.png)
PSV PROGRAMS
PILLAR 1: RACIAL SOCIALIZATION
Racial socialization prepares children for anticipatory experiences, builds cultural pride, and educates about racial inequalities. PSV provides opportunities for children to see more of themselves—children experiencing the same unique school dynamics, albeit perhaps at different schools—through myriad community activities and events. By providing opportunities to socialize or convene around a topic or activity of interest (e.g., college, hair, the n-word, arts, etc.), PSV helps parents know their children will be surrounded by a community of peers who understand their daily school experience while learning about what it means to be a person of color. These regular opportunities to gather, share resources, and provide education are priceless in the fight against isolation and in positively impacting self-esteem.
PreK-8th Grade Social Pods
Grade level social pods are parent led and grouped by grades. They meet at least 5 times a school year (if not more, depending on the planned activity). Clusters of pods enjoy activities to give children opportunities to connect while also building cultural pride and knowledge. Open to Black students in PSV-sponsoring private schools.
​
High School Leadership Program
The PSV High School Leadership Program has three core areas for Black high school students in grades 9 through 12. This includes: High School Executive Board, High School Grade-Level Social Pods, and High School Student Ambassadors. These interconnected areas work to support, resource, and educate students across private schools by increasing racial socialization, building community pride, and identifying ways to help prepare students for anticipatory experiences when in predominantly white institutions, in particular, so that they thrive.
Special Events
From the Sneaker Soiree, Back-to-School Picnic, Parent2Parent Mix & MIngle, and the Black Hair-itage Celebration to adult social gatherings, mental health skill-building, and more, PSV creates important spaces that foster cultural pride, celebrate tradition, inform and empower stakeholders, and support a sense of belonging among the private school community. Many of these special events are open to all families in private schools (e.g. Sneaker Soiree, Back-to-School Picnic).
PILLAR 2: RACIAL LITERACY
Racial literacy is “a form of racial socialization and antiracist training” used to prepare and protect against racism. PSV works to help families understand how to identify, counter, and cope with racially stressful situations. A practical and intentional effort designed to prepare and empower students so that they can manage real-world racialized experiences in schools with confidence, PSV provides ongoing racial literacy education in an age-appropriate way. Through guest speakers, skill-building sessions, and turnkey practice, PSV strives to proactively educate and arm families, from the earliest moments of joining the private school community, so that they are protected and prepared to thrive despite racial situations that often arise.
Racial Literacy Skill Building Sessions
In partnership with credible organizations and experts, PSV provides opportunities for parents, students, and administrators to learn about racial literacy and build this powerful, life-long skill. Whether it's hearing from experts like Dr. Howard Stevenson or Dr. Jamila Lyiscott or a more practical training session series provided by The Lion's Story, PSV knows that racial literacy skills are essential to thriving in private schools. Open to Black students, families, and administrators in PSV-sponsoring private schools.
PILLAR 3: REPRESENTATION
In addition to the educational value of having differences in thought, culture, and experiences for all students, representation is especially important in school because children are forming their understanding of identity and self. In the absence of it, non-Black and Brown students formulate ideas from media and entertainment, which often portrays cultural stereotype. Black and Brown students most certainly hear the message that their culture, their heritage, is not as important as white culture and heritage simply because representation is low in every aspect of private school life. PSV works to increase representation by hosting special gatherings for prospective families to learn about the private school option, through programming for current Trustees, and via our partial scholarship program for elementary-school aged low-income Black and Brown students.
Trustee Leadership Program
This program is designed to help current Black Trustees feel better resourced and supported while establishing a pathway to board service for prospective candidates from the PSV community. Through a mix of focused trainings on best practices, governance, trends, and more, this program opens doors to board opportunities both within private schools and beyond while also resourcing and supporting current Trustees. Aspects to this program are open to Black & Latinx/Hispanic students, families, and administrators in PSV-sponsoring private schools.
Parent Ambassador Program
The PSV Parent Ambassador Program empowers parents to successfully partner and advocate for children, reinforces the pride and power of community building and support, and it highlights our shared belief in a strong family-school partnership which is optimal for student achievement. Open to Black students, families, and administrators in PSV-sponsoring private schools. There is a separate Parent Ambassador Program for Somos PSV.
Summer Camp Program
This program celebrates the memory of Summer Medford, a rising 10th-grader at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences who lived life to the fullest. The program works to increase exposure to and representation in summer programs so that Black and Brown students continue to "see" themselves during the summer months. Additionally, the program promotes the participation in specific group travel opportunities that increase exposure beyond PSVs current footprint. Open to Black & Latinx/Hispanic students, families, and administrators in PSV-sponsoring private schools.
The Village Scholarship
The Village Scholarship (TVS) is a partial scholarship for outstanding elementary school private school students from low-income households. The Village Scholarship provides direct financial assistance to families that identify as underserved or from an underrepresented community.
PILLAR 4: RESEARCH
PSV works to improve the understanding of Black and Brown families and students in private schools and supports and expands existing research initiatives that inform data around this unique experience. PSV periodically initiatives parent climate surveys to better understand Black and Brown families’ experiences in private schools. PSV hopes to measure progress over time, identify collaborative possibilities in the areas of greatest need, and educate parents and caregivers about the best ways to support their children through the experience. Information of interest is in the number of Black or Brown teachers a child has had, whether affinity spaces are offered and impactful, the number of Board of Trustees who are Black and Brown, how parents respond to microaggressions, the financial aid experience, and more.
Parent/Student
Climate Surveys
PSV is continually interested in learning more about the private school community and will continue to regularly gauge needs, challenges, experiences and more through regular parent and student climate surveys. Open to Black & Latinx/Hispanic students, families, and administrators in PSV-sponsoring private schools.
Independent School
Archival History Toolkit
In partnership with The Klingenstein Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College and Author and Educator Dr. Michelle Purdy, the toolkit will provide independent schools with a framework to conduct archival and oral history research. In partnership with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and alumni, the framework will also help schools to organize and share their findings, engage their communities in dialogue, and incorporate new understandings into their school cultures and traditions. The toolkit will be developed during the 2024-2025 school year and piloted during the 2025-2026 school year with a small group of schools.
INTERLACED ACROSS ALL PILLARS
Somos PSV
Somos PSV is a sub-community of support within Private School Village for Latinx/Hispanic private school families. In 2022, Latinx/Hispanic parents and administrators formed an advisory group to begin to bring the community together. Still in its early stages, Somos PSV hosts social gatherings and conversations centered around the needs of the community. Like PSV, Somos PSV started a parent ambassador program as its inaugural program.