Diversity
Faculty and Staff
The Lycée's Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, Dr. Angela Gittens, leads a team of four DEIB Coordinators, whose goal is to deepen our DEIB efforts across the school community of students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni. In complementary roles as teacher and staff member, they serve annual terms as part of a school-wide approach to delivering on our mission.
DEIB Coordinators:
- Sylvain Charles, History-Geography Teacher/Advisor, Area of Focus: DEIB Curriculum, Student Support & Belonging Initiatives in Secondary
- Éric Cielenou, Assistant Director of Athletics, Area of Focus: General Student Support & Belonging Initiatives in Sports
- Juliette Lopin, Digital Learning Integrator of the Elementary, Area of Focus: Faculty & Staff Support & Belonging Initiatives
- Julien Relmy, Elementary Teacher, Area of Focus: DEIB Curriculum, Student Support & Belonging Initiatives in Primary
Goal 1 : Create equitable experiences for students
- Visibility and representation in the curriculum are being emphasized
- When approaching subjects of identity, diversity, justice, and action within the curriculum, the Learning for Justice Outcomes are being adopted as a framework to balance the educational and individual experiences of students
- Protocols and a review process are being created for hallway displays and exhibits
- Adoption of an online platform for reporting incidents of bias and prejudice is in process, with the aim of empowering student voices and connecting them with resources when they witness something wrong
Goal 2 : Enhance community reporting, representation and resource sharing on diversity, equity and inclusion, and related topics
- DEIB committee members reviewed anonymous testimonials of parents/guardians and students to inform recommendations
- Five principles for equity have been selected to guide responses to incidents: direct confrontation, redistribution, prioritization, equity ideology, and "fix injustice not kids"
- Student exit interviews have been standardized and implemented for the purpose of data gathering
- A centralized location for resources and FAQ is being developed
Goal 3 : Bring a diversity of perspectives and experiences into the curriculum
- The school's Dean of Innovation and Professional Learning leads the implementation of coaching strategy and curriculum mapping across Primary and Secondary, and is responsible for Professional Learning across the school.
- The Learning for Justice Framework from the Southern Poverty Law Center has been adapted for inclusion in the curriculum across all grade-levels, in an age-appropriate manner.
- Programming for events such as the Day of Understanding and Black History Month, and everyday classroom activities has been strengthened.
- Principles of Identity, Diversity, Justice, and Action have been incorporated into existing classroom activities.
Goal 4 : Research and development
- Reviews of peer-institutions have been conducted to help benchmark Lycée progress and set goals
- Hiring practices have been enhanced to recruit and retain diverse talent
Faculty Grants
Research grants are awarded to faculty and staff, with a goal of advancing community-wide learning and understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging-related topics and of deepening our efforts to make our school learning environment equitable and inclusive for all students and community members.
Since the program’s founding, grants in DEIB-related topics have been awarded to:
Since the program’s founding, grants in DEIB-related topics have been awarded to:
- Sylvain Charles, Secondary history-geography teacher, to develop an action plan that supports greater inclusion, protects and supports all members of the community as they develop and express their experiences of gender
- Bernadette Robine, Primary teacher, to research neurodiversity in the classroom and help students gain a better understanding of how their brains work while learning to explore and define personal strategies for learning, and to improve their self-confidence
- Portia Morrell, Secondary computer science teacher and faculty advisor to our student DEIB clubs, to build stronger connections between our DEIB activities among students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni
- Cassandre Milard, Primary specialized support teacher, to help faculty and staff create more inclusive classroom environments with their students
- Maud Leger and Zhora Tsouri, Secondary librarians, to bring a greater diversity of perspectives into our Primary and Secondary library collections
- Dr. Arthur Plaza, Head of History-Geography, to research and develop curricula in justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Rachel Stepanek, Primary school teacher, to create a learning guide for teachers on how to enter into conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion with Primary-school age students.
Learn More
Grantees write about their work and experiences for the school's blog:
What Neuroscience Tells Us about Summer Homework, by Bernadette Robine, 2022-23 Grantee
What Neuroscience Tells Us about Summer Homework, by Bernadette Robine, 2022-23 Grantee
What's next for the Lycée's DEIB Efforts by Clarissa Sylvestre, Past Chair, DEIB
Developing an Intercultural Mindset, interview with Portia Morrell, 2020-21 Grantee
Let's Talk: Creating Engaging Classrooms for All Students by Cassandre Milard, 2020-21 Grantee
More Diversity in Children's Library Collections by Maud Léger and Zhora Tsouri, 2018-19 Grantees
Developing an Intercultural Mindset, interview with Portia Morrell, 2020-21 Grantee
Let's Talk: Creating Engaging Classrooms for All Students by Cassandre Milard, 2020-21 Grantee
More Diversity in Children's Library Collections by Maud Léger and Zhora Tsouri, 2018-19 Grantees
Contact Us
Other Links
© 2022 Lycée Français de New York. All Rights Reserved.