Middle School

1. Our curriculum covers many different cultures from around the world.
  • Country Day has weekly Mandarin classes with lessons about Chinese culture and language for 7th and 8th graders.
  • 8th Grade World Geography class focuses on the culture and lives of people around the world.
  • Teachers make a conscious effort to teach about underrepresented groups in American History and English classes.
  • English classes include literature written by authors with diverse backgrounds.
  • Foreign Language classes take a global approach as students learn about French and Spanish speaking countries around the world.
  • The Middle School advisory program focuses on issues such as tolerance and acceptance of different people and groups.
2. Book collections support diversity.
  • Our middle and upper school library collection is extensive, and the librarians are conscious of ordering and displaying multicultural books.
  • Our classrooms have extensive collections as well, and teachers are sensitive to featuring books about other cultures and underrepresented populations.
3. The “Culture of the School” supports diversity.
  • Expectations for inclusion and tolerance are a strong part of the school’s culture and philosophy.
  • The rule from Lower School “You can’t say you can’t play at Country Day” continues through middle school athletics, with a “no-cut” policy for sports teams.
  • The sense of community is strong. Teachers know children across the divisions. Students from preschool to 12th grade know each other and are expected to treat each other with kindness and respect.
  • All students are treated as individuals. Differences are regarded as a normal part of being a person. Our students are accustomed to being treated as individuals in terms of their academics, and this philosophy carries over into cultural differences being accepted as well.
  • We have a welcoming faculty.
  • Country Day has regular whole-faculty diversity workshops.
4. Communication is viewed as key.
  • The “In the Middle” newsletter keeps parents informed about what is going on in the classrooms and specifically what their children are learning. Parents see the details of what is being taught.
  • Teachers are open to parent ideas and concerns.
5. Teachers are sensitive to using “teachable moments” to expand our students’ worldview, if questions or problems arise between students.

6. Admission works very hard to expand our diversity, including socioeconomic diversity as well as ethnic background and culture.

7. While we strive to promote tolerance within our community, a further goal is to celebrate those aspects that make us unique and to convey to our students why these characteristics are beneficial to us all.