On March 26, the entire faculty participated in a Faculty Development Day, a day of themed professional development held before the start of each term. This time, the theme was “Building Inclusive Communities”, hosted by CAMD and the Multicultural Advisory Committee. The school’s Statement of Purpose states that Phillips Academy is committed to offering educational opportunities for “youth from every quarter.” As more students from a large range of different backgrounds come to Phillips Academy, it is important for the administration to thoroughly consider various ways to support a multicultural community. “This Faculty Development Day helped educate and inspire faculty to understand questions such as how different students acclimate to Phillips Academy, how faculty should try to close the adaptation gap, and the need for trusting relationships,” said Linda Griffith, Dean of CAMD and Instructor in English. There are many issues that this generation of students faces which are not always recognized. For example, the immersion into Phillips Academy, which is often a completely different culture and environment than what students are used to, may be difficult. “People from different backgrounds have different needs and views, so instant understanding is not realistic,” said Ms. Griffith. The discussions that take place during the day allow faculty to acknowledge and address these concepts. Faculty Development Day is designed to keep faculty aware of what happens outside the walls of Phillips Academy and deal with the issues addressed in the administration’s Strategic Plan. Over the years, various faculty days have focused on bringing computer technology to the campus, applying writing skills to all areas of the curriculum including math and science, and the constant topic of improving residential life. “Faculty development day is a way of bringing everyone together to hear from experts, since not everyone goes to conferences, and is a common experience for everyone to draw on,” Ms. Griffith said. “No decisions are made, the focus is on professional development… it’s a way to keep us stimulated and keep ourselves in the game.” One of the two invited speakers was Pedro Noguera, a professor in the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University and author. He discussed the research of his most recent book, “Unfinished Business: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in Our Schools”, which addresses the “achievement gap” commonly found in diverse student bodies and how a school community can deal with the contributing factors of this issue. For Aya Murata, Advisor to Asian and Asian American Students and Pine Knoll Cluster Dean, the speakers were an energizing and inspiring way to start off the term. “[Noguera] made a lot of practical points which people could ponder and make use of,” she said. The discussed topics included content knowledge, varying teaching style, and building relationships with students. The concluding speaker of the day was Matt Kelly, who is said to be recognized as “the young voice of America’s mixed race movement” on the MAVIN Foundation’s website, the nonprofit organization he founded advocating for mixed heritage people and families. Kelly also met with Phillips Academy students the following day. Ms. Murata said, “It’s great that we could bring someone to speak about often overlooked topics such as supporting mixed-heritage students especially since this particular constituency is growing larger each year. It’s an opportunity to allow people to hear about what their experience is like.” Susan Friedell, Instructor in Spanish, also felt that the speakers were interesting and stimulated notable discussions. “The messages they communicated were really provocative to us as a school… especially since Phillips Academy strives to attract kids who would thrive in the school’s environment, but may not have the opportunity to,” she said. The opinion of Faculty Development Days varied among faculty members. “I think [faculty development day] was reasonably effective if not particularly focused on anything we deal with on a day-to-day basis… multicultural development is very important, but it’s also a broad topic,” said Michael McHugh, Instructor in Math. “It’s important to keep parts of the day in the forefront of our minds, and hope that it doesn’t get lost in the craziness of the term,” Ms. Murata said.
