Identity, Belonging, and Equity - our values at WIS

Dear Community,

Back in February of 2022, our Board of Directors passed a policy that is central to our school’s vision and mission “To develop the full potential of each student in a stimulating environment of academic excellence, cultural diversity and active social responsibility to become internationally minded independent thinkers.” The Identity, Belonging, and Equity Policy includes within its first appendices a set of strategic actions which I have copied below.

We are fortunate to have our staff members Ms Lizl and Ms Jeannette who are coordinating and serving as drivers for these actions. We are also fortunate to have a WIS Parent Network (the WPN) which is already organising many events and strategies for support. It will take all of our collective efforts to create a school culture in which we can be

As stated in our IBE Policy, Windhoek International School is committed to encouraging a safe and supportive environment so that all students thrive academically and socially. Our learning community is enhanced by both historically under-represented and over-represented groups across our community’s expressions of language, culture, race, color, age, religious belief, physical condition, gender, sexual identity, ability, cognition, income, and nationality.

WIS is a deliberately diverse learning community, but we know that diversity in and of itself will not lead to inclusion, equity, and dignity for all. We define inclusive education at Windhoek International School as our institutional and collective commitment to engage with and embrace all members of our school community. The philosophical sense of “Ubuntu'' may be the best way to describe our vision for diversity and inclusion at WIS; it calls us to share our humanity within a community that is generous, caring, and compassionate towards one another.

I encourage you to read through these items and consider ways that you might be able to support putting our IBE policy into practice. If you see a way that you individually can support our efforts then please reach out to the WPN or to the relevant person at WIS, to make it happen. In January, we will then provide an update on how we’re doing, and on what comes next.

Sincerely,

Ethan Van Drunen

Director

Identity Belonging Equity - Strategic Goals for 2022-25

These strategic goals outline the initiatives, components, and performance measures to support all members of the Windhoek International School community.

A. Professional Development and Community Conversations

Initiative: The annual Professional Development Committee will apportion funding and delegate authority to support individual trainings, group trainings, guest speakers/facilitators, and on-campus workshops aligned to the WIS IBE Vision, focused on five areas:

Action A1: DEIJ Committee plans Teaching & Learning Workshops

• creating inclusive and multilingual classrooms

• implementing optimized learning plans

• providing highly effective student feedback (assessment as and for learning)

• conducting equity audits of classroom practice and student growth

Action A2: DEIJ Committee Plans All Staff Workshops:

• mitigating implicit bias

• building intercultural competencies

• establishing interpersonal communication strategies and norms of collaborative groups

• designing an annual calendar of events which celebrates WIS’s diversity

Action A3: DEIJ Committee identifies school priorities and actions to promote our school’s cultural diversity:

• identifying what makes WIS inclusive and what more we can do

• scheduling affinity groups and coffee mornings to promote dialogue and community

• parenting strategies and courageous conversations for digital citizenship

• inviting experts, ie people with different identities, to tell their stories

• creating safe spaces for people to share their own stories

Action A4: Professional Development Committee plans Admin Workshops:

• determining IBE best practices for WIS based on expert advice/workshops provided by CIS, AISA, and peer schools and institutions

• identifying appropriate trainers or agencies to assist in the above workshops.

Action A5: The school’s DEIJ Student Leadership Team leads courageous conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion within the school.

• establishing guiding frameworks for conversations,

• keeping the group active

• empowering students to make recommendations for school improvement.

B. Teaching, Learning Support, Curriculum, and Enrichment

Initiative: Establish teams to review curriculum and enrichment to ensure it reflects and amplifies the diversity of the WIS community and the WIS mission statement

Action B1: Task force to review the school’s approach to translanguaging in classrooms, language acquisition, Namibia’s host country languages, and the promotion of the student’s home language.

Action B2: Task force to review the school’s approach to special education needs and EAL.

Action B3: Task force to review opportunities for student leadership and community engagement.

Action B4: Task force to develop a tool for teachers to reflect upon equity and inclusion within their teaching practice.

Action B5: Task force for bringing the Arts and a variety of Events into the WIS community to celebrate diversity and also to facilitate courageous conversations.

Action B6: In year two and three, teachers implement the above tool along with MAP scores, surveys, and external results when reflecting how to make teaching and learning at WIS equitable and inclusive.

C. Recruitment, Support, and Retention of a Diverse Body of Students, Staff, and Board

Initiative: Structure the school’s policies and procedures in such a way that encourages the diversification of the WIS community.

Action C1: Analyze and update the orientation and induction programming for new WIS employees.

Action C2: Analyze and update the orientation and induction programming for new students.

Action C3: Design the recruiting process for WIS Staff and nomination process for new WIS Board Members to ensure that WIS’s diversity is reflected at all levels of the school.

Action C4: Implement the school’s scholarship program to ensure there is socio-economic diversity existing and supported within the student body.

Action C5: Review WIS’s compensation scheme to ensure that it is in line with both market-based and equity-based considerations.

D. Monitoring and Reflection

Initiative: WIS, at every level of our community, is committed to openly and humbly reflect upon the progress of the initiatives identified above, and on the extent to which our school reflects the vision of being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning community

Action D1: Create annual school climate survey and qualitative feedback tools on IBE initiatives.

Action D2: Create exit interview forms for departing staff and students.

Action D3: Establish a communications procedure, complaints procedure, and appellate policy which ensures that the structures are in place to be responsive to concerns as they arise.

Action D4: Reflect upon the efficacy of the above actions at all levels of the school.