Fostering the diversity that we believe enables students to grow academically, socially, and individually requires the participation and support of all members of our community. Whether parents, faculty, administrators, or staff, members can expect to receive respect and to extend respect to others. Only when our community functions in a healthy manner can we provide a beneficial environment for our students. Thus, we, as a community, must support efforts to realize and sustain this health. Building on the good work already being done, the Laboratory Schools affirm the following core commitments:
Diversity-Informed Teaching
To sustain a faculty that embraces and employs our diversity vision. To ensure teachers have the knowledge and skills to effectively and appropriately teach about, within, and through diversity, in ways that are relevant to the stages of students’ development.
Experiential Learning
To provide a variety and abundance of resources and occasions to expose students to individual and collective expressions and experiences, including those of people who have been traditionally excluded. To partner with families to enhance school life through their voices and cultures.
Intentional Hiring & Admissions
To maintain a community composition that reflects our diversity vision. To pursue targeted recruitment and retention efforts and adhere to non-discriminatory policies when hiring administration, faculty, and staff [i] and admitting students. [ii]
Strong Sense of Community
To encourage cohesive and inclusive community and workplace dynamics. To monitor our social functioning for obstacles to full participation, to establish an ethos of respect for differences, to reinforce shared values, and to entrust the whole community with guarding diversity and forging community.
Cross-Cultural Skill Development
To cultivate cross-cultural awareness and relational skills in our students, through cultural, communicative ethics and civility education. To increase our students’ understanding of and ability to negotiate the similarities and differences in social structures and corresponding expectations internationally.
Social Responsibility
To promote social responsibility toward the wider community. To help students discern the ways in which people are excluded from society. To provide opportunities for students to expand their social boundaries, build relationships, develop empathy, and serve. To evaluate institutional practice and community behavior, and continue or implement socially responsible practices; e.g., procurement policy. [iii]
Freedom of Individual Expression
To create an environment where students are comfortable to be/become themselves and still feel included. To protect the freedom of students to talk about themselves, their culture, their religion, their politics, their academic arguments, etc. without fear of derision and reprisal. To see the student as their own person, not as a spokesperson for a group.
Appreciation of Individual Potential
To promote appreciation of the human dignity and potential of our students. To hold uniformly high standards, while striving to recognize individual promise, support achievement, and understand learning differences.
Educative Conflict Resolution
To establish a process for conflict resolution that supports inter-personal relational growth and improves community understanding of the pertinent issues. To ensure that guidelines for socially acceptable behavior are clear and enforced fairly.
[i] The University of Chicago offers equal opportunities in employment to all employees and job seekers. No person shall be discriminated against regarding employment because of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity, marital status, national origin, parental status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, source of income, or veteran status. This policy includes the commitment to maintaining a work environment free from unlawful harassment.
[ii] In keeping with its long-standing traditions and policies, the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools consider students for admission on the basis of individual merit and does not discriminate based on race, color religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, disability or any other protected class under the law.
[iii] In keeping with its long-standing tradition and policies, and in compliance with applicable law, the University of Chicago does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national or ethnic origin, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, or other irrelevant factors. In addition, and in compliance with these policies and applicable law, the University of Chicago is committed to providing enhanced opportunities for minority-owned, women-owned, and small business enterprises to participate in the University's procurement process.