diversity, equity, and Inclusivity

A Collective Sense of Purpose and Commitment

Our mission “to inspire girls and young women to become game changers and ethical leaders who forge an equitable, sustainable, and joyous future” compels us to see that equity and community life is everyone’s work at Hewitt. Diversity, equity, and inclusivity stand as foundational commitments that guide every aspect of our teaching and learning. These institutional values inform our pedagogy, foster personal growth, and cultivate belonging. We believe that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community is essential to educating girls and young women to be positive contributors and citizens of the world.

Hewitt empowers and expects our community members to embrace multiple points of view, to engage others with empathy and integrity, and to champion equity and justice in all areas of our lives.

As a school dedicated to the education and leadership of girls and young women, we believe that there are many ways to be a girl or a young woman, and that the strength of our community depends on all students experiencing healthy development and a sense of belonging. To learn more, read our Statement on Gender Diversity.

The Search for Hewitt’s Next Director of Equity and Community Life
A cross-constituency search committee is working with Sherry Coleman and Staci Williams Seeley of Storbeck Search to lead a national search for Hewitt’s next director of equity and community life. Meanwhile, we are delighted to be working with two nationally-renowned diversity, equity, and inclusion leaders, Martha Haakmat and Jason Craige Harris, as consultants to Hewitt for the 2022-2023 school year. Both Martha and Jason have extensive track records of success in New York City independent schools, and our community is enjoying learning from them this year.
Learn more about Martha, Jason, and their work with Hewitt.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusivity Programs

At Hewitt, we believe that we cannot give children what we as adults do not have. As such, to give our students what they need to become game changers and ethical leaders, we engage all parents, guardians, faculty, and staff in ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusivity programming. We recognize that the work of creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community is ever evolving, never completed, often difficult, and deeply rewarding. All diversity, equity, and inclusivity initiatives at Hewitt ask the community to remain fully present, develop empathy, establish a collective purpose, and employ research-based practices for educating girls in a richly varied and globally interconnected world.

Equity and Community Life Team

Hewitt’s director of equity and community life oversees the diversity, equity, and inclusivity work of the entire community. Our equity and community life coordinators facilitate our National SEED group and affinity groups for faculty and staff, work with employees to identify relevant professional development opportunities for continued growth and learning, and serve as a trusted resource for day-to-day student questions and concerns. Coordinators also help to develop a student affinity group program that is aligned with best practices and work closely with educational access organizations (Prep for Prep, TEAK Fellowship, Oliver Scholars, Early Steps, A Better Chance) and prospective students and their families to ensure that they are informed about our commitments to equity and a community that centers dignity and belonging for all.

Community Education

Our faculty and staff participate in in-house professional development focused on building knowledge, skills, and tools to put into practice to spot and address bias, bigotry, and racism. This work is designed to deepen our commitment to teaching with the Learning for Justice standards. Hewitt also hosts a series of workshops for parents and guardians in alignment with the professional development being done by faculty and staff and with the input of the Equity and Community Life Committee of the Parents’ Association.

Affinity Groups

Affinity groups facilitate positive identity exploration and empower participants, particularly those from underrepresented groups, to feel a greater sense of agency and belonging. Hewitt hosts affinity groups for students, faculty and staff, and parents and guardians. Composed of those who share a similar social identity such as gender, race, ethnicity, or religion, these affinity spaces encourage participants to build authentic relationships across a range of identities in our community. During affinity groups, participants have the opportunity to share and talk about their experiences or focus on working toward a particular mission or goal.

National SEED Project

Inspired by the ongoing work of the National SEED Project (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity), Hewitt’s SEED group comes together once a month to listen, reflect, share, learn, and build a stronger, more inclusive school culture. Together, SEED participants explore how to support the Hewitt community by deepening self-awareness, expanding the knowledge of others, analyzing the world, and becoming leaders who work to make Hewitt a more conscious, equitable, aware, and informed institution. SEED work engages the head, heart, and soul. Participants develop ways of understanding race, class, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability/disability, and cultural experience.

Workshops and Conferences

Hewitt has long partnered with experts in the field of educational equity and inclusion. We maintain ongoing relationships with professional organizations like the Center for Racial Justice in Education and CARLE Institute (Critical Analysis of Race in Learning and Education), host our own SEED group, and send a cohort of faculty, staff, and students to the annual NYSAIS Diversity Conference, NAIS People of Color Conference, and Student Diversity Leadership Council.

OUR K-12 CURRICULUM

At Hewitt, diversity, equity, and inclusivity are not separate from our mission; they are a part of it. As such, our K-12 program intentionally and consistently invites students to engage with questions of equity and justice.

Lower School

Starting in lower school, our K-12 program affirms the tremendous impact of diversity and inclusivity work on healthy identity development, cross-cultural relationship building, and empathy. In our lower school literacy, social studies, and social-emotional learning curricula, essential questions help learners think critically about who they are and their place in the world around them.

Middle School

Throughout middle school and across disciplines, girls consider global histories and traditionally marginalized communities as part of their studies of literature, social studies, languages, sciences, and arts. In particular, the humanities, English, and history curricula incorporate voices from a wide breadth of cultures and experiences, and the language department incorporates texts by writers from across the Spanish-speaking and Francophone world in all middle school courses.

Upper School

As students enter the upper school, they consider their future place in the world and take on leadership roles. We challenge young women at Hewitt to consider multiple perspectives as they explore everything from feminism to globalization, current events to ancient civilizations.

Student leaders and activists shape the nature of these nuanced and complex conversations and provide student-facilitated discussion groups on issues of relevance to young women today. We encourage upper school students to take a stance on matters they find important, from proposing affinity spaces to participating in marches, writing to elected officials, or attending local and national conferences.

Commitment to Anti-Racism

In June 2020, The Hewitt School convened an Anti-Racism Task Force chaired by our director of equity and community life and comprised of students, alumnae, parents, faculty, staff, and trustees. The Task Force worked throughout the summer and fall of 2020 to evaluate and recommend school-wide protocols, policies, systems, and infrastructure to ensure that Hewitt becomes an actively anti-racist school. In November 2020, the Anti-Racism Task Force presented formal recommendations in the areas of Pedagogy and Curriculum, Community and Care, and Leadership and Governance, which the Board of Trustees unanimously approved.

We know that the work to become an anti-racist school is ongoing, and we are committed to continued learning and growth. Below are some of the ways that Hewitt has already taken action around the Anti-Racism Task Force’s recommendations.

Pedagogy and Curriculum

Recommendation
Hewitt will deepen and broaden our K-12 teaching practices so that we are delivering high-quality, culturally responsive, and research-based learning experiences that align with Hewitt’s Anti-Bias Education Goals, and enable learners and educators to act, alone or with others, against prejudice and discrimination.

Actions Taken

Building on work that began in Fall 2020, all Hewitt faculty members incorporate the Learning For Justice standards into their curriculum in order to create more equitable and inclusive classrooms.
In Fall 2022, Hewitt commissioned a research study to better understand the experience of, and create positive change for, middle and upper school Black girls at Hewitt. Assisting us with this work is Hewitt Research Partner Dr. Lauren Bailes from the University of Delaware, School of Education and Human Development. To learn more, see “Leading with Love: Creating a Community of Belonging for Black Girls at Hewitt” in our list of current research projects.
In Summer 2023, using anonymous feedback from Hewitt’s Black students collected via our annual YouthTruth student perception survey, Dr. Bailes will engage our K-12 faculty and staff in professional development focused on understanding how Hewitt can create more equitable practices in the classroom.

Recommendation
In alignment with Hewitt’s strategic vision and to develop pedagogy and curriculum that truly expands our students’ perspectives and experiences, Hewitt will focus on real-world learning opportunities outside the Hewitt campus and beyond the immediate neighborhood of the Upper East Side.

Actions Taken

In Spring 2022, upper school students participated in two place-based leadership experiences in New York City’s Union Square.
- In Creating Community in Public Space, students engaged in a week-long design sprint considering how public space in Union Square could be used to create bonds between those who live, work, and travel through the area. They learned with and from professionals at AirBNB, Mine the Gap, and the MTA.
- In Union Square Speaks, students interviewed the executive director of Union Square Partnership and conducted archival research to learn about the neighborhood, then collaborated with members of the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater to put on public performances in Union Square.
The School formed the Hewitt Action Research Collaborative (HARC) so students could learn how to become social scientists who address real-world challenges and collaborate with peers nationally and internationally. Through HARC, students engage in a rigorous, qualitative examination of the results from our annual YouthTruth student perception survey to identify areas for improvement at Hewitt. At the end of the 2022-2023 school year, they will present their findings and recommendations to a roundtable of scholars, parents and guardians, school leaders, students, and faculty who will consider implementation of their ideas.
Upper school students participated in a deep dive focused on equity, sustainability, and the interdependent relationship between New York City and the Catskill watershed. Through site visits and field studies at Collect Pond, the Battery Park Urban Farm, the Union Square Greenmarket, and the Ashokan Reservoir, students learned about communities in the Catskills who have been affected, and in some cases displaced, by New York City’s reservoir system, and considered how citizens of New York City can engage in a more equitable and reciprocal relationship with residents of the Catskills.

Community and Care

Recommendation
Hewitt will establish mandatory, consistent employee professional development (PD) dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to ensure common language and understanding in our professional community. This training will begin at employee orientation and onboarding and will be ongoing. Hewitt will survey the student body for input on the impact of this PD programming on the student experience.

Actions Taken

Each year, Hewitt hosts professional development for faculty and staff on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Recent workshops have focused on grading for equity, environmental racism, teaching for environmental justice, and recognizing and interrupting microaggressions. Upcoming professional development will focus on understanding how affinity groups help build community and create an inclusive school culture.
Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, members of the professional community are working with DEI leaders Martha Haakmat and Jason Craige Harris to deepen our school-wide commitment to the Learning for Justice standards. Martha and Jason are also working with Hewitt to develop student programming around affinity spaces and identity, inclusion, and belonging, and providing ongoing mentoring, coaching, and guidance to our professional community.
In addition to and beyond our mandatory professional development dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusivity, Hewitt strongly encourages all faculty and staff members to attend a variety of PD opportunities including on-campus affinity spaces facilitated by outside experts; SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) meetings hosted by a member of the Equity and Community Life team; and external conferences such as the National Association of Independent Schools’ People of Color Conference and the New York State Association of Independent Schools’ Diversity Symposium.
Each spring, students in grades 5 through 12 share anonymous feedback via the YouthTruth student perception survey on how Hewitt’s professional development is impacting their experience in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Each summer, Hewitt’s administrative team reviews the survey findings to ensure that student feedback is incorporated into future strategic priorities for the School. Key findings are also shared with the professional and parent/guardian communities.

Recommendation
Hewitt will increase the level of care for students of color and students from marginalized identities through counseling and mentorship support. We recommend that Hewitt consider programs such as K-12 affinity spaces, meetings between students of color and school leadership, cross-divisional mentorship programs, and an alumnae-student mentorship program.

Actions Taken

To better understand how Hewitt teachers make Black girls feel seen, supported, and loved, we have engaged Research Partner Dr. Terri Watson at the City University of New York to meet regularly with our Black Student Union, as both a researcher and a mentor.
Since 2016, Hewitt’s Young Womens’ Cooperative has hosted race-, religion-, gender-, and sexuality-based affinity groups for our upper school students. Building on the success of the Cooperative, our Equity and Community Life Team is working with Martha Haakmat and Jason Craige Harris to design an affinity group program for lower and middle school students and their families.
Hewitt sends upper school students to the National Association of Independent Schools’ (NAIS) Student Diversity Leadership Conference. At this annual gathering, students have opportunities to self-reflect and build community in a multiracial and multicultural setting. Upon their return from the conference, students meet with members of Hewitt’s leadership team to share their key takeaways and learning.
Each year, Black alumnae are invited to be guest speakers for Hewitt’s Black Student Union. We are currently developing expanded alumnae mentorship opportunities for Hewitt’s students of color.

Recommendation
Hewitt will deepen and broaden our commitment to increasing the diversity of the professional community by pursuing new hiring channels and conducting an audit of the hiring and retention process. The audit will gather information in order to support the creation of more specific metrics for assessing proportional diversity in the professional community.

Actions Taken

In addition to being posted on the Hewitt website, all employment opportunities are shared via NEMNET Diversity Recruitment, People of Color in Independent Schools - New York (PoCIS-NY), Faculty Diversity Search (FDS), and the Equity and Community Life Team’s professional networks.
All employees serving on a hiring committee and all new employees participate in mandatory anti-bias training.
A representative from the Equity and Community Life Team participates in each hiring committee and in new employee orientation.

Leadership and Governance

Recommendation
Building on the progress of the past few years, Hewitt will deepen and broaden our commitment to ensuring diverse perspectives and backgrounds, reflective of the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic makeup of our student body, among our volunteers, including but not limited to our Board of Trustees, Parents’ Association Board, Alumnae Council, and admissions volunteers and ask the Equity and Community Life Committee of the Board of Trustees to oversee these efforts.

Actions Taken

The chair of the Equity and Community Life Committee sits on the Committee on Trustees and ensures that any prospective volunteer trustees are also evaluated through a DEI lens.
Over the last six years, the Board of Trustees composition has shifted from 8% people of color to 22% people of color. The 2022-2023 Board of Trustees includes individuals who identify as Asian, Black, Latinx, International, and Multiracial.
Over the last four years, the Parents’ Association (PA) Board composition has shifted from 7% people of color to 34% people of color. The 2022-2023 PA Board includes individuals who identify as Asian, Black, Latinx, and Greater Middle Eastern.
Over the last four years, the Hewitt Alumnae Council (HAC) composition has shifted from 9% people of color to 45% people of color. The 2022-2023 HAC includes individuals who identify as Asian, Black, and Latinx.

Recommendation
Hewitt will require volunteers, including our Board of Trustees, Parents’ Association Board, Alumnae Council, and admissions volunteers, to complete anti-bias and anti-racist training.

Actions Taken

The Board of Trustees participate in an annual diversity, equity, and inclusivity training. During the 2022-2023 school year, the Parents’ Association Board also participated in a workshop on identity and belonging led by Jason Craige Harris.
Following the lead of Hewitt’s Board, the Parents’ Association Board, Alumnae Council, and admissions volunteers will also participate in annual diversity, equity, and inclusivity training.