Equity & Inclusion
As we witness an ever-changing world, The Lamplighter School continues its core undertaking with students, families, and the greater Dallas community. We are committed to fostering a community that is inclusive, nurturing, just, and diverse as we prepare our young learners for a world that is representative of each of us.
Every day, we engage our students in the complicated, thoughtful, and rewarding work of finding one’s place in the world, developing compassion and empathy, and building true understanding of what it means to be a global citizen. Our broader community is also engaged in the work of equity and inclusion in deep and meaningful ways, from professional development to community book clubs to age-appropriate curriculum. The examples below illustrate just a few of the ways, big and small, that our community lives out our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Community Book Clubs
Lamplighter faculty, staff, and parents gather together a few times a year to discuss a shared text. Past book club conversations have centered on Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do by Claude Steele and Dare to Lead by Brené Brown. Upcoming book talks will cover Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, and Other Words for Home, by Jasmine Warga.
Age-Appropriate Curriculum
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are woven into our curriculum in authentic and meaningful ways. For example, our Pre-K students engage in a multi-week unit focused on diversity and identity development, noticing the ways that they are both different from and similar to their classmates. They paint self-portraits and mix playdough to match their skin color, they read We’re Different, We’re the Same, and they share their personal “name stories.”
Special Events
Each year, Lamplighter welcomes a broad array of visitors to campus, with a special focus on diverse voices. Recent presentations have included the Dallas Black Dance Theater, a neighboring high school’s Folklorica dancers, parent-led Diwali celebrations, and the IF/THEN foundation. Our annual International Night, Dooley Author Series, and Dolores Evans Speaker Series are also ways that we incorporate diverse voices into our programming.
Professional Development
In the summer of 2018, a team of eight faculty and administrators attended the summer SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) New Leaders Week, an intensive professional development experience centered on creating school leaders who will engage their communities in becoming more equitable and just. After attending the conference, those teachers and administrators have led Lamplighter faculty and staff in work around unconscious bias, microaggressions, and the importance of seeking out a wide range of stories and voices to understand a culture or topic.