Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) are mainstay words that have become synonymous with excellence in education. Having an acute awareness and a critical consciousness of DEIB is an absolute necessity and moral obligation for all educators. As a school leader, people will turn to you for vision and to provide guidance in this critical aspect of school practice and culture.

Pluralism is the culmination of meaningful DEIB. It is a state when more than one culture/race/identity is acknowledged and coexists in harmony with others. It is first cultivated through recognizing and amplifying historically marginalized voices and identities. It is then achieved by centering these voices in the daily decisions taken by students, staff, parents, and volunteers to ultimately value and leverage human difference. Pluralism is ultimately attained through the interweaving of distinct cultures and identities into a harmonized whole. To help build a foundation, this module will explore what pluralism means to each participant in their respective communities.

The subject matter can be deeply personal, responses are often emotional, and there is work to be done in reflection and self-analysis. It will challenge participants to lean into their discomfort and examine their own explicit and implicit biases, as well as to explore and dismantle the contributing systemic structures that may be at play in schools. Topics of race and ethnicity; socioeconomic status; indigenous peoples reconciliation; gender identity and expression; physical ability; and learning differences are all on the table.

Learning Intentions
Participants will learn how:

• School Leadership Teams can be effective in realizing a pluralistic community.
• The Board’s composition, nomination and development processes can be effective in ensuring the diversity needed to support the Board’s effectiveness, the School’s mission and strategy and sustained Board leadership.
• The School can be effective in establishing relationships as foundational to the learning experience and personalize the learning experience in a way that supports student engagement.
• The School can effectively develop students’ understanding and valuing of pluralism.
• The School can actively accept responsibility to meet the diverse needs of all students accepted for admission.
• The School can effectively establish equity as a driver for all Human Resource related practices across the School.

Connections to the CAIS 2021 National Standards will be made.

Facilitator Biography

Genny Lee
Genny Lee is a Korean-Canadian and second-generation settler, born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. She is the Senior School principal at York House School in Vancouver, British Columbia and the Chair of the CAIS Pluralism advisory committee. She has led the CAIS Pluralism leadership institute module for the past 5 years and has held various roles in education including the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) curriculum specialist and the Vice Principal of Student Life and Belonging at the Bishop Strachan School. Genny is currently a PhD student in Education Policy and Leadership at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto studying ethnic race identity formation. With over 23 years of teaching, coaching and leadership experience, she is passionate about the confluence of neuroscience, implicit bias and equity.