Community Letter (June 2024)

END OF YEAR Report of DEIB Progress (June 2024)

Dear Kent Place Community,

On behalf of Kent Place Leadership and the Board of Trustees, we are writing to provide our end of year update on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) initiatives at Kent Place. We are pleased to report continued progress on our action plan during the 2023–2024 academic year, with advancement of DEIB efforts and initiatives across all levels of the school. 

As one of our major initiatives this year, we engaged an external firm, Brown-Gary Associates, to conduct an immersive climate assessment on DEIB at Kent Place. This included a review of school documents, demographics, and both qualitative and quantitative surveys of community members. Brown-Gary Associates last conducted a climate assessment at Kent Place in 2018, and we are encouraged that the firm has found strong progress in several key areas since the last assessment, including increased racial and cultural representation across the school. More than 25 percent of our Board identify as people of color, and 33 percent of our administrators and faculty identify as people of color compared to 18 percent in 2018. The assessment also showed progress in cultivating cross-cultural awareness, with community members feeling more encouraged to share their perspectives, as well as expanded affinity spaces and opportunities to strengthen community and engagement.  

The assessment also provided several recommendations for ways that we can continue to strengthen the inclusion and sense of belonging of all members of the Kent Place community, which will inform our continued work going forward. Looking ahead, areas of focus will include: continuing to increase the diversity of our Board and faculty; ongoing education, both for parents and our faculty and staff; maintaining a list of potential language interpreters to be used when speaking with parents or guardians who are not fluent in English; and ensuring community members feel safe to take intellectual risks when discussing DEIB-related topics without a fear of cancel culture. 

The principles of DEIB are foundational to our mission to educate girls and young women for meaningful participation in a global community, and this important work would not be possible without the support and collaboration of the broader community. We appreciate your engagement and commitment to ensuring that Kent Place is an inclusive community that values the voices and experiences of every community member. 

Yours for Kent Place, 

 

 

Anne Grissinger P ’25
President, Board of Trustees    

 

 

Dr. Jennifer C. Galambos
Head of School

 

 

Shané (Simmons) Harris ’92
Co-Chair, Board Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Task Force
Trustee

 

Cláudia Hirawat P ’26
Co-Chair, Board Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Task Force
Trustee