Head of School and President of
The Glasgow Group
During late spring and early summer 2020, issues of racial justice and inequities in the United States came into the cultural spotlight in ways unseen for decades. Protests and pleas for change found conviction and commitment on boarding school campuses across the continent. Perhaps most visibly, alumni and students in many boarding and independent school settings created #BlackAt social media accounts to share—often anonymously —their experiences as black, indigenous and people of color in boarding school communities.
Dr. Rodney Glasgow, President of the Glasgow Group and Head of School at Maryland’s Sandy Spring Friends School, has championed the work of diversity, equity and inclusion in our schools for decades. For boarding communities beginning the journey, as well as schools well along the path, we invite school leaders, staff and faculty to join Dr. Glasgow for a preview to TABS Conference conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion. We’ll explore:
How do we begin—or deepen—conversations about race in our communities?
What have been the most productive and healing responses to BlackAt movements on boarding school campuses?
What are best practices in anti-racism for independent schools?
What are helpful frameworks and formats for understanding one another better as we discuss race, racism and racial bias?
Seattle Girls' School
Carney Sandoe & Associates
Boarding schools are intentionally cultivated and curated communities – from each student to each employee to each blade of grass on our quads. How then do we reckon with the inequities within our carefully crafted communities? How might we address students and employees of color who have felt invited but not welcomed, and develop accountability within our strategic and institutional practices regarding racial equity and inclusion?
Come discuss with Lawrence Alexander, lead consultant for the Equity and Inclusion practice at Carney, Sandoe & Associates, ways that we can facilitate conversations we have deferred for far too long, working to restore justice and build resilience in our students and our communities.
If you watched the Academy Awards, you heard Taika Waititi's land acknowledgement for the Tongva, Tataviam, and Chumash. At Brooks School, we live and learn on land once inhabited by the Pennacook people and we acknowledge their enduring presence. We believe land acknowledgement keeps schools in touch with the past and committed to thoughtful, ongoing stewardship for the future. Join this session to learn how your school can research, write, and integrate an acknowledgement of first peoples.
Susanna Waters
Academic Dean, Brooks School, MA
Amanda Nasser
History Faculty, Brooks School, MA
This presentation will summarize the facts and current posture of two Title IX actions and their impact on independent secondary schools, both on and off the athletic field. We will also discuss more generally the issue of transgender athletic participation and the impact on our schools, our athletic leagues and the intersection with equity, fairness and compliance with state and federal law.
Christopher Brigham
Shareholder, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C., CT
Kati Eggert
Director of Athletics, The Ethel Walker School, CT
Meera Viswanathan
Head, Ethel Walker School
Participants will learn how Dublin School moved to a system based in restorative justice and will have opportunities to consider how restorative models might work in their institutions. C.O.R.E. (Community Organizations for Restorative Education) is Dublin’s restorative justice group comprised of six student organizations; its goal is to build a more just, responsible community and understand that (1) violations of community values cause harm, (2) justice should focus on repairing that harm, and (3) community members affected by the violation should be welcome to participate in its resolution.
Rachael Jennings
Brooks Johnson
Dean of Students, Dublin School, NH
What is the experience of whiteness in a time of inclusivity and social change? Many white people do not identify as "white," which can lead to considerable defensiveness, uncertainty, and misunderstanding when schools emphasize diversity. In an informal, nonjudgmental manner, we will explore how "whiteness" fits into personal identity and the kinds of anxieties and opportunities that multiculturalism presents for white faculty.
Sam Osherson
Faculty, Stanley King Counseling Institute, MA
This presentation coalesces the lived experiences shared by a 2019 PoCC panel of boarding school faculty of color, who shared a pragmatic lens of being Black and Brown, and living and working in a boarding school. While boarding schools have ameliorated their efforts to extend citizenship to faculty of color, we'll offer a unique lens into what faculty of color wrestle with as they lack agency and critical mass for institutional growth.
Edward Carson
Dean of Multicultural Education, The Governor’s Academy, MA
Dr. James Greenwood
Dean of DEI, Western Reserve Academy
Faith Kagwa
Associate Dean of Students, The Governor’s Academy
This workshop will provide an in-depth look at the deepening model for professional development on diversity, equity and inclusion. We will address ways to build a resilient community that is able to value dissonance, and work collaboratively towards racial equity while not attacking one another. Participants will experience equity-based, protocols that help them develop personal awareness, understand the role of emotional intelligence in transforming attitudes and beliefs, and deepen their capacity to engage in courageous conversations.
Holly Hinderlie
School Psychologist/Upper School Counselor at Holton-Arms School