Multicultural Education & Diversity Programs

Diversity Statement

At DCD, we define diversity as an umbrella term that includes race, gender, age, ethnicity, culture, nationality, sexual orientation, social and economic class, physical and learning differences, and religion, as well as other characteristics that contribute to each individual’s full identity.

We strive to provide a multicultural education, which celebrates the diversity of our community and the larger world. At DCD, respect permeates all aspects of school life. We want children to learn to understand and value multiple perspectives, identify and reject stereotypes and prejudices, and work for equity and justice. Dedham Country Day is strongly committed to ensuring a sense of community in which every member is safe, valued, and treated with dignity. We believe that a broad range of experiences and viewpoints enhances learning and enriches life.

Diversity Through Community

A standing Diversity Committee made up of trustees, teachers, and parents is charged with building and supporting a diverse school community. Ongoing professional development for the board of trustees on topics of diversity, equity and inclusion.
DCD’s Culture Club: DCD offers a special extracurricular affinity program for Lower School students of color to connect and participate in activities with their peers in a small group setting.
A SEED Program has been established at DCD for faculty, staff and current parents. SEED is a national organization based in Wellesley, MA that promotes conversations about equity, inclusion, and diversity as a means of supporting personal, organizational, and societal change. Program participants commit to a series of monthly workshops for the current academic year. DCD runs separate cohorts for parents and staff.
CommUnity Evening: Parents and teachers come together for a special evening of dinner and dialogue with special speakers such as Mahzarin Banaji author of Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People and Claude Steele author of Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us to celebrate and support differences and inclusion at DCD.
Special all-school assemblies are planned to acknowledge and share various cultural celebrations, such as the Chinese New Year, with food, songs, and special projects. The entire school community, including teachers, students, and parents, commemorates the life of Martin Luther King Jr. with a day dedicated to service.
Faculty training and professional development have addressed such issues as white privilege, gender and sexuality, learning differences, and non-traditional family structures. For the 2018-19 school year DCD sent 8 faculty and staff members to the People of Color Conference in Nashville in November.

Diversity Through Curriculum

List of 2 items.

The Primary & Lower Schools
In the Primary and Lower Schools, themes of diversity and multiculturalism are explored in ongoing projects and activities.
- Learning about different cultures in Pre-Kindergarten culminates in a multicultural puppet project, which they present at an all-school assembly.
- Kindergartners read and share books covering such topics as multicultural families, mixed families, adoption, bullying, and overcoming adversity.
- First Grade themes include understanding religious and non-religious holidays, gender bias, family structure, and cultural diversity.
- Second Graders pursue an in-depth study of Native Americans.
- Immigration is a central theme in Third Grade. The Third Grade social studies curriculum culminates with a study of the Underground Railroad and the plight of African American slaves who were forcefully brought to America.
- Fourth Graders study world geography and learn how location affects culture.
- Discussions of literature in the Fifth Grade include a number of books that deal with racism and prejudice.
The Middle School
The Middle School curriculum weaves themes of diversity, inclusion, and awareness throughout the core academic subjects and co-curricular programs.
- In Sixth Grade English class, students read literature that addresses issues of prejudice, ethnic slurs, and social and cultural alignment and segregation.
- Mini-term humanities units offer Seventh and Eighth Graders an opportunity to dive deeply into the 20th century civil rights movement in America, exploring the African-American struggle for equality and desegregation issues during the 1950s.
- The Eighth Grade spring term is devoted to the Facing History and Ourselves curriculum "Holocaust and Human Behavior.” Exploring the roots of anti-Semitism during the rise of Nazi Germany, students use this case study of discrimination and genocide as a backdrop to examining stereotypes and racism in themselves and in society.
- In Eighth Grade science class, students discuss a number of important issues associated with growing up, including homophobia and understanding and accepting differences in each other.
- The Middle School advisory program features a variety of presentations and discussions on making individual choices and becoming the person you want to be.