Equity & Inclusion Action Plan

At Shady Side Academy, we recognize our responsibility to ensure all community members feel welcomed, supported and appreciated. In the summer of 2020, we listened intently to more than 450 community members as they shared their stories and concerns. From those listening sessions and with much reflection, we created our Equity & Inclusion Action Plan as a framework to affect positive cultural change at SSA. With the support of the Board of Trustees, the plan was announced to the SSA community on July 15, 2020.

Knowing that sustainable change takes time, the plan is ongoing and takes a multi-year and multi-generational approach. With the support of our parents, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members, we have made great strides to improve our community’s ability to be more equitable and inclusive. Our Equity & Inclusion Action Plan will continue to evolve, as we acknowledge that we still have much to learn and do. However, we are pleased to share the progress we've made through the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

Progress updates as of July 1, 2022, are bulleted under each action item in italics.

To Advance Our Vision and Leadership, Shady Side Academy Will:

Dedicate the work of the Board of Trustees’ Community Life Committee to the oversight and evaluation of the administration’s ongoing equity and inclusion work, and the initiatives identified below.
Enlist the support of an outside consultant to direct a thorough, objective review of Shady Side’s climate and policies in order to identify key areas of improvement for our equity and inclusion practice.
- In 2020-2021, SSA enlisted the support of Storbeck Diversified Search Group, under the direction of Nishant Mehta and Sherry Coleman, Ed.D., to direct a thorough and objective review of Shady Side’s climate and policies in order to provide insight and identify key areas of improvement in relation to creating a more equitable and inclusive community. As a result, SSA was provided with key recommendations to help inform current and future practices and increase our accountability in the community. These recommendations are being used to inform our professional development programming, outreach and hiring practices.
Expand the Office of Equity and Inclusion through the appointment of an assistant program coordinator and the launch of an early career fellowship program.
- The Office of Equity and Inclusion is partnering with the Chief Talent Recruitment and Development Officer to research and put the necessary structures in place to develop an early career and fellowship program.
- A new Semper Scholars Coordinator position was created within the Office of equity and Inclusion to coordinate and develop the Semper Scholars Program, which provides academic and social support for talented students of promise whose enrollment at SSA presents a uniquely challenging educational or cultural transition. Lindsey Wall was hired for the position beginning in July 2022, coinciding with the arrival of the first Semper Scholars at SSA in fall 2022.
Support the continued development of our new African American Alumni Advisory Council and establish a range of other affinity groups for alumni of color with an emphasis on engagement, support and student connections.
- The African American Alumni Advisory Council serves in an advisory capacity to SSA through the Office of Equity and Inclusion to help address matters pertaining to African American students and African American alumni community life. The council hosted several events to support our African American students in 2020-2021, including a discussion series with the Senior School Black Student Union (BSU).
- The Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Awareness (IDEA) Alumni Committee was established in 2020-2021, with selected members representing a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and class years. Its mission is to enhance alumni engagement, programming and outreach to be more inclusive and equitable, focusing on promoting awareness and programming that benefit current and future alumni of color. The committee provides feedback to both the Alumni Council and the Community Life Committee of the Board of Trustees to make an impact on several institutional levels. One of the goals of the committee is to promote inclusivity on the institutional and individual levels to support the long-term commitment to DEI. During the 2021-2022 school year, the IDEA Committee hosted several Zoom events to engage with alumni and students.

To Create a More Inclusive School Climate and Culture, Shady Side Academy Will:

Review expectations for student conduct and make more explicit our intolerance of behaviors that compromise the experience of our community members.
- The Office of Equity and Inclusion is working with the heads of school and deans to review and update the student-parent handbooks.
Review both the language and implementation of disciplinary policies on each campus to make certain that acts of prejudice, discrimination, and racial insensitivity are not tolerated and that the disciplinary process is clear and transparent.
- The Academy is utilizing the latest research in best practices regarding relational teaching and disciplinary approaches that help build community and inclusive systems.
- In 2020-2021, SSA began collaborating with the Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center on the pilot and launch of a restorative practice disciplinary model at the Senior School. Restorative practice is a framework that provides transparency and is used to build community through relationship building, respect, responsibility, repair and reintegration when responding to challenging behavior.
- The Senior School deans and residential life faculty began training on restorative practices in June 2020, and training is ongoing. The Academy will begin working with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) to provide professional development to faculty and staff across the Academy.
- Lower school faculty members are engaging in professional development and training in the Responsive Classroom model, a student-centered, social-emotional learning approach to teaching and discipline. It comprises a set of research and evidence-based practices designed to create safe, joyful and engaging classrooms and school communities for both students and teachers.
Conduct a rigorous review and revision of the PK-12 curriculum to ensure it affords a strong representation of the voices, stories, and positive contributions of Black and historically underrepresented individuals and groups.
Partner with organizations that empower students to navigate social media and technology positively in support of healthy relationships, character development, and wellness.
- In September 2020, SSA announced a three-year partnership with The Social Institute (TSI) in support of curriculum dedicated to positive social media and technology use and social-emotional health and wellness.
- In 2020-2021, SSA established TSI coaches on each campus and held #WinAtSocial curriculum training for Middle and Senior School faculty. An informational webinar for parents and an assembly presentation for Senior School students were also held.
- In 2021-2022, the TSI #WinAtSocial curriculum was implemented in grades 5-12 via the advisory program. The curriculum amplifies students’ ability to make intelligent, positive decisions on social media by reinforcing positive character attributes through gamified lessons.
Augment cultural competency, inclusion and racial equity education for faculty, staff and administration; establish a professional development and evaluation program that integrates these components as permanent measures of professional learning.
- The Office of Equity and Inclusion is partnering with the Chief Talent Recruitment and Development Officer to plan strategic professional development opportunities for our faculty.
- As part of one of the key metrics from the climate assessment, the Chief Talent Recruitment and Development Officer is working to create critical metrics that align with institutional goals and vision.
- The Academy has retained the services of Littleford & Associates to conduct a 10-month review of faculty salaries, benefits, evaluation and professional development, which will take place in the 2022-2023 school year.

To Ensure Our School Community Promotes Open and Civil Discourse, Shady Side Academy Will:

Establish community norms for civil discourse and the expression and tolerance of different perspectives.
- In September 2020, a Community Collaboration Committee composed of Senior School student leaders was formed to develop community norms to promote civil discourse and the tolerance of different perspectives at SSA. The new Community Norms for Civil Discourse were launched at the Senior School in late September 2020 and shortly afterward at the Middle School. The norms were used throughout the year as a guide to practice civil discourse and have difficult conversations. The norms were featured in EAB’s Toolkit for Civil Campus Discourse.
- The Community Norms are used throughout the school year as a guide to practice civil discourse and have difficult conversations.
- In 2021-2022, Senior School student leaders from the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA), Black Student Union (BSU), Asian Student Union (ASU), Federalist Society, and Diversity Leadership Council (DLC) joined together to host several discussions of current issues. The Community Norms were used to guide the discussions and engage in perspective taking through spectrum activities, informational sessions and conferences.
Clarify expectations for the faculty and administration regarding the sharing of personal views in classroom and educational settings.
- The President's Office issued a guidance statement on political expression and speech in the classroom for faculty.
Provide faculty and administration in-depth professional development that includes opportunities to engage and practice in civil discourse about difficult and challenging topics.
- Cross-divisional administrators participated in Fierce Conversations training to continue building skills to navigate challenging issues with confidence, overcome barriers to meaningful conversations and enrich relationships.
- The Senior School leadership team underwent training on management, boundaries and leadership. The boundary training focused on how to hold a space for students in the classroom that welcomes different perspectives.
- The ongoing Restorative Practice and Response Classroom training helps faculty to further build trusting relationships with students and facilitate complicated conversations in the classroom
- The Office of Equity and Inclusion provided training on civil discourse in the classroom and met with teachers to discuss and clarify expectations.
- The Office of Equity and Inclusion and the Chief Talent Recruitment and Development Officer have worked together to create targeted professional development opportunities for faculty and staff.

To Make Certain Our School Community Better Represents Our Diverse City and World, Shady Side Academy Will:

Create a new position on our executive leadership team reporting to the president and dedicated to the recruitment, retention, and development of a racially diverse and culturally competent faculty across all divisions.
- In partnership with Storbeck and Associates, SSA created the new position of Chief Talent Recruitment and Development Officer (CTRDO), a role dedicated to the recruitment and professional growth of faculty and staff. A national search was launched, and Dr. Armani Davis was announced as Shady Side’s inaugural CTRDO, effective July 1, 2021.
Institute objectives, key metrics, and supports for the recruitment and retention of Black and historically underrepresented administrators, faculty, and staff at all divisions.
- The CTRDO assessed and evaluated SSA's recruiting process and how applicants are engaged throughout the process. A new centralized cross-divisional hiring process was created that provides more intentionality to recruit a more diverse applicant pool.
- The CTRDO has piloted a human resources dashboard to track applicant demographics, leading to more equitable outcomes.
- The CTRDO has established relationships and partnerships with universities and nonprofits across Western Pennsylvania to increase recruitment efforts while creating a pipeline of potential applicants for future positions.
- SSA hosted the FAME Teachers Academy to support the recruitment of Black educators for teaching opportunities in independent schools.
Broaden our outreach, engagement, and access efforts in order to enroll a more diverse student population across all divisions, with particular focus on the increased enrollment of Black and Latinx students.
- Meredith Colicchie, previously the Senior School Director of Admission for Boarding Students, was promoted to Associate Director of Enrollment effective July 1, 2021. In this new role, she partners with the Equity and Inclusion Office to examine the admissions process and develop strategies to increase the enrollment of Black and Latinx students.

To Assess Our Progress and Ensure Accountability, Shady Side Academy Will:

Publish annual progress reports for each of these action steps.
- The July 2021 progress report updates were posted on this page as well as in a PDF report.
- The July 2022 progress report updates are posted on this page.
Host open periodic Zoom meetings with community and alumni groups dedicated to discussing and collecting feedback about the school’s ongoing equity and inclusion efforts.
- An Equity & Inclusion Plan Update was hosted for the SSA community via Zoom on Nov. 11, 2020
- The 2021 Progress Report updates were shared and discussed with the Board of Trustees Community Life Committee, IDEA committee, and African American Alumni Advisory Committee.

To Sustain and Provide Financial Support for These Efforts, Shady Side Academy Will:

Establish an endowed equity and inclusion fund to provide both immediate and permanent financial support for these mission-critical initiatives. This fund will provide support above and beyond the annual operating budget.
- Initial $25,000 seed gift received from Roland Criswell '95 in 2020.
- To date, $75,000 has been raised in gifts and pledges.
- An endowed fund can be established at $250,000.
- Contact Dr. Allison Saras for more information or to make a gift.

We recognize the need to continue conversation in support of these initiatives, with our whole community and especially our students, who we are preparing to lead responsibly and compassionately in a complex, diverse world. We look forward to the ways in which our coming together will help us augment and expand upon these action steps.

Office of Equity and Inclusion

Lillian Grate
Chief Equity, Inclusion & Community Relations Officer
412-447-2213
Email Lillian

The Office

Partners with Academy administration to inform and create equitable policies and practices
Collaborates and consults with school heads to build inclusive and equitable communities
Works with faculty to develop multicultural curricula that represent the diversity of our community and beyond
Offers education and support to parents, students, trustees and staff

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