We encourage every member of our community - students, families, employees, alumni, and board members - to actively participate in both personal and institutional reflection and action that advances DEIB. This engagement takes various forms and is vital to our progress.

Our remarkably well-resourced Indexed Tuition program makes the opportunity of a Thaden education accessible to a wide range of families in Northwest Arkansas and beyond. As a result, we have attracted a highly diverse student body that represents 19 cities and towns in the region. More than 30 percent of our students also identify as people of color.

As part of our all-inclusive Indexed Tuition program, we offer a number of special trips that expand students' horizons at no additional cost to their families. Three are especially well-aligned with our DEIB goals and aspirations.

• All students in Grade 8 culminate the academic year with a week-long Civil Rights Trip to historical and cultural destinations in Little Rock, Memphis, Selma, and Montgomery.
• Six Upper School students get to attend the annual NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference(SDLC). SDLC is a multiracial, multicultural gathering of student leaders from eligible independent high schools across the U.S. and abroad. During the conference students focus on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community. Students who attend the conference share their experience and knowledge with our School community. Beginning in 2023-24 academic year, Thaden students hosted the first Student Diversity Leadership Summit for high school students in Northwest Arkansas. After a successful summit, students plan to make this an annual event to expand the diversity and leadership opportunities for students in the region. 
• All students in Grade 11 travel in small groups with faculty mentors to visit a mix of colleges and universities that will inspire and enable them to think expansively and boldly about the opportunities waiting for them after Thaden. The early impact of this program is evident in the fact that the 113 alumni in our first four graduating classes how now enrolled at more than 60 different colleges and universities in 26 states spread evenly across the nation and two foreign countries.

In keeping with our mission as a school that provides a “balanced and challenging education,” our curriculum is designed to be culturally responsive, inclusive, and anti-racist so that students can learn to explore complex issues and questions from many perspectives. Our standards-based grading system is similarly designed to create a learning environment in which students from many backgrounds have equal and abundant opportunities to cultivate their potential and achieve academic success under the mentorship of teachers who are committed to creating equitable learning environments, inside and outside of their classrooms.

 We invest in the ongoing professional development of our educators to cultivate anti-racist teaching practices. Since its founding, Thaden School had actively and consistently participated in a variety of DEIB initiatives such as the National SEED Project, the NAIS People of Color Conference, and the Student Diversity Leadership Conference. In addition, we offer PD funding for faculty so that they might pursue summer opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge base as culturally responsive educators, while our regularly scheduled In-Service programs for faculty often focus on these areas.

This webpage serves as a dynamic space to curate resources and facilitate conversations surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We encourage you to check back frequently for updates and share your suggestions with our communications team.

 The leadership at Thaden School does not hesitate to recognize local and national issues that weigh heavily on our school community, especially issues that go to the heart of educational mission and DEIB initiatives. Here, for example, are school-wide communications in response to Black Lives Matter demonstrations, LGBTQ+ legislation, and recent debates regarding Critical Race Theory. 

We invite you to join us in this crucial work of fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our community and beyond. Here are some ways you can get involved:

• Attend DEIB Events: Keep an eye on our calendar for DEIB-related events and workshops that you can participate in.

• Support Our Efforts: Your contributions can make a significant impact on our DEIB initiatives.

• Educate Yourself: Continue your own journey toward understanding and promoting DEIB principles. Read, learn, and engage in conversations about these topics. Recommendations for further reading and study are available to families through our Portal Resouce Board.

Together, we are actively shaping a more just and inclusive future for our students, our community, and society as a whole.