Mary McDowell Friends School (MMFS), a Quaker, coeducational, K–12 college preparatory program dedicated to the success of students with learning disabilities located in Brooklyn, NY, seeks a collaborative, engaging, and student-centered Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Integrator.

Essential functions

• Support student affinity groups and affinity programming for staff, faculty and parents

• Work with faculty and staff to name DEI goals and track outcomes. Serve as a resource in their development of equitable policies, curricula, and pedagogy.

• Work with faculty and staff to embed DEIJ skills across the curriculum

• Serve as a resource for faculty in the area of student support

• Promote best practices with respect to diversity and equity issues

Qualities of the next DEI Integrator

The DEI Integrator will be an experienced DEI practitioner and educator with a commitment to the School’s Mission, community standards, and desire to foster inclusive belonging and social justice. The DEI Integrator will have excellent communication, and facilitation skills and the ability to serve as a strong and sensitive guide in DEI-related matters for the professional staff, students, families, and alumni.

The DEI Integrator will be a patient listener who is creative, intellectually curious, courageous, and humble. While the implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion is a serious matter, the next DEI Integrator must relish the joys and challenges of working with students with learning disabilities and have an easy sense of humor.

The DEI Integrator will have a successful history of building a warm and supportive culture as well as inspiring students and faculty to practice an anti-racist mindset. This individual will also be someone who can lead with empathy and wants to make an impact in the world. Excellent emotional intelligence, thoughtful and effective communication (both written and verbal), and extraordinary interpersonal skills are essential qualities for helping this effort to thrive.

Education, experience, and skills

Candidates should be able to demonstrate excellent professional and personal judgment, discretion, strong communication skills, and attention to detail. In addition, candidates must possess the flexibility to manage multiple and, at times, competing priorities, as well as the ability to be a team player who will be held accountable for the overall quality of the program. Lastly, the next DEI Integrator must have demonstrated success in current diversity, equity, and inclusion practices and the humility to pursue ongoing growth in this area. Candidates with a master's degree from an accredited institution and experience teaching or working with students with learning disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.

The School

Mary McDowell Friends School is a K–12 college preparatory program dedicated to the success of students with learning disabilities. 

Grounded in the Quaker values of equality, integrity, and social responsibility, the school cultivates a diverse and anti-racist community in which all students can reach their full potential. Their specialized teaching methodologies and challenging curricula empower students to become academic achievers, creative thinkers, advocates for equity, and contributing members of a global society.

Established in 1984 with a class of five students as the Mary McDowell Center for Learning at the Brooklyn Meeting House, the school now occupies three campuses for its lower, middle and upper schools, serving more than 400 students. Students come to MMFS with their own skills, talents, and abilities. Through differentiated instruction, the commitment of our highly skilled teachers and support staff, and the rigorous academics offered, their students succeed in school.

At MMFS every learner shines. The school supports its students to grow and to find their innate gifts and “inner light.” The faculty and staff provide students with opportunities to reach their full potential by understanding how they learn, drawing on their strengths, and encouraging them to meet their challenges. The students work hard at academics, the arts, and athletics so their many talents can emerge.

When families start at MMFS, they often ask, “Can my child gain the skills needed for college?” Even parents of the very youngest children ask this question. The answer is yes! When children attend MMFS, they are welcomed into a brighter future. From the youngest students through 12th graders, they come to understand how they learn best, how to self-advocate, and how to challenge themselves.

The school equips students with the tools they need to thrive. MMFS graduates succeed at some of the nation’s top colleges and universities. Others forge fulfilling career paths through hands-on programs that provide important life skills. The MMFS experience empowers students to take an active role in learning at every level—elementary, middle, and high school, college and beyond. Students build a foundation at MMFS that will support them long after they have graduated.

MISSION

Grounded in the Quaker values of equality, integrity and social responsibility, the school cultivates a diverse and anti-racist community in which all students can reach their full potential. Their specialized teaching methodologies and challenging curricula empower students to become academic achievers, creative thinkers, advocates for equity, and contributing members of a global society.

VALUES

Learning: Students with learning disabilities can learn and thrive within a supportive environment coupled with skilled differentiated instruction. MMFS prepares students for college and life.

Quaker Values: MMFS is guided by the Quaker testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: MMFS embraces a broad definition of diversity and recognizes the power and value it delivers to everyone’s lives. The school strives to provide an equitable and safe environment for the entire community.

Anti-racism: Anti-racism is key to the mission and curriculum of MMFS, as the school challenges its members to dismantle systemic racism in the community and the world around us.

Excellence: MMFS pursues excellence at every level.

Association Memberships

• New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS)

• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)

• Friends Council on Education (FCE)

• Independent School Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY)

• Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS)

Geography

Located in Northwestern Brooklyn, MMFS occupies campuses in the Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens neighborhoods. Brooklyn is the most populous borough of New York City and boasts a diverse array of historic neighborhoods and landmarks. Brooklyn has a rich arts, music, and food scene. Its parks and open spaces make it family- and recreation-friendly.

SEARCH CALENDAR*

Applications
April 4, 2022

Semi-finalist Interviews
Week of April 11, 2022

Finalist Interviews
Mid April, 2022

Announcement
Late April, 2022

*Approximate dates subject to change