Diversity is an essential part of an excellent education.
Our students must be prepared for a global society. A school’s vibrancy is enhanced when there is a diverse collection of people, opinions, backgrounds, and beliefs within the school community. And a diverse school is simply an ethical imperative. These are the three core reasons why diversity is important at Town.
What does diversity mean at The Town School?
Town, like other independent schools, defines diversity as a focus on race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic level, sexual orientation, physical ability, family structure, and religion. But a simple definition does not encompass the full breadth and depth of what diversity can mean to a school. Diversity is a reflection of the way the world really is: we at Town acknowledge diversity as an encounter with differences in identity, experiences, backgrounds, beliefs, and ideas. These differences can be simple or profound. Diversity is central to Town’s mission and core values. A diverse school community is imperative for promoting a culture of respect, social awareness, moral responsibility, and academic excellence.
How is the Town community involved in diversity?
- Parents for Diversity Committee
- Parents of Students of Color
- Faculty S.E.E.D. (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity)
- Faculty of Color Group
- Student Diversity Group (Upper School Students)
- Board of Trustees Diversity Committee
- Alumni/ae Diversity Committee
- Director of Diversity
- Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management
While all aspects of diversity are important, these are a few highlighted statistics:
- Students receiving financial aid: 15%
- Students of color: 34.8%
- Gender balance: 1:1
- Faculty of color: 32%
Why is diversity important to Town?
It’s the right thing to do.
Diversity involves issues of moral and ethical courage. We champion diversity because it is the right thing to do. This means that we don’t just accommodate diversity—we embrace it. It is a powerful thing to say to our community that making our school more diverse is an ethical imperative from which we simply cannot turn away. And we teach our students an important lesson when they see the adults of their school community acting as moral agents—as changers of our school and, by extension, the world. It enhances educational excellence.
Diversity lies at the heart of providing an excellent education.
“In a school, diversity is first and foremost a learning tool,” wrote Joe Healey, Head of University Liggett School. “We could no more imagine a school without math or science, foreign languages or physical education, than we would imagine a school without diversity of opinion and belief. If the quality of a school can be measured by the quality of its conversations, then a school with limited or narrow stories to tell cannot be truly great.” From this perspective, our quest for academic excellence—and for greatness— is directly linked to diversity.
It prepares students for their world.
Our city and nation become more diverse with each passing day. It is clear our students will grow up in a world that is increasingly more diverse. We must provide them with an educational experience that reflects this reality and prepares them to be the leaders of the world of the future—their world. “We will always be a school for people who believe in the Town way of educating students, who believe in and support our core values, and who understand our mission and strategic goals. These are the beliefs that unite us with each other and make us a strong, vibrant community.” ~ Christopher Marblo, Head of School.
