Presence of Diversity in the School
Diversity practitioners see diversity most clearly implemented in the school’s mission statement (54 percent), financial aid (53 percent), and admissions (47 percent). However, diversity and inclusivity are less likely to be seen in financial aid today than in 2017, when it was 61 percent. On the other hand, both board recruitment and board decisions saw an increase in the presence of diversity and inclusivity.
Strategic Diversity Plan
Fewer than half (46 percent) of the diversity practitioners said that their school has a formal strategic diversity plan, down from 50 percent in 2017. Thirty-seven percent of respondents indicated that their school has participated in the NAIS Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM), about the same as in 2017.
Staff Responsible for Implementing Diversity
Fewer than one-third of the respondents (31 percent) reported that they are the only person responsible for implementing diversity policies and practices at their school, while others share the role with one other person (18 percent), two others (11 percent), or more (40 percent). Practitioners report receiving help from school administrators, other diversity practitioners, and teachers in implementing diversity policies and practices. In 2019, 29 percent of survey respondents indicated that five or more people had the responsibility of implementing diversity, compared with 39 percent in 2017.
School Culture
Although most practitioners feel that their school does a good job of creating a caring community environment and being committed to ethical values and character development (54 percent and 53 percent, respectively), they view their school as less successful in terms of other expressions of diversity and inclusiveness.In 2019, diversity practitioners rated nearly all aspects of the school culture lower than in 2017; “treating everyone with respect” was the only aspect that had significantly increased (50 percent in 2019 compared to 44 percent in 2017).