DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION 

To fulfill our mission to develop creative thinkers and leaders who take a leadership role in the community, the ASA Board of Directors is committed to providing an equitable learning and teaching environment that celebrates the diversity of our students, teachers, staff, and families.

ARIZONA SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS EQUITY STATEMENT 

We believe “the arts enlarge the field of freedom”*. Our continuing work at Arizona School for the Arts is to acknowledge and reject oppression in all its forms so that every student has full access to education that nurtures the development of their authentic selves. This work is dependent on every community member feeling safe, especially when learning, teaching, and creating.

How do we make this happen?

  • Recognize what it means to be interconnected.
  • Act in ways that reduce or remove harm to others.
  • Share resources, time, and opportunities, and act for the benefit of others.
  • Acknowledge when we make mistakes and welcome dialogue recognizing that feedback builds understanding and moves us toward change.
  • Honor each learner’s unique culture and learning process in arts and academic spaces.
  • Recognize that the world pushes minoritized voices to the margins and seek to create pathways for those who have been pushed to the margins to be “drawn to the center”.

*Reflections on Freedom and Art” by W. H. Auden is reprinted in the UNESCO Courier by permission of the Estate of W. H. Auden. Reflections on freedom and art.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

HAGA CLIC EN LA IMAGEN PARA AGRANDAR

 

HAGA CLIC EN LA IMAGEN PARA AGRANDAR

At the June 2020 strategic planning retreat, the Board and School Leadership engaged stakeholders (faculty, staff, students, and parents) in an extensive discussion where we affirmed our values and commitment to equity that will be reflected in the ASA Strategic Plan, a three-year guidance document that begins in Fall 2020. The Board will prioritize equity issues, to include the following:

ASA Commitments
  1. Provide professional development through training in self-awareness and equitable practices for all Faculty, Staff, School Leadership, and Board of Directors.
  2. Conduct a comprehensive, third party, review of policies and procedures.
  3. Review curriculum and instruction through an equity lens and make appropriate revisions.
  4. Increase the diversity of faculty and staff.
  5. Maintain transparent communication about commitments, revised policies and practices, and progress/accountability.
  6. Include diverse student voices at all levels of the organization.
Action Steps
  1. Provide trainings for Faculty/Staff/Board/School Leadership to build an understanding of racist structures and to respond to student concerns and experiences with compassion, empathy, and anti-racist/culturally responsive actions (2020-2023).
  2. Engage outside evaluation of ASA policies, procedures, processes, and recommend changes to make these more equitable (2020-2021).
  3. Create bilingual resources for all policies, procedures, communications, etc (2020 and ongoing).
  4. Continue to deliver high quality academic and performing arts curricula and instruction that is core to our mission and values.
  5. Conduct a review of the academic and performing arts curriculum through the lenses of anti-racism and equity and ensure we deliver a curriculum reflective of our values and diverse community.
  6. Revise the interview process for hiring faculty and staff to include questions related to ASA’s commitments to equity (2020-2021).
  7. Identify and support strategic partnerships and collaborations to create more diversity among teaching candidates.
  8. Create an equity statement to be added to the employee handbook (May 2020).
  9. Identify and support strategic partnerships and collaborations that will enhance a diverse educational experience for our students (2020 and ongoing).
Communication and Accountability
  1. Create a transparent communication framework for all stakeholders (students, families, faculty, staff, surrounding community) about revised equity policies and procedures including opportunities for discussion and feedback (August 2020 and ongoing).
  2. Create Honorary Student Board Member positions to invite greater inclusion of student perspectives in policy and equity discussions and decisions (establish in 2020-2021 then ongoing).

Pulse aquí para leer en español los Compromisos de ASA con la Equidad.

  • Monica Sauer Anthony, Dean of Arts
  • Lucille Berk, 6th Grade Life Skills
  • Veronica Cons, Social Worker
  • Leah Fregulia, Head of School
  • Liz Guzman, Percussion Specialist
  • Alex Laing, ASA Board Member
  • Teresa Layden, 12th Grade English
  • Byron Miles, 9th Grade French and Spanish
  • Amalia Nevarez, 12th Grade Student
  • Emma Popish, Dean of Academics
  • Melissa Rex, Production Manager and Theatre Design and Production Specialist
  • Nonnie Shivers, Parent
  • Liz Sparks, 8th Grade Social Studies
  • Emma Wisehart, 9th Grade Science
  • Madeline Yang, 12th Grade Student