This dissertation describes a qualitative case study which examined the process through which one Quaker elementary school, Brinton Friends School (BFS), is becoming a multicultural, anti-racist institution. The research was conducted over a four-month period in 1990 to explore how a school founded on spiritual principles integrates a multicultural change process.
Through interviews, observations, and document analysis three aspects of the school's experience were investigated to provide a glimpse at an on-going change process. The first was a description of the concrete steps the school is taking to achieve its goals. These include participation in a multicultural self-assessment program created by the National Association of Independent Schools, racism awareness workshops for all staff, and an analysis of institutional policies and practices to ensure equity. Emphasis has been placed on creating a racially and culturally heterogeneous community.
The second aspect explored in this research was the way staff, particularly White staff, feel about this process. Although some forms of resistance were observed, staff at the school are generally supportive of the multicultural change effort.
The third area of research was an examination of the specific ways in which a multicultural, anti-racist focus is woven into the Quaker spiritual values of the school. Some tensions were reported between these values and the multicultural, anti-racist process. This research examined whether intrinsic conflicts exist between these two value systems.
The key themes of community, conflict, and spirituality emerged during the research at BFS. These three themes form individual yet interrelated perspectives on the environment of the school and its change process. The feeling of community at BFS was cited as important to participants in this study. This sense of community has been nurtured in part by the Quaker spiritual principles at the heart of the school. Yet as in any community of people there are conflicts. At BFS these include how to solve problems, how to be inclusive, and how to define what spirituality means for the school. This research utilizes these themes to provide a picture of one Quaker school in the process of change.
