At our annual Administrative Advance in August, we introduced , a tool that resonated deeply with our Leadership Team. This nonpartisan framework was developed by Dr. Tim Shriver, Tammy Pyfer, and Tom Rosshirt from Project Unite and founded on the belief that it’s not our disagreements that divide us but how we treat one another when we disagree. The principles in The Dignity Index can help us to shape a culture that honors the innate dignity of every individual – a culture that rejects contempt, enables us to hear one another, learn from one another, acknowledge our differences, and ultimately, find solutions to our problems.
To learn more about this important initiative, I recently attended the national Dignity Leadership Summit, where education, business, and community leaders from around the country explored how to bring dignity-centered practices into our organizations. The conversations reaffirmed that this work is not about avoiding disagreement but learning to attend to the innate dignity of others as we disagree.
When we treat one another with dignity, we create space for authentic dialogue, connection, and hope. When we treat one another with contempt, we erode trust, close minds, and sow division. We believe implementing the principles of The Dignity Index within our organization and our schools will help us to navigate challenges, strengthen trust, build a stronger culture of collaboration, and create safer, more welcoming learning environments where both students and adults can flourish.
Our role as educators has always been to foster within our students the ability to think critically, engage in constructive dialogue, and consider different ideas, while being able to develop and respectfully defend their own. We also believe that our role is to help students see their own innate dignity and the dignity of others. While we are in the very initial stages of introducing The Dignity Index within our schools, we see so many opportunities for integrating these principles and this . As an organization, using dignity as the lens through which we conduct all of our work is certainly aspirational, because we know there are challenges that test us each day; however, responding with dignity is something we can practice with great intention.
This work is part of our commitment to continuous improvement and aligns with our focus on supporting the academic and social and emotional needs of our students so that they leave us prepared to navigate college, career and life beyond IUSD. We want our students to acknowledge their own innate dignity and the dignity of others as they enter a world that will require them to be curious, courageous, and kind. We look forward to sharing the progress and insights we gain as we integrate the principles of The Dignity Index into leadership, learning, and the “US” of IUSD.
To learn more, please visit the Dignity Index website, , and the handouts linked in this article.