The landscape of diversity, equity, and inclusion in education is at a crossroads. Originally conceived as a framework for fostering greater understanding and inclusivity, DEI programs have too often been coopted by individuals advancing personal agendas. The controversy surrounding antisemitic remarks at a recent National Association of Independent Schools conference perfectly illustrates this problem.
This incident, which has forced NAIS to issue a public apology, and which has led others to call for a Congressional reckoning of independent schools similar to that done with colleges, is symptomatic of a deeper malaise that has been well chronicled in Sanje Ratnavale’s book Meaning Loss: Reimagining DEI & Purpose. Educational organizations such as NAIS too often embrace politically charged content without grounding it in thoughtful pedagogy or historical context. The result is that many schools have sacrificed their missions for a semblance of moral authority by embracing slogans such as “we are an anti-racist school.” As a consequence, rather than uniting communities, DEI efforts have often amplified divisions, leaving educators, parents, and students caught between conflicting ideologies and unclear educational priorities.
The Case For Pluralism Rather Than DEI
Against this backdrop, a new approach is desperately needed that eschews reductionist identity politics and fosters true diversity of thought. Enter Sanje Ratnavale, an education innovator and author, and OESIS, a network that has long championed educational innovation in independent schools. OESIS, working with a handful of like-minded organizations, is constructing a pluralism course and conference. Designed to transcend the pitfalls of DEI, the course will focus on inquiry-based education with a deep reservoir of content in multiple spheres through partnerships with universities, museums, and advocacy groups. It will also highlight the immigrant journey with its challenges and successes and go beyond racism to explore the pantheon of discrimination across areas like religion, class, viewpoint, and caste.
Sanje Ratnavale, who has lived and worked in Europe, Asia, and North America and speaks five languages, stresses that the history of pluralism is the story of humanity and immigrants: Jews, Sri Lankans, Armenians, Irish, and Arabs, and how these communities find common ground with each other rather than stay isolated. Ratnavale, drawing from the lens of his experience, uses an ice cream metaphor to emphasize his point: “DEI has decried assimilation, as in vanilla ice cream, and celebrated separation, as in Neapolitan ice cream, with lanes for each flavor- chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. Doing so diminishes pluralist immigrant contributions to the whole. The history we have lost is the stories of mixing and evolving flavors like mint-chocolate-chip or salted dulce de leche.” Ratnavale adds, “The great civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King celebrated pluralism, but the recent multiculturalists have abandoned it.”
This initiative recognizes the importance of fostering critical thinking and intellectual rigor while grounding students in factual, historical knowledge. The pluralism course seeks to create a space where students can engage with diverse perspectives meaningfully without being told beforehand what conclusions they are expected to draw or what narratives are favored.
A key feature of this course is its comparative approach. By examining different civilizations, cultures, and historical contexts, the curriculum encourages students to grapple with complex questions rather than accept ready-made answers. Unlike in a traditional course, the student, rather than the teacher, will drive the inquiry. The student will draw on the content that fits the path of investigation and depend on the teacher for guidance on skills rather than content focus. A content-driven approach to curriculum development can often gravitate towards a particular political viewpoint. An inquiry and skill-driven approach avoids that pitfall.
DEI And The Pluralism And Purpose Conference
Last April, OESIS set the wheels of pluralism in motion when it held its first conference on antisemitism for independent schools at Dartmouth. It featured thoughtful speakers and garnered praise for its depth and inclusivity. The vision for the pluralism course is to pair it with a student leadership conference that can showcase the students’ excellent work. There is a purpose to be found in research: social utility, entrepreneurship, relationships, community, and, of course, justice.
As independent schools struggle to realign their pedagogy with their mission, the need for new approaches like the pluralism course and conference has never been more urgent. The pluralism course and conference represent a bold step toward this realignment. Focusing on inquiry, comparison, skills, and intellectual rigor, they offer a framework to help schools navigate the tensions between competing educational priorities. Moreover, they promise to revitalize independent education by addressing the “meaning loss” and engagement loss that have plagued many institutions in recent years and that have been examined in detail in Ratnavale’s book.
In a world increasingly polarized by ideological battles, pluralism reminds us that we can educate everyone without opposing groups. OESIS hopes that school leaders, trustees, parents, and students will rise to the challenge of pluralism, escape the trap of DEI, and realize the long-standing American ideal of e pluribus unum.