Diversity and Inclusion

Our work in diversity and inclusion is a shared responsibility by everyone in our community. We believe cultural competency is a requirement for every administrator, faculty, and staff member, and our diversity and inclusion work is reflected throughout our USM guiding principles.

University School of Milwaukee believes that, in order to develop students as learners, leaders, and citizens, we must foster an inclusive community for students, their families, and our administration, faculty, and staff. USM embraces diversity in all of these various forms, including race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, sexual orientation, ability, gender, and age.

USM Guiding Principles

To learn more about our guiding principles, please visit our mission and values page.

Community

A young boy smiles with his mom after having his face painted at a school carnival.

As a part of our diversity and inclusion work, building community and authentic relationships in our school community is imperative. Belonging is at the core. We intentionally create meaningful connections by engaging in strategic, targeted, and ongoing professional development. We also commit to the tenets of belonging through acclimation programming for new families through an annual new family carnival.

Inclusion

Preschool students smile for a photo while on a field trip to the beach.

Recognition of, and respect for, diverse backgrounds and experiences is fundamental to building a learning community where students learn to think broadly, critically, and independently. We strive to ensure that the uniqueness of every individual is welcomed and celebrated. We believe all members of this community should feel empowered as they live and work equitably together. The intention of our diversity and inclusion work is to create well-prepared students that will become leaders in our diverse world.

Students and Faculty

Our faculty is committed to ongoing, targeted diversity and inclusion professional development. Our adult learning experiences will be applied in a developmentally appropriate manner to our practices in the classroom, which will help students become independent life-long learners, who are able to make personal and meaningful academic, social, and personal connections.

Curriculum and Instruction

A teacher wears a JEDI shirt during a pep rally.

It is our responsibility to teach students how to think critically, and this can be accomplished through our commitment to enriching our diversity and inclusion pedagogy and curriculum through both local and global connections in an effort to prepare and inspire students to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is incorporated to help develop empathy and real-world events into our school community.