Belonging at the Lycée is a shared commitment. Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) team works closely with faculty, staff, and students to foster a more inclusive and connected school culture.
Through initiatives that support identity, voice, and cross-cultural understanding, the DEIB team—alongside coordinators and advisors—helps advance our mission through collaborative leadership and reflection.
Our team understands that this meaningful work is not a sprint, but a marathon. We create institutional policies and practices that span across our school, always with the students at the center of our work. By staying in this work on a daily basis, we are modeling the courageous citizens that we want our students to become.
Dr. Angela Gittens
Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Faculty & Staff Research Grants
Through La Passerelle, its institute for bilingual education, research, and innovation, the Lycée provides research grants to faculty and staff to foster continuous improvement in DEIB practices.
Through this initiative, for example, a teaching guide was developed to help elementary school teachers thoughtfully and confidently address themes of diversity with their students. Another research project has enriched our library collections, from elementary through secondary school, incorporating a wider range of perspectives and experiences.
Here are some examples of recent or ongoing work:
- Dr. Angela Gittens, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: Presentation at a national conference on movement as a bridge for intercultural exchange.
- Dr. Margaret George, Secondary English Teacher: Research entitled “Growing Up Online: Gender Identification and the Role of Social Media,” analyzing the impact of digital technology on adolescent mental health and support strategies for educators.
- Sylvain Charles, Secondary History and Geography Teacher: Development of an action plan to strengthen inclusion and support every member of the community in the expression of their gender identity.
- Bernadette Robine, Elementary School Teacher: A study on neurodiversity in the classroom, aimed at raising students’ awareness of how their brains function to foster greater self-understanding.
- Dr. Arthur Plaza, Director of La Passerelle: Research and development of curricular programs grounded in the principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Our Partners
To ensure our DEIB department’s work reflects research and best practices, we collaborate with locally and globally-based leading scholars and organizations, including:
- Jen Cort, LCSW-C, expert on anti-bias hiring and retention practices in human resources.
- Dr. Derrick Gay, international expert on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in schools and other institutions.
- Dr. Emily Meadows, expert on LGBTQ+ issues in international & independent schools.
- The Dalton Conference, a daylong conference for NYC and regional independent schools to train school leaders along with students, faculty, staff, parents and board members, to broaden inclusion in and outside of the classroom.
- NYSAIS Equitable Practices & Inclusion Committee Summit (EPIC), an annual statewide summit for diversity practitioners hosted by the Lycée Français de New York.
- Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, Columbia University-based nonprofit that helps schools foster caring, collaborative, and equitable environments for students.
- The Paris Brain Institute, an annual residency featuring a scholar specializing in adolescent brain development and neurological well-being.
- Pollyanna, NYC-based nonprofit that works with academic and other institutions to achieve their diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging goals.
- Tanenbaum Center for Inter-religious Understanding, a non-sectarian nonprofit that combats religious prejudice, confronts hate, and builds respect for religious difference.
Our Team:
Éric Cielenou
DEIB Coordinator of Family and Parent Belonging, Assistant Director of Athletics
Farida Meddah-Rubin
DEIB Coordinator of Faculty & Staff Engagement and Belonging, Spanish Teacher
Where next?
Mission and Values
