Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Head-Royce is committed to creating a welcoming, open, and diverse community that values the dignity and worth of each individual member.

Our diverse student body of 900 reflects the city we call home, with over half of our students identifying as people of color. We are committed to respecting, nurturing, and promoting diversity and its importance in the development of our students and the well-being of our community, and take pride in our inclusive educational program that promotes respect for others, appreciation of our differences, social responsibility, equity, and justice.

We are fortunate to have Johára Tucker leading our Equity & Inclusion efforts at Head-Royce School.
Johára brings deep experience as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practitioner and educator in independent school settings, and her work is already beginning to have a deeply impactful effect on our curriculum, School culture, and broader community. Learn more about Johára here.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Events 2019-2020

August 2019
Professional Community Start-of-Year immersion w/ diversity expert Elizabeth DeNevi

September
National Equity Project Racial Affinity Groups
9/8 Oakland Pride
Hispanic Heritage Month Assembly

October
National Equity Project Racial Affinity Groups
10/15 E & I Book Group: Born a Crime
10/24 PC of Color Social
10/31 US Affinity Group Leadership Training

November
Dias de los Muertos
11/4 The Success of African American Students in Independent Schools
11/6 E & I PC Meeting
11/12 NEP Racial Affinity Groups
Diwali

December
12/3 E & I Book Group: The Hate U Give
12/4-12/7 NAIS People of Color Conference (PoCC) & Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) - (Seattle, WA)
12/10 DEI Night
12/10 NEP Racial Affinity Groups

January 2020
1/14 NEP Racial Affinity Groups
1/28 E & I Book Group: White Fragility
Lunar New Year Celebration
1/28 MS Diversity Day
1/31 Black History Month Celebration

February
2/11 NEP Racial Affinity Groups
2/12 NIA Speaker Series, Angie Thomas
2/22 EastEd Hiring Fair

March
3/3 NEP Racial Affinity Groups
3/31 E & I Book Group: On The Come Up

April
4/14 NEP Racial Affinity Groups
4/28 E & I Book Group: Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria
White Privilege Conference

May
5/12 NEP Racial Affinity Groups

Professional Development

All Head-Royce Professional Community members participate in Professional Development opportunities throughout the year. Here is a small sampling of our work so far this year:

Presence at Equity is Excellence Conference, Summer 2019
2019 Faculty Book: Culturally Responsive Teaching
Full Professional Community training with diversity expert Elizabeth Denevi on creating inclusive learning spaces
Full Professional Community workshop with E&I trainer Rosetta Lee on "Beyond the Why and Into the How: Practical Steps Toward Inclusive Classrooms"
Administrative leadership workshops with Elena Aguilar on effective and equitable leadership
National Equity Project racial affinity groups for faculty and staff throughout the year
Cohort of 26 adults and students at the 2019 NAIS People of Color Conference

NIA Endowed Scholarship for Students of Color

NIA is the Swahili word meaning “purpose.” NIA encourages us to look within ourselves and set goals that are beneficial to the community. It represents our hopes and dreams for the future of our children and future of Head-Royce. As a group of parents, faculty and administrators, we collectively strive to foster community spirit within Head-Royce while building partnerships with community groups, individuals and businesses.

NIA was established in 2003 when four Head-Royce mothers met to discuss how they could contribute and support the three tenets of the Head-Royce mission — scholarship, diversity and citizenship. It was decided to host an annual speakers event that would be open to the Head-Royce and greater Oakland community. These founding members also had an equally important goal to establish an endowed scholarship to support the tuition for students of color admitted to Head-Royce School.

Our Diversity Mission

We embrace the School's mission to foster an understanding of and respect for the diversity that has made our society strong, as part of our effort to provide our students an excellent education. Serving the East Bay community in one of the most diverse areas of the country, we affirm:

Our belief that a school community rich in diversity provides the greatest opportunity for students to learn life's lessons, and we affirm our commitment to attracting students, faculty, administration, and staff who reflect that diversity
Our vision of a school as a truly welcoming and supportive community that values the dignity and worth of each individual member
Our practice of inclusion, beginning with our policy not to discriminate on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, marital status, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status
Our commitment to an inclusive educational program and pedagogy that promotes respect for others, appreciation of individual, cultural and socioeconomic differences, and social responsibility, equity, and justice
Our hope that our students will gain a greater understanding of themselves and of others' different perspectives and an ability to think deeply about our diverse society
Our effort to foster a global perspective so that our students can appreciate world cultures, analyze global issues, understand interconnectedness, evaluate conflicts and their resolution, and take action for positive change, and
Our desire to prepare our students to be democratic leaders, inspired by our ideal of civic purpose, in an interdependent, pluralistic, multicultural community.

Approved by the Board of Trustees 11/17/05