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Open minds. Open hearts. Open arms.

The Philadelphia School is dedicated to cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community where all members experience belonging. 

The Philadelphia School's Diversity Statement:
Our pursuit of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice is a natural extension of our mission to educate children for a future that is impossible to know but not impossible to shape. At TPS, students explore their curiosity and practice active citizenship, developing a diverse, inclusive, and well-informed view of the world. Our educators provide each student with opportunities to develop a positive racial and gender identity, pursuing questions about the world around them that deepen their commitment to justice and civic engagement. 

With empathy and compassion as core practices, we actively reject attitudes and behaviors that belittle or demean others because of elements of their identity including but not limited to ethnicity, faith, gender identity and expression, neurodivergence, race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. The Philadelphia School strives to be an anti-racist institution that actively works to achieve equity and social justice. We stand in solidarity with actions and practices that promote inclusion and support marginalized groups. We encourage all community members to engage in learning, understanding, and dialogue to challenge practices that promote hate, prejudice, and division.

We strive to build a community that respects and embraces the world’s diversity. This ongoing work belongs to us all; it hones our minds, uncovers our biases, and helps us to do our part in making a more just and compassionate world. 

DEIB Leadership Team

Our mission:
Anchored by the TPS Diversity Statement, the DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Leadership Team leverages our diverse backgrounds and unique school perspectives to weave equity, inclusion, and belonging into every layer of TPS operations and culture.

Pictured left to right, the DEIB Leadership Team and their respective domains:

Program: Niké Walker, Responsive Practices Specialist
Enrollment: Katie Neff, Director of Enrollment Management
Employee Experience: Alvania Boone, Director of Human Resources
Advancement: Mark Dato, Associate Director of Alumni Relations and Events

We are Strategic

We identify, measure, communicate, and actualize DEIB priorities across the school. Our focus is on new and time-bound initiatives. 

We are Collaborative

The DEIB Leadership Team will enlist relevant stakeholders and partners into workstreams to bring DEIB initiatives to life.

We are Accountable

The team will report to the Head of School and provide quarterly updates to the Board Diversity Committee to ensure accountability. They will also serve as an advisory board to school leadership as needed.

 

DEIB Programming at TPS

Four students gather around a large world map spread across a table in a classroom, with shelves of books and colorful decorations visible in the background.

 

Student Affinity Groups

We design affinity groups to help students develop a positive self-identity, feel a sense of pride in their differences, and speak to their experiences. Student affinity groups meet in three-week rotations and are embedded in the weekly schedule for students in grades 6-8.  We also offer monthly affinity groups for grades 3-5.

Affinity groups for grades 6-8 that have been offered:

  • Asian American, Pacific Islander (AAPI) Affinity Group
  • Black Student Affinity Group
  • Jewish Heritage Affinity Group
  • Multiracial Affinity Group
  • Neurodivergent Affinity Group
  • Queer & Questioning Affinity Group

Affinity groups for grades 3-5 that have been offered:

  • Queer & Questioning Affinity Group
  • Students of Color Affinity Group
  • Asian American, Pacific Islander (AAPI) Affinity Group

We invite TPS families to participate in affinity group gatherings during family meet and greets, family heritage nights (student-led educational celebrations) promoting cultural and ethnic diversity.

In addition to regular affinity groups, middle school students also engage in a variety of workshops focused on areas of equity, identity, and justice. Examples of past workshops have included:

  • Book Fairs, Censorship, and Us
  • Examining Injustice Through Mathematics 
  • Exploring Faith Based 'isms': Antisemitism and Islamophobia
  • Family Resilience: Navigating Separation and Divorce
  • Queer Identity in Art
  • Transportation Equity
Young children sit on the floor watching a projected image of a man speaking, with colorful artwork adorning the classroom walls.

Culturally Responsive Instruction

At TPS, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) are intertwined in our commitment to progressive education. We live our commitment to DEIB in our everyday interactions, building it into our curriculum and institutional culture. We teach students to approach history with an eye on equity, seeking the truth by exploring diverse and historically underrepresented perspectives. We do not shy away from unpacking the history of racism, systems of oppression, and examples of inequity and injustice across the world. TPS students and families understand this work as foundational as we prepare students to be active and engaged change-makers.

Alongside this work, we help each student develop a positive self-identity and equip them with skills for engaging in productive conversations about difference. We design and facilitate teaching and learning that is culturally responsive so that each child experiences windows and mirrors in their learning environment.

Our approach to culturally responsive instruction includes challenging students to stay curious, think critically about their assumptions, acknowledge the range of perspectives that comprises any truth, and act on what they have learned from one another.

Children in the foreground gather around a table displaying rainbow-themed crafts and coloring pages, while in the background, a diverse group of people stand on a sidewalk near a building.

 

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