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BIG Questions Institute Update

March 19, 2025, No. 182 (Read online)​

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It’s Not DEI. It’s Not Belonging.
It’s School in the Year 2025.

Through mission-focused leadership schools can navigate complexity and uncertainty with clarity for what’s most important for kids and their learning.

Last week the Wall Street Journal published an Opinion piece titled DEI and the State Department: Subsidized international schools try to evade the Trump-Rubio ban on racially divisive pedagogy, by a young writer who made a name as a Cornell University student who defended Donald Trump on Fox and Friends during his first term.

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The Opinion piece critiques the Office of Overseas Schools (OOS) whose Mission is:

Among the facts the writer does not mention is that in compliance with the current Administration’s Executive Order 14173 titled Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, schools affiliated with the US State Department have received notice that: “In order to award Federal Assistance Grant monies, we must receive certification that your organization is complying in all respects with applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws and are not operating programs promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
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School leaders, whose greatest charge is to protect every child at their school and ensure their learning environments, among an array of responsibilities from balancing budgets to recruiting teachers amidst a global shortage, to staying up-to-date on the latest in brain science, discipline, grading, universities, supply chains, demanding parents, and more, are now charged to figure out what it means to comply with anti-discrimination laws and simultaneously not be “promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
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Figuring out how to thread this compliance needle in no way implies that “schools rename DEI programs to conceal their purpose,” that they are hiding anything, using belonging as a “DEI” bait-and-switch, or rebranding a political agenda, as the opinion piece claims is taking place.

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To begin clarifying, it’s important to know what the Executive Order (EO) says, and what characterizations like that of the Opinion piece mean by the letters “DEI.” The language of the EO describes the use of “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI)” and “diminishing the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination.” … “Hardworking Americans who deserve a shot at the American Dream should not be stigmatized, demeaned, or shut out of opportunities because of their race or sex.” ​
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Ironically, where the Opinion piece cites individuals, it only calls out Black consultants to international schools; while there are many, many others serving the schools around some of the similar competencies those respected consultants are hired for. These call-outs reflect exactly what the article and EO’s criticize.
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Amidst increasing confusion, which pieces like that in the Wall Street Journal and EO will foment, and during a period where misinformation/disinformation and societal polarization rank among our greatest global risks, my intent here is to offer some guideposts to support school leaders and their communities, with the following 10 Principles.
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10 Principles For Education Leaders When Belonging Is Attacked

1. Schools must live their missions, and the mission must be clearly stated. Every action they take must connect back to living their mission. This offers clarity, a North Star that all can orient toward. Missions usually involve some aspirational statement of principle and values - the human side of school - at the heart of the school’s reason for being. If your work is questioned or specific words are attacked, honestly return to the spirit of your mission to determine the most effective way to live the mission with fidelity.
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2. Strive for moral and message clarity - without the acronyms. If you’re somewhere where acronyms like DEI, DEIJ, DEIA, etc. create polarization and misunderstanding, don’t use those terms at all. The battle is not for the acronym, it’s for the children and the vital work of their flourishing.
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   Recognize the “heat” that rises when certain words or acronyms are used in particular social and cultural contexts, and try to turn down the heat by taking the time to explain what it is you/your school are for: what you’re trying to accomplish (your vision), your bigger purpose (mission), and the values that drive your work.
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3. Remember how you learned through Covid. During Covid lockdowns educators around the world came together to sensemake during an unprecedented historic challenge. For many, as hard as it was, it also was the most powerful learning experience of their lives. How did they navigate it? The most successful schools brought together a range of perspectives (including students and parents) to sensemake and offer creative solutions. Leaders spoke regularly with other leaders around the world, navigating new uncertainties every week. They set up clear cyber-security measures to protect their websites from attack. They prepared their budgets for the unexpected and for multiple scenarios. They created extraordinary safety measures for everyone on campus.
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4. All children deserve to be safe, respected, and cared for when they attend school. These ideals capture the essence of belonging. The centrality of the idea of belonging as a core human need and motivation has been around for centuries, and was made famous in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, published in 1943.
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   Reflecting the long federal government list of the recently purged/flagged words that starts with “accessible,” ends with “women,” and includes belong and sense of belonging, the Opinion piece diminishes belonging efforts. In one example it used the word strategic in air quotes in reference to a Belonging Steering Committee. Indeed, in today’s global and educational contexts, belonging is certainly strategic for schools -- impacting how the mission is lived, how risk and reputation are managed, and how conducive conditions for learning are created. What distinguishes effective school leaders is the care, respect and dignity they offer to the most vulnerable members of their communities. Such a stance may appear “soft” but in fact leaves a long reputational and psychological legacy in the school.
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   This is particularly true for international schools. Many of the families served by these schools must move frequently, in part due to the parents’ commitments “carrying out the programs of the U.S. Government abroad.” So, their children need to adjust to new social, cultural, and learning environments every few years. Amidst such destabilization, a “sense of belonging” is critical in order to keep learning, and to experience the joy of childhood.
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5. Similar to living your mission, clarify your school’s values. Last week in the U.S., a school removed signage on the wall proclaiming “everyone is welcome here” because the district claimed the signs violated content neutrality policy (i.e., too political). How clear are you on what your school stands for? Are you ready for every basic, previously agreed-upon value or word that connotes dignity to be questioned? By clarifying values, you are creating a space of trust and understanding – core roles of a school, and the building blocks to a vibrant community.
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6. As schools with a reputation for offering “the best” education in their respective countries, the educators and Trustees of the State Department/US Embassy-affiliated schools must commit to the highest standards of excellence. This is achieved through ongoing work and continuous improvement. As new perspectives are recognized and research advances, schools must adapt. This means that offerings can’t look like industrial-era schools, or even the Y2K era. It also means that schools need to create environments of psychological safety for learning to flourish, across all types of learners. This is not a stance of discrimination. On the contrary, it represents a commitment to the highest standards for learning, inquiry, dialogue, development of analytical and critical thinking, curation of updated and wide-ranging materials and tools, and even inclusion across a range of learners.
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7. For safety, dignity, and respect to take hold, a foundation of trust is essential. We know we live in a time where trust is fractured. A deep mistrust lies at the heart of the WSJ Opinion piece, and mistrust fuels the challenges reflected in the list of global risks. At the same time, research on education is continually asserting the role of trust (and agency - the ability to think and act for oneself, a manifestation of freedom, which historically has been a core American value) as vital for modern learning, particularly during this period of ascendent artificial general intelligence.
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   To avoid misunderstandings, tt is essential to make trust visible, to clarify what you need for trust to exist, to talk about your efforts to cultivate trust in your community, and recognize the range of lived experiences so that trust can be cultivated within your sphere of activity.
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8. Celebrate the many stories that make the tapestry of your school. During a time when it feels like not a lot is making sense for most people, we can turn to story-telling as a critical tool for sense-making, for understanding one another more fully, and even as a source of data. When we take the time to listen and welcome the range of stories in our communities, engagement goes up, as does trust, joy and a sense of belonging.
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   Stories can also serve as a powerful means for learning history. Remember the adage, “the lion’s story will never be told as long as the hunter is the one to tell it.” What “lion’s stories” from history or your community inspire you at this moment? Which ones are unheard?
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9. Focus on relationships. Does every student have at least two adults who know and care about them, as they are? If so, their chances of “success” rise sharply. A school that serves as a container for the love of learning and human flourishing (among children as well as adults) is likely one that recognizes that relationship is both the means to success and its result or outcome. Healthy relationships help create “islands of sanity”, a metaphorical space where individuals can foster conditions for the best human qualities like generosity, creativity, and kindness to flourish, even amidst chaos.
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   Another power of relationships? You don’t have to navigate alone. Connect with others in your community or across the world who can help you sense-make and problem-solve.
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10. Last but not least: Be a calm spacemaker and navigate with hope. Leadership researcher Brene Brown cited calm spacemaker as the #1 skill leaders need now. Amidst many “big feelings” and rapidly shifting contexts, making space between impulse and action is crucial, and it offers a model for others. Don’t rush to send that email or make a public statement when so much feels uncertain, emotional, or unstable. Create space for reflection, for clarity on intentions, and try to identify unintended consequences. But do navigate with hope. This is not an empty hope borne of wishing things were different, but the hope that has driven so many undaunted, unsung heroes navigating the most challenging circumstances with discipline and a commitment to a brighter future.

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Through these volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA) times, school leaders must hold on to their vision and values, with clarity on their purpose. My colleagues and I will be hosting conversations to sense-make around these points and the developments that impact schools and the humans that make them come alive. Please reach out to newsletter@bigquestions.institute if you’d like to join us.

With gratitude,

Homa

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What We're Reading and Listening To

A few links to fuel your inquiry:

​Reframing Diversity to Drive Belonging in International Schools, by Derrick Gay

​RIP… D.E.I. with Ruha Benjamin | What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast (also available on all podcast platforms)

This is a challenging conversation that might require a few listens and might make some uncomfortable.

​What Comes After DEI: How a new framework built around fairness, access, inclusion, and representation can succeed where DEI has failed, by Lily Zheng (Harvard Business Review)

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Learn With BQI

You don't have to go it alone.

If you'd like to schedule an exploratory call for Board/Governance training, strategic planning, building the capacity of your leadership team, or other professional development or speaking needs, please reach out. Email Homa directly at: homa@bigquestions.institute.

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