Skip To Main Content

Toggle Menu

Default Image

Navigation

Mobile Main Nav

Roadmap to excellence: Character, Culture, Community

 

The Roadmap to Excellence is a method to help The Haverford School advance its efforts to be a welcoming community. Recognizing that the terms diversity, equity, and inclusion are a vital part of the conversation, we accept that each term requires us to look at the issue from a different lens. This work requires many hands with many skill sets.

The Roadmap addresses the diversity work we value from three vantage perspectives.

  1. Work that addresses the tenet that representation matters
  2. Work that identifies and changes Institutional Practices that restrict access to certain populations or require conformity
  3. Work that supports the creation of a sense of belonging

Our Roadmap to Excellence (RTE) is an effort to examine how DEI initiatives intersect with The Haverford School’s Strategic Plan: Lifelong Learning and Leading. The RTE is designed to show how every lever of our School community can or will engage in creating more space for everyone to flourish. The Roadmap to Excellence is an organically developed reporting tool that was created from feedback and discussion with faculty and staff. Representation matters at Haverford, and while we've done much work, there is still more to be done. See our population data below:

Graphics showing 31% students of color and 16.9% faculty of color
Graphic showing lower school 37% students of color and 17.1 faculty of color
Graphic showing middle school 29% students of color and 25% faculty of color in 21-22
Graphic showing middle school 28% students of color and 12.7% faculty of color in 21-22

The School's central guiding documents, including our Core Virtues, our Principles of Community, and our Essential Qualities of a Haverford School Graduate, serve as the foundation of our Roadmap to Excellence. The Roadmap also supports goals outlined in the Strategic Plan and that support ongoing accreditation work. 

Our Roadmap to Excellence considers the following questions: 

  • How do we teach?
  • How do we create an inclusive environment?
  • How do we do business?
  • How do we represent our values?
  • How do we support the whole boy?

 

  • Perseverance
  • Courage
  • Humility
  • Confidence
  • Selflessness
  • Justice
  • Honor
  • Teamwork

 

  • Loyalty
  • Sharing
  • Honesty
  • Dedication
  • Scholarship
  • Integrity
  • Compassion
  • Respect

 

  • Friendship
  • Character
  • Support
  • Leadership
  • Communication
  • Dependability
  • Initiative 
  • Creativity

The Haverford School is comprised of three divisions with shared diversity goals.  As educators, we understand that there can be a cultural gap in the norms, beliefs, and behaviors between teachers and students.  We also recognize that it is necessary to bridge those gaps by helping teachers understand cultural nuances and personal bias. This means our teachers strive to be empathic and caring, that they are reflective about their beliefs and values regarding people from other cultures, that they are reflective of their own cultural frames and references, that they are knowledgeable about other cultures, and finally that they infuse that information into daily instruction to create a classroom environment that represents and respects all students.

To do this work effectively we commit to enhancing community programming to include more voices, review and revise our curriculum to include diverse authors and stories, and consider diverse viewpoints. The Haverford School is comprised of three divisions. Examples of current culturally-responsive classroom practices and aspirations for each division can be found below.

At The Haverford School we know that boys learn differently, and we also know that difference does not reflect ability.  For this reason we supplement our excellent teaching staff with professionals in information technology and library sciences to ensure that all of our students have access to the tools they need to be successful lifetime learners. To make sure our boys get connected to the appropriate services, there is a Dean of Students in each division who serves as a point of first contact, as well the Enrichment and Learning Center (ELC) and College Counseling personnel who support our boys in various ways. Examples of current practices and aspirations within our student support system can be found below.

As an institution we will examine the way we do business. If we find practices that are less effective or preclude portions of our community, we will recognize the issue and modify our practices so that all members of our community can meaningfully participate in the life of the School.

We strive to support and encourage diverse representation in our communications and activities.

We are mindful of our almost 140-year history, while also making a sincere effort of representing the diversity of our students, our faculty and staff, our families, and our alumni in our publications in an accurate manner.

We recognize that learning and leadership development opportunities occur in and outside of the classroom. Our goal to support the whole boy is embedded in a rich athletic tradition and an academic program that creates space for affinity groups and clubs during the day. In these spaces, boys can develop their identity and learn to collaborate on common goals.