2024 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference

2024 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference

October 23 & 24, 2024
Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center
1657 Worcester Rd
Framingham, MA 01701

Educators and school leaders have the enormous potential to generate change. Schools are centers of the community, nurturing spaces for young minds, and centers of thought leadership and knowledge. Through the close relationships your stakeholders hold with families, schools are positioned to supply the ‘unity’ in ‘community’ and lead efforts to ensure a sense of belonging for everyone. 

Come to AISNE’s annual event centered on the work of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. It is work that runs across all aspects of a school’s operations—from student life to the business office, from academics to human resources. Bring all members of your school staff and faculty to this 2-day event and make intentional time to enrich your practice with new ideas and connections. You will come away with best practices for making actionable change within your community, and a renewed commitment for building learning environments for every student.

Pricing

Number of Attendees AISNE Member Schools Non-Member School
Early Bird
(through 8/30 only)		 $469 $569
1 – 3 $569 $669
 4 – 9 $509 $609
 10 – 19 $459 $559
 20+ $429 $529

 

REGISTER HERE

We strive to create an inclusive learning environment for all. If you have any questions or accessibility needs, please contact us at info@aisne.org.

Hotel

We encourage you to stay on site to maximize the community feel of the event and fully experience the program. AISNE has a contracted room block with the Sheraton Framingham.

Rooms are $199/nt + tax. 

Book Your Hotel Room

Agenda at a Glance

Wednesday, October 23 

  • 8:30 – 9:30 AM | Registration, Networking, and Ask an Expert
  • 9:30 – 10:30 AM | Equity Forward Think Tanks by Role
  • 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Opening Keynote: Liz Kleinrock
  • 12:00 – 1:30 PM | Lunch & The Story Bridge Performance
  • 1:30 – 2:00 PM | Book Signings: Jennifer De Leon and Liz Kleinrock
  • 2:00 – 3:15 PM | Topic Sessions
  • 3:30 – 4:45 PM | BIPOC Affinity Space
  • 3:30 – 4:45 PM | White Allies Workshop
  • 3:30 – 4:45 PM | Ask an Expert
  • 5:30 – 7:30 PM | Dine-on-Your Own
  • 8:00 – 9:30 PM | Community Celebration: ¡Salsa y Sangría!

Thursday, October 24 

  • 8:00 – 9:00 AM | Breakfast 
  • 8:00 – 9:00 AM | LGBTQIA+ Community Breakfast 
  • 9:00 – 10:15 AM | Keynote: Britt Hawthorne & Tiffany Jewell
  • 10:30 – 11:45 AM | Topic Sessions 
  • 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM | Lunch
  • 1:00 – 2:15 PM | Topic Sessions
  • 2:30 – 3:45 PM | Closing Keynote & Closing Reflections

REGISTER HERE

General Sessions

A photograph of Liz Kleinrock. She is wearing a black t-shirt with the words Phenomenally Asian on it.Wednesday, October 23 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Liz Kleinrock | Start Here, Start Now: A Discussion about Equity-Forward Practices

Join moderator Liz Kleinrock and a panel of esteemed AISNE community members for an insightful discussion on fostering inclusive futures within educational institutions. This engaging session will spotlight concrete examples, practical tools, and real-life experiences of implementing equity-forward practices on campuses. From innovative strategies to actionable insights, participants will gain valuable knowledge and inspiration to navigate the journey towards greater equity and inclusivity in their own educational settings. 

Liz Kleinrock (she/her) is an award winning educator and best selling author, as well as a Korean-American transracial adoptee, queer, Jewish woman. In 2018, Liz received the Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Teaching, and in 2019 delivered her TED Talk, How to Teach Kids to Talk about Taboo Topics. In the spring of 2021, Liz released her first book, Start Here, Start Now: A Guide to Antibias and Antiracist Work in Your School Community with Heinemann Publishing, and is excited to share the publication of four children’s books with HarperCollins. Liz was named one of Top 100 Influential Jews 2022 and 2023 by The Tel Aviv Institute. She currently works as Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Lowell School in Washington, DC, a Pre-K – 8 school, and resides in the District with her partner, cat, and two bunnies.

Thursday, October 24 | 9:00 – 10:15 AM
Britt Hawthorne & Tiffany Jewell | Chart Your Course: Anti-Bias and Anti-Racist Journeys

This interactive session is dedicated to empowering you with the tools and knowledge you need to cultivate anti-racist classrooms and communities. Through storytelling, reflection, and practical strategies, you will explore integrating anti-racist principles into your teaching and school leadership practice to foster equity and belonging for all students. Embark on a transformative journey with Britt and Tiffany as they lead a dynamic conversation on navigating anti-bias and anti-racist practices. Discover practical strategies and insightful perspectives for teaching and working through an anti-racist lens. Britt and Tiffany are passionate about empowering administrators and educators to create inclusive, authentic communities where every individual is seen and valued. Join us as we chart a course towards a more equitable and just educational landscape. 

Britt Hawthorne (they/she) is the author of the New York Times Bestseller Raising Antiracist Children: A Practical Parenting Guide. Britt is also an antiracist educator, teacher, speaker, visionary, and advocate committed to raising a generation of antiracist children by fostering equitable learning environments for students and children of all ages and backgrounds. Compassionate and challenging, Britt’s voice continues to be sought-after for training and workshops at schools and universities across the nation. Her work has been recognized by PBS, the National Education Association, Drew Barrymore, Google Edu, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Rice University, the Association Montessori Internationale, and countless more. Britt has traveled extensively to speak at conferences, authored publications, and appeared on podcasts covering social justice, liberation, and equity in education. And, she keeps the conversation moving forward.

Tiffany Jewell is a Black biracial writer, twin sister, first-generation American, cisgender mama, anti-bias antiracist (ABAR) educator, and consultant. She is the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, This Book Is Anti-Racist, a book for young folks and everyone to wake up, take action, and do the work of becoming antiracist as well as The Antiracist Kid: A Book About Identity, Justice, and Activism, and the recently released Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School. Tiffany has been working with children and families for nearly two decades and worked as a Montessori educator for fifteen years. She enjoys working with educators and supporting them building strong, authentic communities in which every child can be seen and valued. Tiffany is the co-founder, alongside Britt Hawthorne, of ABARatSchool, an organization that strives to support educators and caregivers in their anti-bias antiracist journeys. She also served as the president of the founding board of the national organization, Montessori for Social Justice. Tiffany lives on the homeland of the Pocumtuc and the Nipmuck with her two young storytellers, husband, and a turtle she’s had since she was nine years old.

Thursday, October 24 | 2:30 – 3:45 PM
Jason Craige Harris | The Election: Preparing to Respond to the Outcome

Election outcomes generate intense emotional responses. Those responses have indicated just how passionately people feel about politics and ethics––and just how much they believe is at stake. Students are deeply influenced by the expressions of concern by adults and have their own concerns. They, too, get caught up in the whirlwind of discourse taking place in the media and the people they encounter in their lives. No matter the outcome of the upcoming presidential election, schools need to be ready to care for their students and adults. This keynote session does not adopt a political view. Instead, participants will be invited to explore practices of community care-taking after major external shifts that nevertheless can impact the interior life of a school. We will explore how to make sense of the emotionality of the moment and a framework for understanding how identity intersects with the experience of anxiety and upheaval. You will come away with practices for interpersonal care and support in challenging moments and communal practices of care that can be brought to scale.

Jason Craige Harris is a voice for healing, transformation, and the power of storytelling. He brings together insights from diverse fields as a facilitator, conflict mediator, leadership coach, and spiritual teacher. He works in a variety of contexts, with a range of constituents, and across industries to promote cultures of dignity, belonging, and repair. He regularly advises leaders on how to solve big challenges, manage complex crises, and pursue lasting change. As a researcher, educator, and strategist, Jason holds expertise in organizational development; dignity and belonging; dialogue and group dynamics; the psychology of identity and leadership; and conflict transformation and restorative justice. In all of his work, Jason draws on a deep well of research, practice, and mindfulness to transform leaders, teams, and organizational cultures. Jason is a member of the speakers bureau at Pollyanna, a national organization working to promote racial literacy and cultural competency. He writes on issues pertaining to leadership, culture, conflict, abuse, repair, and religion/spirituality. Jason is also the Social Impact Producer for a documentary with Impactful, Race to Be Human, that explores how to talk about race and mental health. Previously, Jason was the director of diversity and inclusion at a NYC independent school, where he co-led the school’s peace, equity, and justice department and taught courses at the intersection of ethics, history, and religion. Jason sits on the boards of Seeds of Peace, Hidden Water, and Getting to We.

Agenda

Wednesday, October 23

8:30 – 9:30 AM | Registration, Networking, and Ask an Expert
Start the day by meeting with subject experts on a variety of DEIB topics, from racial justice to neurodiversity. Shop for the latest titles at the Wellesley Books pop-up shop, and chat with your fellow attendees before the program begins.

9:30 – 10:30 AM | Equity Forward Think Tanks by Role
We start by focusing on the concept of equity in our schools. In small facilitated groups, you and your peers will discuss the current landscape of equity work, including its purpose and future as a cornerstone for your work. Groups will include:

  • Faculty, grouped by ages taught
  • Heads of School and Assistant Heads
  • Board Chairs and Trustees
  • Academic Deans, Department Chairs, and Division Heads
  • Wellness & Athletics practitioners
  • Admissions & Enrollment and Marketing & Communications staff,
  • Advancement and Business & Operations leaders
  • College Counselors and Student Life/Support roles  

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Opening Keynote: Liz Kleinrock
See above.

12:00 – 1:30 PM | Lunch & The Story Bridge Performance
The Story Bridge is a unique program centered on building connection and bridging divides. By listening to one another, we can move past clashing viewpoints and identities. You’ll hear the unique stories of fellow independent school educators and administrators during this empowering, community-affirming presentation. 

2:00 – 3:15 PM | Topic Sessions: Toolkit Building

Embracing Neurodiversity

Presented by: Brandon Boston and Tanya Lynch | Co-Founders, Boston Group
The landscape of education, and the the makeup of our classrooms and schools, is ever-evolving. Students come to us with varying levels of abilities in all aspects of academic and non-academic endeavors. As we become more aware of the neurodiversity of our population, general education teachers have a responsibility to meet the needs of all of the learners in their classrooms. In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to step inside the shoes of a student who has challenges with reading/listening comprehension, written expression, attention and executive function; experiencing firsthand, the daily struggles that many learners face. By developing this empathy and understanding, school leaders and educators will leave this workshop with very specific and actionable strategies to support students with diverse learning needs.

Onboard Your Board: How and Why to Engage in Equity and Inclusion Work with Your Board

Presented by: Martha Haakmat (she/her) | Executive Director, Haakmat Consulting
Designed for anyone who interfaces with their school’s Board of Directors and Board Trustees themselves. This interactive session invites you to explore strategies for effectively involving your board in meaningful equity and inclusion initiatives. You will learn practical approaches to fostering board member commitment and collaboration, ensuring that these crucial efforts are embedded in the leadership and governance of your institution. Leave with actionable insights and tools to drive transformative change through board engagement. We will dive into real-world examples of successful board engagement in equity initiatives from around the independent school world.

Circle: A New/Old Way of Forging Lasting Human Connections

Presented by: Jason Craige Harris (he/him) | Mediator, Facilitator, Educator at Pollyanna 
Schools suffer from fraying social relationships. Overlapping social crises and a global pandemic have deepened fractures in school communities. Yet our ability to relate to one another—student to student, employee to student, employee to employee, and all to families—is integral to the project of creating schools as sites of belonging. Schools need practical tools to proactively build positive relationships of care and dignity and to address conflict and harm when they occur. In this session, participants will learn about the practice of Peacemaking Circles, an indigenous-inspired dialogue format, and how to use it in schools to build and repair relationships.

Leading Empowering Meetings for Amplifying Agency and Voice

Presented by: Indu Singh (she/her) | Educational Consultant & Leadership Coach, Member, AISNE Board of Directors
Rethink adult meeting spaces as mechanisms for inclusion, growth, collaboration, and culture-building. This workshop will explore meeting protocols that cultivate deeper collaboration and actionable outcomes across a range of meeting constituents, from faculty to senior leadership teams—offering alternatives to open-ended discourse that often privileges individual voices. You will reflect on current practices, learn about effective meeting protocols, and design inclusive meeting structures tailored to your adult learners’ needs.

More topic sessions coming soon. 

3:30 – 4:45 PM | Racial Affinity Spaces & Ask an Expert
During this time, speak to our topic experts, be in community with your peers, or focus on your capacity for allyship. 

Better Together: BIPOC Power through Connection

Facilitated by Martha Haakmat (she/her) | Executive Director, Haakmat Consulting
There is much to be hopeful about as the equity pendulum swings powerfully by the force of our collective work and action. In this session, all attendees who identify as BIPOC are invited to celebrate connection with new colleagues and longtime friends, explore where we are in terms of our expertise and positioning in our roles, and practice engaging with resistance in ways that preserve our joy and integrity. This space is intended exclusively for those who self-identify as BIPOC.

The Journey to White Allyship in Divisive Times

Facilitated by Kelly Bird (she/her) | President, Making Space
Self-reflection is critical for white people to identify how racism is showing up inside us and around us in our daily lives. Understanding the power and privilege of Whiteness within the context of our multifaceted identities is an important step in becoming white anti-racist allies for one another and BIPOC people. In this divisive election season, clarity about our positionality, our values, and our school’s mission is essential as we call people in to create communities of civil discourse and belonging.

5:30 – 7:30 PM | Dine-on-Your Own


8:00 – 9:30 PM | Community Celebration: ¡Salsa y Sangría!
Come have fun, enjoy refreshments, and learn some new moves at this active dance mixer, hosted by Rodney Eric Lopez. Rodney is an accomplished dance instructor and performer and was the director of the Salsa Program at Dance Manhattan, one of New York’s finest social dance studios. Today, he provides coaching and consulting services in the areas of arts education, fundraising and development, and nonprofit leadership. All attendees are welcome to join the fun!

Thursday, October 24

8:00 – 9:00 AM | Networking Breakfast
Gather in our ballroom for a great way to start the day. Make new friends and deepen existing peer connection. 

8:00 – 9:00 AM | LGBTQIA+ Community Breakfast
This joyous breakfast serves as an affinity space for our attendees in the queer community. Led by AISNE members from area schools, and welcoming several of our queer-identifying conference speakers, this is a time to let your hair down, meet new people, and start the day with laughter and light. 

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Morning Keynote: Britt Hawthorne and Tiffany Jewell
See above.

10:30 – 11:45 AM | Topic Sessions

Bridge to Belonging: Nurturing Transracial Adoptees in School Communities

Presented by: Brad Belin, Assistant Head of School for Curriculum + Program at Glen Urquhart School | John Bower, Head of Middle School at The Rivers School | Tina Fox, Lower Division Head at The Park School
Join us for a panel discussion with adult transracial adoptees (“TRAs”) from independent schools. You will hear personal narratives from the panelists’ own educational experiences and continued work and learn how to best support TRA students and families. We will focus on how to make these students’ experiences in our schools and communities as inclusive as possible. In addition to sharing their origin stories, and experiences of working in schools as TRAs, panelists will provide time for questions and answers.

How You Can Make Time for “The Work”

Presented by: Dennis Canty, Dean of Students, Equity, and Campus Life & Raquel Majeski, Associate Head of School | Lawrence Academy
Are you struggling to find the time to do intentional DEIBJ training with your adult community? In this session, you will hear how Lawrence Academy found the time and resources for impactful training for staff and faculty. You will learn how to develop a scope and sequence for these adult learners in your school and foster a their professional growth around equity and inclusion. Come away with an examples of how to create space in the school day for this work.

Changing Our World One Authentic Self at a Time: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families

Presented by: Linda Donnelly, Director of Curriculum and Instruction at The Common School | Peggy Gillespie, Co-Founder and Director of Family Diversity Projects
Diverse gender identities present themselves in students and families at every age. In an age where trans and non-binary identities are under attack, it is critical for schools to be affirming and supportive spaces for all students. The Authentic Selves project, a photo and text exhibit showcasing and celebrating gender identities at all ages, was one way that The Common School (Amherst, MA) worked toward the vision of honoring each child’s true self. Come hear how you can talk about gender identities in age appropriate ways from Pre-K – 12 grade using the Authentic Selves exhibit and book as a focus of curriculum development. We will share successes, struggles, and missteps as we work to expand children’s understanding of gender identities and gender expression. There will be time to work in small groups to swap resources and share what is and is not working in your school. 

Demystifying Microaggressions

Presented by: Alex Locust (he/she/they) | Disability Justice Educator, Activist, and Glamputee
Let’s pull back the veil on the complex phenomenon of microaggressions, particularly as the occur in the creation of inclusive communities. Come away empowered to begin engaging in your respective communities in these challenging, yet important dialogues. You will leave with an increased awareness of respectful language and behavior, as well as strategies to promote environments where community members can be open and engaged to encountering differences across cultural experiences.

The Neuroscience of Hate

Presented by: Milyna Phillips, Owner, and Jini Rae Sparkman, Sr. Consultant, at Phillips Collaborative
For the past several decades, there has been continuous studies of our brains–many of which have informed disability policy, learning strategies, understanding biases, and developmental models. Alongside this has also been another thread that seems to be an imperative in our contemporary understandings of sociological and educational relationships—hate. We may not like the word. It may feel charged to us. Hate is showing up in the very way that our brains develop, in behavior and actions. Come to this session to familiarize yourself with the neuroscience and research around hate and ideological development. You will uncover the ways that hate leaves others vulnerable to forces beyond their control and strategies for applying this knowledge to your work back at school.

More topic sessions coming soon. 

11:45 AM – 12:45 PM | Lunch & Book Signings
Keynote speakers Britt Hawthorne and Tiffany Jewell will sign copies of their books, as will speaker Liza Talusan. At our all-attendee lunch, you will hear more personal narratives from your fellow AISNE members. 

1:00 – 2:15 PM | Topic Session
More topic sessions coming soon. 

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Closing Keynote: Jason Craige Harris (he/him/his)
See above.

Planning Committee

AISNE would like to extend its gratitude to our 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference Planning Committee Members:

Join Your Peers!

Join DEIB leaders, staff, and faculty from your fellow independent Pre-K – 12 schools, including:

  • Apple Orchard School
  • Austin Preparatory School
  • Brooks School
  • Commonwealth School
  • Derby Academy
  • Fay School
  • Fayerweather Street School
  • Friends Academy
  • Kents Hill School
  • Phillips Academy
  • The Rivers School
  • Shady Hill School
  • Shore Country Day School
  • The Wheeler School
  • The Woodward School for Girls

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations and transfer requests must be sent via email to info@aisne.org. Cancellations received up to 10 days before the start of the event will receive a 100% refund, less a $150 administrative fee. This fee covers the cost of our minimum commitments with our hotel partners; thank you for your understanding. Transfers of registrations from one person to another are permitted up to 3 business days before the start of the event.

Note: During the Early Bird discount period (through August 30,2024) you may purchase tickets without registering an attendee. You will be asked to name the attendees at a later date. These unnamed tickets are non-refundable.

Not an AISNE Member?

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Join today or renew your membership.