpoint diversity.

Please send any other positive stories our way!

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