Pollyanna PD: Jan Abernathy

Toward Greater Belonging:

Communicating DEIB concepts in a way that everyone can understand

Jan Abernathy, facilitator

August 9, 2023

1-2PM ET / 10-11AM PT

Whether we are talking about "the work," using new-ish terminology to define gender, or simply identifying affinity groups (each with their own acronym), communications professionals in independent schools are constantly being asked to normalize new language in our communities. It's not always easy to do that in a way that's illuminating, not divisive. How can you help families understand that social-emotional learning has been a part of our curriculum for decades and that it doesn't detract from "academics?" Or that teaching accurate American history doesn't mean your school has "gone woke?"

Jan Abernathy, Chief Communications Officer at the Browning School in New York, will show you how to frame your DEIB and SEL initiatives when politicians and the media are sometimes trying to demonize them, and when parents are increasingly confused about how they align with schools' missions.

In this workshop you will learn:

How to speak confidently to the importance of DEIB and SEL to our missions, the education we provide, and the wellbeing of our students
How to meet families where they are in their understanding
How to avoid 'trigger words' by replacing them with other words with the same meaning that are less inflammatory
How to work with your DEIB practitioner to edit out "terms of art" while still allowing the message to get across.

Jan Abernathy is Chief Communications Officer for The Browning School (NY) a K-12 all-boys school with 400 students. She is also the president of New York City Independent School Communications Professionals (NYCISCP), co-founder of Black Advancement Networking Group (BANG) and principal of a consulting firm, Jan Abernathy Strategic Communications. Jan is a trustee of the Grace Church School (NY) and Tessa International School (NJ) and is a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)'s Commission on Communications and Marketing. She has presented at several conferences for the National Association of Independent Schools, the New York Association of Independent Schools, the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals and the Enrollment Management Association. Her two children graduated from the Dalton School (NY) in 2016 and 2020.

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C O N T A C T
Questions? Email