“Just as diversity helps define the shared human experience, inclusion is the systematic process that allows us to use our divergent gifts and capacities to greatest advantage.”                           -- Caroline G. Blackwell

University School has long recognized that diversity alone is indicative of little more than life’s status quo. Why?  Because all individuals and groups are diverse, no matter how homogenous they may appear.  Thus, the singular challenge for a school is not to seek diversity for its own sake, but to recognize and acknowledge the differences and similarities that exist, while building and strengthening the organization to allow individuals and groups to thrive.  Such communities are described as inclusive, and are marked by patterns of decision-making, interaction, communication, and opportunity-sharing that                create equity for all.

Inclusion, like diversity, should not be viewed as an end.  Rather, it is a systems process continually informed by human interaction, including the interplay of cultures.  As an educational paradigm, inclusion can be fostered by teaching skills, disciplines, and sensitivities that develop cultural competence—a life-long process aimed at building capacity to function effectively in cross-cultural situations.  USN’s academic and social curriculum, as well as its professional development and community programs, help students and adults develop and enhance their capacities in essential areas of culture competence including: valuing differences and similarities among all people; cultural skillfulness, (cultural self-awareness and assessment); mindfulness about the dynamics of cultural interactivity; and applying accurate cultural knowledge to enhance interpersonal or intergroup relationships.  Finally, because each individual brings his or her own differences, biases, and beliefs to every human encounter, cultural competence simultaneously dictates awareness of what one does not know about oneself and about others.