Equity and Inclusion

We believe that students in diverse learning environments are more prepared to become knowledgeable, empathetic, and engaged members of an interconnected and dynamic world because they can understand multiple perspectives, appreciate common values and understand and accept cultural differences.

• Our commitment to the diversity of people in our community encompasses every social identifier, including, but not limited to: race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, family composition, and ability. 
• Packer shares and regularly updates data about the racial demographics of our student body on our Fast Facts page. In the 2022-2023 school year we are actively examining and refining our practices for collecting and reporting student demographic data. We use the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) definition for People of Color as those of Asian, Asian Pacific-Islander & South Asian Heritage, Black/African Heritage, First Nations Heritage, Greater Middle Eastern Heritage, Latinx Heritage, and Multiracial Heritage.
• Our commitment to diversity and equity extends to our hiring practices. We aim to build a professional community that, at all levels, mirrors the diversity of our student body. We continually refine our networks and hiring practices to increase inclusion and yield a diverse pool of highly qualified candidates. Packer is an organizer and regular host of the annual NYSAIS Candidates of Color Connect hiring workshops and regularly attends the NYSAIS Job Fair to Promote Diversity.

We seek to ensure that every student can access and participate in the excellent education that Packer offers.

• Packer designates 20% of our operating budget for financial aid, regularly awarding over $11 million in tuition assistance to approximately 30% of our students. This represents one of the largest percentages of a school’s annual operating budget in New York City. Non-tuition financial aid is available to support expenses associated with curricular and co-curricular activities to ensure all students can experience full membership in the Packer community. For more information about our financial aid policies visit our Affording Packer page.
• The Packer Admissions team is committed to increasing access to a Packer education for underrepresented groups through the admissions process. We attend or host a range of admissions fairs and events—including "LGBTQ+ Families Connect" and "Affording an Independent School Education"—and partner with local and community schools and organizations, such as Jack and Jill, Prep for Prep, Oliver Scholars, and the TEAK Fellowship. We actively embrace the ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity of New York City and seek to enroll students and families who represent this diversity, who share Packer’s values of equity, inclusion, and belonging, and who wish to learn from the experiences and perspectives of others.

We know that students who have a strong sense of belonging have better academic outcomes. We aspire for all members of the Packer community to know that they are valued and that their contributions are needed.

Affinity Spaces

Beginning in Kindergarten, Packer offers optional Affinity Spaces for students. Affinity Spaces ensure a vital sense of connection and belonging for students with similar and shared identifiers to discuss their experiences in community. In the younger grades, Affinity Spaces are offered around shared identifiers like race or family composition, and we work with families to respond to students’ needs. Middle and upper school Affinity Spaces span a broad range of identifiers, shaped by student input and led by faculty advisors. 

Events

We regularly hold student-centered events as well as meaningful community events to bring students, families, school professionals, alumni, and neighbors together to share perspectives, find common ground, and build empathy. The flagship of these efforts is our annual school-wide Packer in Action day, which offers students and adults opportunities to examine, discuss, and dismantle inequities in our community and world. Throughout the year speakers, workshops, meet-ups, and other activities build on the work of our Community Engagement Program, Global Learning Program, our Alumni Office, and the Packer Parent Association.  

Restorative Practices

Student violations of our community values are addressed through restorative practices. We believe that accountability for our actions and addressing and repairing harms is an integral part of sustaining our community of care. Restorative practices include consequences and offer students ample opportunity to reflect on their actions, take accountability, repair any harm caused and to change their behavior.

Professional Development and Mentoring

Packer dedicates substantial resources to support regular engagement in professional development opportunities relating to cultural competency and social emotional learning. Packer professionals regularly attend local and national conferences like the NAIS People of Color Conference, NYSAIS Diversity Conference, From Diversity to Community Conference, White Privilege Conference, and Interschool Leadership Institute (see more below). We engage with one another to explore issues of identity, access, and justice, including with affinity and discussion groups such as LGBTQ+ educators, Packer Professionals of Color, and White Anti-Racist Educators, all of which are open to every member of the faculty and staff. 

Packer’s mentoring program provides an introduction for new Packer employees. Mentors empower and support new faculty and staff as they enter and contribute to the school community; provide guidance in navigating school policies, procedures, and cultural nuances; and offer themselves as a confidential sounding board and resource. In addition, faculty in their first year are given the opportunity to join a New-to-Packer Cohort during the Teacher Growth Tuesdays to help support the transition to teaching at Packer.

Packer has long been committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, to increasing access to a Packer education, and to doing the work to ensure that all students feel they belong. A full-time diversity coordinator role first became part of the administration in 2006. Over the years the team has continued to expand in order to support students both inside and outside the classroom and to connect Packer's institutional DEI work with our focus on Health and Wellness, Community Engagement and Global Learning.

During the summer of 2020, in response to the ongoing national reckoning around race, racial violence, and inequity, Packer held conversations with every constituency—students, families, faculty, staff, alumni, and our Board. Through those conversations, it became clear that the school had not been doing enough to ensure the success of our longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

The testimonies of our constituents of color, especially our Black constituents, confirmed that our existing policies, programs, and practices had not done enough to ensure that all Packer students have felt seen, heard, and valued as members of our community.

The Board of Trustees made a commitment in June 2020 to actively create and maintain an explicitly anti-racist culture at Packer. These efforts began with the implementation of an Anti-Racism Action Plan, which guided Packer’s immediate work through the next two school years. During that time, the Board undertook a year-long research and planning process that engaged stakeholders across the school with the aim of creating a framework that would embed the goals of the Action Plan and our ongoing commitment to diversity and equity directly in the school’s mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities.  

The result, Learning Together, provides the blueprint within which Packer will evolve as a school community and an organization. By focusing on three priority areas—Learn, Connect, and Advance—Packer will continue to pursue our vision of creating a diverse community of learners in which each person is valued and challenged.