Welcome News From NAIS?
- Parents Unite
- Apr 16
- 3 min read
More people are speaking out about how DEI has gone wrong. In his recent article, “What Did You Expect to Happen? How DEI Wound Up in Trump’s Crosshairs,” Frederick Hess explains how DEI lost its way and why defunding it is important.
“There’s a tragic bait-and-switch at work [as] Americans who care passionately about equality and justice have been dragooned into advancing an incoherent, illiberal agenda.” Those troubled by the Trump administration’s extraordinary assault on DEI would do well to pause the outrage long enough to ask what admixture of disdain, arrogance, and groupthink led them to imagine there’d be no consequences for a half-baked national experiment in cultural revolution.
After the presidential election last November, we asked if NAIS could evolve to be a force for good by leading independent schools away from DEI.
However, in December, NAIS proceeded to host its annual People of Color Conference (PoCC) and NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). The conferences were marked by five days of grievance, equity seminars, racism, self-loathing, victimhood, segregation, and antisemitism.
Parents were furious that their schools would pay to send teachers and students to such a negative and divisive event, and as a result, there was significant pushback.
Parent response and political pressure seem to be making a difference, as NAIS recently announced it has paused the PoCC and the SDLC for 2025. NAIS released a statement, including the following excerpt:
"Given the rapidly evolving political and legal landscape, we are taking this time to reassess the conferences. We are doing so as part of the broader strategic planning process we are undertaking to help guide all of our work, including our efforts to support schools' inclusion and belonging goals."
Even the NY Times covered the story:
“Private School Diversity Events Are Canceled Amid Government Crackdown: The National Association of Independent Schools said it would reassess two of its diversity conferences given the rapidly evolving political and legal landscape."
Parents And Schools Respond
Parent feedback about this pause has been positive, but most are wary since it is just a "pause," and it is unclear what replaces it. Students are concerned about what they will use to stand out on their college applications since, according to one participant, “colleges LOVE this stuff.”
School faculty and administration prioritize inclusion and belonging on campus. As a result, some school heads and teachers are struggling with the decision to pause the PoCC conference this year.
The following are excerpts from letters from two school heads that highlight their concerns over the "pause."
If schools rely on the PoCC to "energize, inform, and improve their teachers," that highlights a deeper problem and more significant issues with their faculty. Unfortunately, many educators believe it is their role to be activists who solve "social justice issues" instead of helping students become independent-thinking truth seekers.
Why are teachers imposing their belief systems on children without encouraging them to think critically about the truth? In the video below, Joanna Williams explains why this is happening. She discusses the "hollowing out of knowledge" and the need to fill the vacuum. Teachers' need for moral authority gives them legitimacy in the classroom.
What’s Next?
Given DEI's increasing irrelevance and the federal administration's mandate to defund DEI initiatives, NAIS has an opportunity to help prepare independent schools for a post-DEI world.
We are encouraged by their recent announcement that registration for Grappling with the Discomfort of Pluralism: An NAIS Civil Discourse Lab in Partnership with Close Up Foundation is now open. This 'Civil Discourse Lab' offers a compelling replacement for the PoCC; however, its summer timing (July 28–30, 2025) may limit the ability of a critical mass to attend.
As the world watches Harvard (and other universities) fight to retain their independence and federal money, independent schools and NAIS should pay close attention. If independent schools are the feeders to these elite institutions, they need to supply those schools with the “right” students to maintain their status.
It remains to be seen how that might change going forward, which leads us to an opinion piece in the Boston Globe—“Why US colleges should cut back on international students. The greatest trade deficit in the United States is not in sneakers, smartphones, and automobiles; it’s in undergraduate and graduate students.”
This article raises critical questions that independent schools would be wise to keep on their radar, including, “Why are there so many international students in the United States, and what are the consequences?”
Thanks for reading Parents Unite! Subscribe to our Substack for free to receive new posts and support our work.