Equity and Inclusion

Our curriculum is grounded in supporting positive identity development for all students. Starting in Pre-Kindergarten, students engage vital questions of inclusion, equity, and social justice in developmentally appropriate ways. Our PreK-12 curriculum evolves continuously to include and affirm a wide range of voices, perspectives and social identities.

LOWER SCHOOL

Our Lower School curriculum asks essential questions to help our youngest learners begin to think critically about their individual identities, celebrate cultural diversity, build cross-cultural relationships, and challenge assumptions and stereotypes.

In the Lower School, teachers at each grade level have been working to incorporate projects and themes linked to the social justice standards. That division has also significantly expanded the library collection with an eye to incorporating a spectrum of identities. 

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Throughout Middle School and across disciplines, GFA students are taught to engage difference both curiously and respectfully as they consider issues of equality, human rights, and stereotypes. As an example, our English curriculum incorporates voices from a wide breadth of cultures and experiences, and students study American history by engaging with the complexity of our country’s story through diverse perspectives.

Advisory and grade-level meetings have engaged students in workshops around a number of inclusion and social justice issues. That division has also started a QUEST (LGBTQ) club and an elective focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

UPPER SCHOOL

Our curriculum in the Upper School includes a number of courses focused on equity and inclusion. In Ninth Grade Seminar, students exercise the skills to critically analyze and discuss identity, privilege and marginalization, structural racism and discrimination. Throughout the disciplines, students are regularly exposed to speakers, writers, artists and others to learn about issues in society at home and abroad.

There are also a number of new course opportunities focused on these themes in English, Global Studies, and History, along with course offerings in our May Term program.

Students in Qualitative Research have investigated a number of DEI-related issues: political viewpoint tolerance, the connection between friendship circles and core identifiers, gender distribution among Upper School clubs, study of socioeconomic class and inclusion, and the relationship between student stress and core identifiers. 

Each year, GFA Middle School and Upper School students regularly participate in regional and national conferences, including the annual National Association of Independent Schools’ Student Diversity Leadership Conference, the White Privilege Conference Youth Action Project, and the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools’ Student Diversity Leadership Conference. The Equity & Social Justice Seminar is an annual Upper School program at GFA that brings together current students and alumni from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to engage in activities and dialogue about diversity and inclusion. Each year, Upper School students organize a day of exploration and advocacy around issues of gender identity, and each October, the school celebrates Unity Day, for the purpose of "coming together with schools around the world and wear orange to stand together against bullying and unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion."

SPECTRUM – a student-led discussion group in the Middle School that explores the experiences and impacts of race, culture, and gender in students’ lives.

LEAD (Learning and Educating About Diversity) – a student-led club in the Upper School dedicated to exploring identity, equity and inclusion in the GFA community through dialogue and programs.

QUEST (Questioning, Understanding, and Educating about Sexuality Today) – the Upper School Gender & Sexuality Alliance, QUEST seeks to ensure that GFA is a safe space for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Students promote honest and open dialogue amongst their peers about LGBTQ+ issues through various activities and programs such as: LGBT History Month, Ally Week and the Day of Silence.

AFFINITY GROUPS – At GFA we are a professional community of teachers and learners. The term affinity group refers to people who share a similar identity but not necessarily the same experiences. Affinity Groups for Faculty and Staff at GFA exist as brave spaces for our faculty and staff to engage in critical self-reflection on their identities and the impact of power and privilege in their lives and practice. Participation in affinity groups ultimately strengthens the ties within the community and is central to creating an inclusive and thriving school for all of us.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – Faculty members attend a variety of conferences and receive professional development training from organizations such as the National Association of Independent School (NAIS); the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE). As a demonstration of our commitment to equity and inclusion, GFA is dedicated to sending a cohort of faculty to the NAIS People of Color Conference (PoCC) and White Privilege Conference each year.

FACULTY AND STAFF COMMITTEE ON EQUITY AND INCLUSION – open to all GFA faculty and staff, the Committee meets regularly throughout the school year and focuses its efforts on ways to nurture a professional culture that values diversity, encourages mutual understanding, promotes cultural competency and embraces courageous conversations with safety and respect.

GFA VOICES – an annual all-school celebration honoring our diverse, multicultural community. Students, faculty and families are invited to share and express their identities, traditions and perspectives through music, dancing, storytelling, artwork, creative writing, food and more.

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DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. COMMEMORATION PROGRAM – an annual all-school assembly to honor the life and vision of Dr. King through reflection, speakers, music, and more.

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TRUSTEE COMMITTEE ON EQUITY AND INCLUSION – comprised of Board members, administrators, parents and alumni, the Committee works actively to support and promote GFA’s mission “to create and sustain a diverse and inclusive community that values the identities, perspectives, and experiences of all its members,” and develop deeper understandings of equity and inclusion definitions, language and practice.

The Office of Equity and Inclusion at GFA supports families by providing programming and discussions on understanding equity and inclusion within our school community.

FAMILIES OF COLOR WELCOME SOCIAL AND MEET & GREET – an affinity-based social gathering at the start of the school year for new and current families of color to meet and connect with one another and discuss identity-specific experiences and resources available for them.

PARENT CONNECTION MEETINGS – Parent Connection meetings consist of a series of casual parent meetings for each division at school throughout the year when parents meet to discuss social and emotional development topics related to their children.

At GFA, we believe each child and adult should be able to see themselves reflected within our school community. Our partnership with organizations such as A Better Chance, Horizons, and REACH Prep make it possible for us to meet students and families from a variety of backgrounds who will enrich our school community. It is also vitally important that our faculty and staff represent a broad range of backgrounds and human experiences. Attending job fairs that promote diversity and working with agencies like Nemnet and Strategenius, among others, allows us to draw from diverse pools of highly qualified teaching and staff candidates.

The Institute for Teaching Diversity and Social Justice is an experiential summer professional development program for educators and other individuals interested in building more inclusive and affirming classrooms through exploration and development of strategies and skills to effectively navigate diversity issues in independent schools.

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Resources In Independent School Education (RIISE)

NAIS People of Color Conference

Teaching While White

Social Justice Standards: the Teaching Tolerance Anti-Bias Curriculum Framework

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources: Student Health and Well-Being at the Intersection of Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

GFA Director of Equity and Inclusion Shanelle Henry collaborated on a Day After Election Guide (published by the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities)