Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice
At New City, we recognize that students learn better in a diverse environment. Diversity is embedded in our curriculum and evident in the culture of our school. Diversity is a critical component to academic excellence. Without intentionally building a diverse community and helping students and all members of the community have a deep appreciation and understanding of issues related to living and working in a diverse community, you simply are not preparing children for the real world they will encounter in college and the workforce. Knowing how to relate to others and appreciate difference is as important a skill as understanding one's math facts or being able to read and write.
New City strives to teach everyone in our community to understand, appreciate, and value diversity, equity and justice; we work tirelessly to ensure that all members of our community are fully participating, active contributors. All types of human diversity are celebrated at New City, and we encourage every person to bring their whole self through our red doors. We believe that teaching students to understand and appreciate diversity is essential for success in life. We define diversity as the existence of human variety and address diversity broadly based upon the needs of our community. Cultural identifiers including, but not limited to, ability, age, ethnicity, gender, politics, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, along with the multiple intelligences, are integral to our curriculum. Our commitment to diversity is a key framework by which we make decisions about what and how we teach.
Resources for Parents
One of our priorities as educators is to embolden our students to be upstanders, and to lead and advocate for others. We know that there is always more to be done, and are committed to continuing to struggle with the issues of privilege and systemic racism, and to continue to become better citizens and community members ourselves as well. We encourage you to reach out to us, and to one another, to continue these conversations.
Click here for resources on antiracism education compiled by our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Committee that we hope will be useful for self-reflection, as well as talking to children and peers.
Diversity Curriculum
From a curricular standpoint, diversity is integrated across subject areas. Classes address diversity through their social studies and community focuses, among many other ways. Whether it’s race, nationalities, cultures, or other social identifiers (such as socioeconomic status or gender), history is studied in a way that looks at events from a variety of perspectives. Similarly, opportunities are seized in literature, art, science, music, mathematics, and on field trips to help students look at historical perspectives, point of view, and bias. The goal goes beyond understanding and respect; we want our students to appreciate and celebrate others.
We are actively committed to diversity, equity, and justice. These values are integral to who we are.
Social Action
Social action is another key component of the New City experience, as students are given opportunities each year to plan and execute social action projects related to areas of study, class interests, or current world events. It is important to instill in children the understanding that people of all ages can, and should, help others locally and globally.
Activities scheduled throughout the year have included drives to collect food and clothing, rummage sales to raise money to support local organizations, and field trips to perform class plays for the residents at nearby assisted living facilities.