Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Our Commitment

La Scuola is Open to the World. We recognize that the diversity of learners in the classroom enhances learning and creates global citizens.

La Scuola is a community where diverse points of view and experiences are honored and serve to create global citizens who are learners, creators, and innovators. Diverse experiences are  fundamental in shaping a global point of view and an appreciation of others. By emphasizing equity  and belonging, our aim is to foster a community where the multiple voices that make up our students, staff, families, and friends, feel empowered to show up as their authentic selves, creating a shared culture from our rich, diverse backgrounds and identities. By celebrating diversity, our students become keenly aware of the world around them, their place in it, and the wisdom of practicing empathy and honoring the experiences of each individual.

La Scuola is proud to partner with the SMART (Schools, Mentoring and Resource Team Inc.) program.  SMART families are in the lowest income quartile in San Francisco and more than 97% of SMART students will be the first in their family to graduate from college.  Our partnership with this incredible organization includes giving these families access to the opportunities that a La Scuola education provides.  We were thrilled to accept four SMART students this year!

Read our Full Statement

Guiding Principles

•  Recognizing that diversity enhances learning;
•  Recognizing that diversity  leads to an innovative community;
•  Cultivating a culture of inclusion and belonging through practices of equity;
•  Honoring the many diverse characteristics, beliefs, and affirmations represented by La Scuola students, faculty, staff, administration, board members, alumni, families, volunteers, donors, and visitors;   
• Promoting a commitment to lifelong learning as a means to instilling empathy and open-mindedness;
• Recognizing that diversity is not only representational identities, but also expands to include self-reported personal experiences, choices, and activities which create a distinctive lens to develop and inform a particular worldview.
   

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Values

We value our rich diversity as it directly contributes to La Scuola’s excellence and enhances school life for both individuals and groups. We take pride in unique achievements, celebrate our differences, and encourage each other to express and apply our creative talents through collaborative endeavors. We believe, in the words of Loris Malaguzzi, that children - and all people - have one hundred different languages with which they can share and communicate their thinking, their way of making sense of the world around them, their way of expressing themselves. We value and believe in the potential of each individual and endeavor to foster the discovery and application of their 100 languages for the wellness of our local and global community.

We reject all acts of discrimination, including, but not limited to those based on race, ethnicity, country of origin, gender, age, physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, religion, political beliefs, class, income level, family structures, veteran status, and learning styles.

We affirm the right of freedom of expression, to communicate in a courteous, sensitive, and respectful manner.

We embrace high standards of civility and decency in seeking to create for all members of our community an equitable, inclusive, secure, responsive, and affirming environment that fosters mutual respect, empathy, and trust.

We strive to establish systems that will address the needs of the one and the many.

Diversity by the Numbers

Ethnicity/Race

32% - Families that identify as non-white
34% - Students of color
35% - Faculty and Staff of color

Affordability

30% - Families participating in Sliding Scale Tuition

Languages

34 - Languages spoken by La Scuola families
17 - Languages spoken by La Scuola faculty and staff

17% - Families that have at least one Italian speaker at home
83% - Families that do not have at least one Italian speaker at home

Sexual Orientation

3% of students are from LGBTQ families

Geography

39 zip codes represented

Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum

In 2019, La Scuola implemented the Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum. Our DEIB Director works closely with our Kindergarten through Grade 8 teachers to implement curricula geared towards enhancing student awareness of their own racial socialization and empowering them with the skills necessary for engaging in productive conversations about race and racism in today’s world.

We believe that racial literacy is an essential skill set to develop and will serve as a critical tool in helping our brave learners shape the future towards a more equitable world for all. The Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum provides both an accurate telling of US History that includes the complex history of racism as well as stories of White folks and people of color who were racially literate and fighting for equality. It takes an honest and optimistic approach and its lessons provide both “mirrors,” a way to see ourselves reflected in the classroom, and “windows,” the opportunity to better understand and connect with others and their experiences.

Resources available to learn more about the curriculum:

Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum