Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Academic excellence at Marlborough means reflecting the diversity of our community, Los Angeles, and the global society. Our academic leaders continuously review the curriculum to enhance this diversity, featuring diversity in authors in English, complex identities in History, and society’s biggest challenges in STEM. Student voices are integral in shaping our materials and frameworks, ensuring it mirrors the world around us. 

 

We foster a classroom environment where students can take risks with new ideas and concepts, develop their own critical thinking skills, and engage in restorative practices. Classroom agreements promote respectful dialogue, allowing students to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. At Marlborough, we embrace difficult dialogue in the classroom, preparing students with essential skills for the future.

 

 

Learning at Marlborough is never limited to the classroom. Student Life at Marlborough includes unique opportunities for our students to learn about their own identities and that of the world around them. Through All School Meetings and our guest speaker series Pushing Perspectives, we host inspiring speakers who are creating a better world around them by championing messages of inclusion and equity.

 

 

The future demands leaders who can navigate differences, understand multiple perspectives, and critically examine their own approach to the world. At Marlborough, we prepare students for this global community through leadership workshops and activities, discussing how their own identity impacts their leadership practice.

 

From serving on the All-School Council and writing for the UltraViolet to engaging with local communities through research or volunteering through our Social Justice and Community Partnerships Department, Marlborough students gain the skills and frameworks to make a meaningful impact at school and beyond.

 

Marlborough also sponsors students to attend DEI conferences like the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, where Marlborough students sharpen their skills alongside peers from other independent schools.

 

 

At Marlborough, we combine high expectations with strong support, integrating DEI efforts with social-emotional learning throughout our students’ entire experience. Most notably, our Advisory program features interactive lessons that enhance students’ social, emotional, and cognitive development, preparing them for global citizenship.

 

Identity-based student groups also create lessons to promote multicultural awareness and reduce potential harm, ensuring a diverse and inclusive community.

 

 

Marlborough supports student identity development and leadership through a variety of identity-based student groups. These groups foster community, organize events, and enhance leadership skills.

 

Established in 1889, Marlborough has continued to offer unparalleled educational opportunities for girls, empowering them to live lives of purpose. As a premier educational institution, Marlborough inspires our students to cultivate critical and creative thinking skills, equipping each girl to become an agent of change. Aligned with our mission and long-standing history, Marlborough maintains its identity as a girls' school.

 

We recognize adolescence as a time of transformative self-discovery, a developmentally appropriate period for the exploration of many facets of identity, including gender. Marlborough remains committed to nurturing all aspects of our students' identities while upholding our girl-centered education. Current students who no longer identify as girls are welcome at Marlborough as long as they remain mission-aligned. As with any student, regardless of gender identity, Marlborough will work compassionately and on a case-by-case basis with each family to determine whether our school offers the best community and learning environment in which the student can thrive.

 

This statement reflects nearly a decade of thoughtful conversation involving Marlborough trustees, administration, and experts in the fields of psychology and child development. We remain dedicated to setting academic standards as we have done since 1889, positioned at the forefront of an ever-evolving educational landscape. We continue to innovate while embracing Marlborough’s mission to serve girls and create a world in which equity leads education.

 

 

Our commitment to DEI does not just apply to our students, it extends to our faculty and staff. We believe that supporting an inclusive curriculum and school environment requires a team that reflects our student body, Los Angeles, and the greater global community.

 

Marlborough partners with organizations to recruit excellent individuals from various backgrounds, and provides ongoing professional development and growth opportunities to ensure that our faculty and staff feel supported and welcome at Marlborough.