Equity, Diversity & Justice

Junior High students have the opportunity to annually create affinity groups based on their represented identities. Affinity groups in the past have included those for students who identify as BIPOC and LGBTQ+. The purpose of the groups is to celebrate diversity and allow students to connect based on shared identities.

These groups provide support, a sense of belonging, and encourage students to develop leadership skills as they navigate conversations around their identities and experiences.

The Identity & Belonging Studio is a weekly drop-in space for Elementary 2 students to explore who they are, how they belong in community, and how they can contribute to justice and care in the world.

Rooted in Montessori principles of freedom within limits and hands-on exploration, the Studio provides materials, prompts, and books that invite children to build identity awareness, empathy, and solidarity.

This studio is ABAR-centered, affirming multiple identities, and encourages children to practice self-expression, reflection, and advocacy.

With the support of the EDJ Team, staff regularly audit school environments to ensure that materials and decorations are aligned with our EDJ mission and goals.

An EDJ Environmental Audit is a reflective process that looks at a school environment, policies, practices, spaces, and culture through the lens of Equity, Diversity, and Justice (EDJ). The audit helps identify barriers, uncover areas of bias or exclusion, and highlight opportunities to create more inclusive, accessible, and affirming spaces for all community members. It is both an assessment and a roadmap for meaningful change, ensuring that equity and justice are not just values in words but lived practices in everyday environments.

LCS offers several Identity-Based Social Groups (IBSG) for current parents/caregivers to come together to build relationships and share their unique cultural assets. Based on community interest, the following groups have met on a monthly basis:

• BIPOC Families
• Queer Families
• Neurodiverse Families

LCS also offers a White Critical Consciousness Group that meets with the goal of engaging our community in examining and questioning the role of "whiteness" in the school community, and in society at large. The white critical consciousness group meets monthly to bring critical attention to this aspect of ABAR work.

The Research Center is a key component in our commitment to anti-bias anti-racist (ABAR) pedagogy. We strive to provide resources that, in the words of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, are "windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors" for children to see themselves and others. 

In addition to thoughtfully curated catalogs and resource lists, the Research Center is also home to "Book Baskets," which are collections of books related to different holidays and heritage months.  

The EDJ Team works with all faculty and staff through workshops and collaborative discussions around best practices, resources, and strategies for embedding essential EDJ values into our teaching.

LCS has also had the opportunity to work with several consultants in Equity & Justice work, including Tyneeta Canonge, Britt Hawthorne, Dr. Joanne Reeck, and Dr. Nicole Evans of Embracing Equity.