The Science of DEI: A Q&A with Jenny Jun-lei Kravitz, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

10/3/2023

The Rivers School’s new director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Jenny Jun-lei Kravitz P’28, holds a master’s degree in biology and worked as a scientist before becoming a classroom teacher. So perhaps it’s unsurprising that she sees DEI work through the lens of science and data. “There’s a certain curiosity driving science that I believe drives equitable practice as well,” says Kravitz. As we headed into the new school year, we spoke with Kravitz about her journey to Rivers, the joy of witnessing “aha” moments, and her hopes for her first year in the DEI role at The Rivers School.

Tell me about where you grew up and what kind of impact that has had on your career.

During my formative years, I spent time both in New England and in the Midwest.

I have found that having exposure to both places and both regional cultures has given me the ability to comfortably connect with a lot of different kinds of people. It’s served me well, not only in the classroom but also in equity work. Having lived in and known people from both places has allowed me to have a lot of nuance in what is not always a very nuanced space.

What is the pathway that brought you to Rivers?

If I’m counting correctly, this is my 24th year in education, and the bulk of that has been in public education. I came from biotech, and I think first and foremost I will always be a scientist. Science helps you always retain the perspective of not only looking at the data that you have on hand, but also really trying to understand the limitations of how the data is collected, how it’s applied, and what it means, recognizing that the source of the data is just as important as the data itself.

When my career transitioned out of the classroom to more administrative spaces, I got more excited about the larger impact of equity work. Something that I found really inspiring about Rivers is this idea, which aligns with my approach, that the most important thing is looking at the way you do things. More important than one specific policy is the idea of regularly reviewing and revising the policy. Ultimately, you’re not solving for a fixed point in time—you’re solving for a process that can evolve with a rapidly changing environment.

What is something you think Rivers is doing well from a DEI perspective?

I find the philosophy of Excellence with Humanity so appealing—this recognition that success and thriving only happen when you are looking holistically at all the different facets of all the individuals coming together in the space. I think Rivers has done a great job of recognizing that and trying to understand what that means.

Could you share something about your previous work that might inform the approach you’ll take here?

I’ve worked with adult learners, I’ve worked in educational spaces, and I’ve worked in non-educational spaces, and there is something that I’ve always found to be true: If someone can, then they will. And if something is not happening—this could be student achievement, or a teacher incorporating some instructional practice; it could be athletic performance, it could be leadership, it could be artistic expression, anything—it is always because there is some identifiable factor or variable that is preventing that from happening.

If you can identify that, if you can understand that, and if you can work collaboratively with an individual or within a system to address that, then you unlock success, thriving, and potential for any of those situations.

Do you see any parallels between your work in the sciences and the kind of work you’re doing now?

There’s a certain curiosity driving science that I believe drives equitable practice as well. And there’s some humility in that, that you don’t know everything, you can’t possibly know everything. There’s an openness to that—that you’re not going to make assumptions.

I think there’s a joy in there as well—in the scientific process of curiosity. It’s going to be messy, and we’re going to stumble through it, and that’s something that I try to bring into the work that I do, because ultimately the joy helps balance out the things that do feel heavy at times.

What are you looking forward to accomplishing (or experiencing!) during your first year at Rivers?

What I’m most looking forward to is just experiencing different spaces. I think the only way I can engage in the work that I think I’m being asked to do is to really know the community. That involves going into classrooms and interacting with different constituencies, getting to know all the different aspects of our operations in addition to academics.

My dream is to be a fly on the wall on as many different walls in this place as I can get to. The best way to learn is to just listen and look, and I want to do as much of that as possible. There’s so much that needs to be directly experienced and observed.

Plus, I just love being in a classroom; I love being in that space where learning is happening. There is no greater joy for me than to be in the moment where someone just gets it—where it somehow makes sense, it gains meaning, it impacts them. That’s what we’re trying to support and enable for everyone in this space, adults and children alike.

To learn more about our DEI Office at Rivers, visit https://www.rivers.org/about-us/commitment-to-equity

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