To the greater Harker community,
Coming Jan. 11: Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) Survey
As we announced in December, Harker is partnering with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) to administer their Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) Survey this month to all of our constituents.
The link to the actual survey will be coming your way next week, and we are hoping for a very high percentage of participation. The more responses we receive from our various constituents – trustees, board of fellows, administration, students, teachers, staff, current parents, and alumni – the better chance we have of accurately defining the perceived state of inclusivity and equitability at Harker. Since our goal is to become a more inclusive and equitable community, this data will allow us to better formulate some of our action plans for the future.
This Monday, Jan. 11, you will receive an email with a link to your login to take the AIM survey online. There is a three-week window in which you can take the survey. It will take approximately 15-20 minutes. There is a system in place to save your work in case you can’t complete it in one sitting. The survey will be available in English, Spanish and Simplified Chinese.
There will be a combination of personal questions, questions which all respondents will answer, and some that are specific to your identification within the school constituency – trustee, board of fellows member, administrator, faculty, staff, alumna/us or student. It is completely confidential, so we hope everyone will take the time to complete it and help provide us with a high volume of responses. There will also be some opportunity for free response as well, so thank you for taking the time to add the additional information to the survey.
Once the survey period is over, NAIS will take some time to process the data and send us a report, which will show us where Harker stands on a national scale on specific data points. Harker will then produce a summary report which we will share with the community. Specific groups will then be tasked with developing follow-up strategies and plans to address areas of identified need.
For alumni/ae, teachers, staff: The survey will ask you for your affiliated constituency with Harker. Some of you may be parents, but for the purposes of the survey, please identify yourself as alumni/ae, teachers or staff so that we can categorize your responses in that way.
Thank you so much for your participation.
Sincerely,
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Brian Yager
Head of School
he/him/his
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To help everyone be better prepared to take the survey, we are sharing some definitions that may be referenced in the AIM survey. As an example, you may be asked to agree or disagree with the following statement: “The school’s mission statement regarding diversity and multiculturalism is measurable.”
Here are the critical terms, based on the AIM User’s Manual.
Climate of the School: your individual perceptions of how you exist within the school, including perceptions of routines that affect your attitudes, feelings and behaviors within the school.
Culture: a set of unspoken rules that shape values, beliefs, habits, patterns of thinking, behaviors, and styles of communication within our community.
Diversity: the variety of human characteristics that can identify individual and group belonging. These can include, but are not limited to, ethnicity, race, national origin, age, personality, sexual orientation, gender, class, religion, ability, and linguistic preferences. In addition, diversity of thought and ways of knowing and learning are also understood as elements of diversity.
Equity: a sense that people are provided what they need according to their individual characteristics. Equity ensures that essential educational programs and services are accessible to all. Equity is not equality (providing the same to all). It is the expression of justice and the absence of discrimination.
Inclusivity/Inclusiveness: encompassing all – taking every individual’s experience and identity into account and creating conditions where everyone feels accepted, safe and empowered.
Multiculturalism: similar to diversity, this refers to the presence of many distinctive cultures and cultural expressions (language, values, religion, race, communication styles, etc.) in our community. Multiculturalism promotes the understanding of and respect for cultural differences and celebrates them as a source of community strength.
Multicultural education: an approach to education that values equity and inclusiveness. The objective of multicultural education is to help students learn how to live in an ethnically and culturally rich, diverse society.
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Copyright © The Harker School 2024. All Rights Reserved.
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