Equity

'A healthy social life is found only, when in the mirror of each soul the whole community finds its reflection, and when in the whole community the virtue of each one is living.' ~ Rudolf Steiner

Rooted in this belief, the Portland Village School strives to create a space where each individual is a valued member contributing to the health of the whole community. PVS seeks to foster an educational community where each individual is honored and valued. We welcome diversity of race, culture, spirituality, neurology, gender, identity, ability, and orientation. We believe the essential work of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion aims to promote a healthy social life and is the responsibility of every individual in our community.

~ Equity: Ongoing Work of our Community ~

We acknowledge the harm that has been done and continues to occur due to inequality and power imbalances diverse communities have endured in our society. This harm is caused by structural oppression, racism and disparities in access to resources, power and privilege.

PVS recognizes that people have had experiences in school of feeling

marginalized, oppressed, unseen, or unwelcome.

We aim to transform this by creating an inclusive, welcoming, affirming and equitable school community. This effort requires deep exploration of our biases, histories, curriculum design, teaching pedagogies and hiring practices. With head, heart and hand we endeavor to engage in this work by placing particular emphasis on racial equity.

PVS is committed to undoing structural oppression and racism in the education of our children for a more just and safe world. We strive to create equitable opportunities for underrepresented populations. We aspire to experience inclusion as the act of co-creating community that honors and recognizes the worth and dignity of all people.

An inclusive community promotes and sustains a sense of belonging by practicing respect for the talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of living of its members. We work together to create, embrace and support a diverse, equitable and inclusive community where everyone feels respected, connected and valued.

~ Educator Equity Work at PVS ~

As an educational organization, we know the myriad ways that White supremacy and racism have been ingrained in the structures and systems of public education. It is our deepest commitment to actively fight against the ideologies and hegemonies that lead to barriers of access, disparate discipline policies, gaps in academic achievement, and unwelcoming school environments for BIPOC students and their families.

At PVS we are committed to dismantling racism and other forms of oppression at the individual, class, school, and community level. We are listening, we are learning, we will make mistakes, and we will grow.

We recognize that many times words are said, but it is the actions that speak loudest. We have worked with and consulted with local and national organizations including Resolutions Northwest, East Ed, and The Center Consultancy.

Participation in ongoing Professional Learning and implementing what we learn. Learning for equity is not a one and done - the professional learning is ongoing, recursive and requires reflection. Recent trainings have included professional development training for all staff with The Center Consultancy, a center for equity and inclusion located in NE Portland.

Continued development of our community outreach, weighted lottery and hiring practices to increase diversity of our student and staff population. We are committed to reflecting the community we live in, and are committed to harnessing the power of Charter schools to serve students from across the Portland Metro area as a way of ameliorating de facto segregation that occurs through rigid neighborhood school boundary lines. Charter schools are a mechanism for desegregation!

Continued staff discussion, reflection and adaptation of our curriculum to represent all learners, and of our lessons to be inclusive and to highlight systems of injustice and oppression.

As a society, we stand at a critical moment of reckoning - we must face the terrible injustices of White supremacy and we must change our actions to change our outcomes. We are all culpable for our complacency and complicity in not doing so sooner. The work that we’ve begun at PVS is just the beginning of what we know we can do as a school community to disrupt racism and dismantle the systems and structures that perpetuate and reinforce it. We welcome you to join us in embracing this work as a necessary step in the direction of racial justice.

~ Click for More Resources About Equity and Inclusion ~

(Here are some compiled from OR Physicians for Social Responsibility website)

White Allies, Let’s Be Honest About Decolonization (Kyle Powys Whyte for YES! Magazine)

Racial Justice Assessment Tool (Western States Center)

Racial Justice Dominoes (Western States Center)

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism (Robin DiAngelo)

Broken Treaties (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

A Guide to Gender Identity & Affirmation in the Workplace (Yale University)

How the Women’s March’s “genital based” Feminism Isolated the Transgender Community (Marie Solis)

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack (Peggy McIntosh)

Portland Isn’t as Liberal as you Think (Zahir Janmohamed)

The Time is Now (Pete Shaw)

Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Implications for Clinical Practice (Derald Wing Sue et al)

Public Health and Social Justice Website (Martin Donohoe, MD)

I am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck)

Scientists Start to Tease Out the Subtler Ways Racism Hurts Health (NPR)

Responding to Everyday Bigotry (Southern Poverty Law Center)

Our Town (This American Life)

Un-gentrifying Portland (The Guardian)

How Racism Make Us Sick (David R. Williams)

African Americans Against the Bomb (radio interview with Vincent Intondi)

Detour-‐Spotting for White Anti‐Racists (Joan Olsson)

100 Ways to Make the World Better for Non-Binary People (AC Dumlao)

White People Assume Niceness is the Answer to Racial Inequality. It's Not. (Robin DiAngelo)

Beauty Is About Looking Like Yourself (ALOK)

Our Hiring Practices are Inequitable and Need to Change (Vu Le)

Honor Native Land: A Guide and Call to Acknowledgement (USDAC)

Invisible Victims (Holly Hunter)

The Impact of Racism on Children's Health (Perri Klass, MD)

Slavery in America: The 1619 Project (The New York Times)

Join us!

The Equity Committee meets online every second Thursday, 6-7:30 PM. Please see Board of Director email announcements one week prior to meeting date with Zoom links to attend.

Acknowledgment of the Original People of the Land

We would like to acknowledge that our school sits on the traditional

lands of the Indigenous People of the Lower Columbia. We offer recognition and deep respect to the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, and to the many indigenous people, federally recognized or not, who have cared and resided on this land since time immemorial through centuries of genocidal policies and systemic racism. We honor the resilience and tradition of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and Indigenous People of the Lower Columbia with gratitude.

~ PVS Board of Directors Equity Statement ~

As a school community, we acknowledge that there are historic and persistent inequities at the societal level in how students of color are perceived, disciplined, and supported in institutions across the nation and around the world. We recognize the harm of unconscious bias and stereotypes. Addressing the inequities that exist while raising the achievement of all students is a priority at every level of our organization.

Click here to read the full Board Equity Statement

We pledge to continually examine our role in perpetuating and combating institutional racism and strive to become an ally in reducing these inequities in our community. We commit to the ongoing work in aligning our policies and practices to interrupt racism and all forms of oppression.

At PVS we aim to listen for understanding, and to recognize and support every member of our community. We strive to provide a safe and inclusive environment and an education which focuses on acquiring the abilities necessary to continue life-long social and emotional development. At PVS we recognize that the path to equity and a healthy community is an on-going process, and we remain dedicated to continual reflection and growth. The Portland Village School understands that this work is a microcosm of the larger work happening in the broader society, and we dedicate ourselves to this work as a community.

With growth as a goal, PVS works to align curriculum, resources, celebrations, and festivals so that they reflect the diversity of our student body and the richness of our diverse society. We employ a code of conduct and behavioral and social responsibility, called Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), which emphasizes individual and community responsibility. We have begun to integrate Restorative Justice as a tool for repairing and strengthening interpersonal relationships for all stake-holders.

The Portland Village School supports the need for evolving work around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. To promote a safe and inclusive space for living and learning, we implement certain elements of Restorative Justice practices as a community to help build, maintain, and repair relationships:

Engagement - Students, families, colleagues, and guests with different backgrounds and experiences are encouraged to participate in all aspects of the life of the school.
Thoughtful Listening- We strive to listen for understanding and through an equity lens so that we may work respectfully with all people - through empathy, tolerance, and the acknowledgement of multiple perspectives.
Use of Inclusive Language - We strive to use language that is sensitive and respectful, and that may be carried on to a broader context, conscientiously avoiding systemically biased language
Reflection - We acknowledge the mistakes and the work to be done, and then focus on growth and improvement, reaffirming our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in all aspects of our organization.

Our goal is for all Portland Village School community members to thrive in a positive and healthy educational environment that embraces Waldorf educational practices and fosters a community exemplary of respect, inclusion, compassion, warmth, and positive interaction. We aspire to provide an education that focuses on continual social, emotional, and intellectual development. We recognize that the path to the pursuit of a healthy and vibrant community is through a commitment to the work of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and is an on-going process of growth and improvement.

Through honest and compassionate dialogue and an active and ongoing analysis within an authentically diverse context, every member of our community may reap the benefits of expanding awareness, wisdom, and capacity to act as responsible global citizens.