Opinion
Peter DeWitt & Sean Slade on The Inclusion of LGBTQ+ in Schools
Dealing with topics about sexual orientation, race, and gender is uncomfortable for staff, especially if they do not have a supportive administrator.
Chapter from School Climate Change: how do I build a positive environment for learning? / Peter DeWitt & Sean Slade. ASCD, 2014
Inclusivity and Equity
Inclusivity and equity are not always easy to come by, even in this day and age. Schools still have too many marginalized populations. According to the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) (2009), 84.6% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed, 40.1% reported being physically harassed, and 18.8% reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation. 72.4% heard homophobic remarks, such as “faggot” or “dyke,” frequently or often at school. (p. 26)
Although groups such as GLSEN offer resources for staff, too many teachers and school leaders avoid discussing topics that their community—or they themselves—find uncomfortable. This is unfortunate, because schools are charged to prepare students for the diverse world in which they will work, and it’s important that educators cover topics that focus on diversity. With respect to race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation, everyone should have a place in our schools.
Issues of equity that continue to confront our schools vary from school to school and from state to state. For example, counselor caseloads are a huge issue in states such as California: “The American School Counselor Association recommends one counselor to 250 students. However, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, California schools had one counselor for every 810 students in 2009–10” (Tasci, 2011, para. 5).
Another issue plaguing schools is the reality of poverty: “Poverty matters. Poverty affects children’s health and wellbeing. It affects their emotional lives and their attention spans, their attendance and their academic performance. . . .Nearly one of every four children in the United States lives in poverty” (Ravitch, 2013, p. 93, 253). In addition, more and more school districts are experiencing budget cuts. The discrepancy between the “haves” and “have nots” is widening. Many schools, especially those in highly impoverished neighborhoods, lack the resources they need to offer a high-quality education. Some schools are actively embracing the Bring Your Own Device model, yet other schools do not even have computers.
Some schools have small class sizes, whereas others have twice the number of students sitting in class, or worse—sitting on windowsills. When there is such an obvious level of inequity, it’s hard to maintain a positive school climate in the “have not” schools. So how can school leaders improve school climate with so many barriers in their way? Providing wrap-around services is highly important (Ravitch, 2013). Whether it’s high-quality preschool or after-school programs, wrap-around services can provide students with an excellent beginning and ending to their day. Schools have relatively recently taken on a larger role in the lives of students and families, and this is a role schools will need to continue to assume.
Although they shouldn’t be, inclusivity and equity are sometimes the most difficult areas to approach for staff. Dealing with topics about sexual orientation, race, and gender is uncomfortable for staff, especially if they do not have a supportive administrator. However, teaching students about marginalized populations through conversation, debates, curricula, and literature is important because it opens up their frame of reference and can help prepare them to work in the diverse world in which we live. Unfortunately, there is another more important reason that schools should address the topic of inclusivity and equity: The sad slew of suicides that has taken our young people has taught us that we have an epidemic involving LGBT teens and that we need to do our best to make it stop. Our schools are the places where we can teach students about acceptance and also teach students how to accept who they are. (DeWitt, 2012, p. 5)
Vignette: Why Does Jack Have to Change?
Jack lives in a small town and attends 8th grade at a public school. You may not know Jack, but I’m sure you know a student like him. He enjoys wearing loafers with jeans and typically wears a golf shirt with a cardigan wrapped around his shoulders (as was fashionable during the 80s). Jack doesn’t go to a school that requires a dress code, but he certainly has a dress code for himself. He isn’t concerned about sports, but he certainly loves fashion.
Some days, Jack likes to walk down the hallway and put sticky notes on random lockers. On them, he’s written little things such as “You look nice today,” “Make it a great day,” “I hope you have a good lunch period,” or “Make someone smile today…you know you can do it.” Jack doesn’t necessarily know who owns each of the lockers, but he cares enough to try to make random people smile. In addition, he doesn’t sign his name; he does all of this anonymously. It’s not done for credit or attention; he just wants to make people feel good.
Sometimes Jack is dramatic, but he’s never disruptive. He just feels really positive on the inside. Unfortunately, not everyone appreciates his drama or nice notes. Some accuse him of acting “feminine,” and that bothers his peers, even though those beliefs are based on stereotypes. In short, Jack makes some of his classmates feel uncomfortable, and every time someone says something negative to Jack, the light inside of him gets a bit dimmer.
Jack is lucky to have a mother who would do anything for him and who is not scared to stand up, speak up, or support her child. She wants Jack to advocate for himself, but this is something that’s easier said than done. As much as Jack’s mom supports him, they’ve found that some adults at school are just not interested in showing any support. Instead of creating an environment that accepts students for who they are, many adults around Jack (both inside the school and out) want him to change so he can “fit in.”
There are kids in every city and town who feel as though they don’t fit in. When treated like Jack, they will eventually feel as though the adults in their school not only don’t care about them but also want them to change who they are. Can you imagine not being able to express yourself because it makes other people uncomfortable?
Sadly, the story of Jack is more complicated. Although he doesn’t complain to his teachers, when issues do arise he is told to “toughen up” or that his perception is off. To be honest, he’s certainly strong enough to handle some pressure; he just wishes more adults cared enough to intervene from time to time. He also wants the adults around him to share stories that focus on more than simple stereotypes of what boys “should” be like and how girls “should” act.
Jack should not graduate high school and leave his hometown thinking that his mother was the only adult who cared about him. School may be about academic achievement, but it’s also about fostering growth and teaching students about diversity—not just for one or two students but for all students who might feel excluded or marginalized. Regardless of our personal opinions, schools should be about accepting others…not simply tolerating them.
Inclusivity and Equity
Inclusivity
- GSA: Create a gay-straight alliance in every high school and middle school in your district.
- Diversity in Curriculum: Make sure that curriculum that depicts diversity is used in your school. This could be in the form of literature or social studies debates. Ignoring issues will not make them go away, but discussing and debating them will help foster a better sense of understanding among teachers, staff, students, and parents.
- Celebrate Diversity: Hang posters and have bulletin boards around school that focus on and celebrate diversity in all its forms.
- Nonnegotiable Rules: Establish strong and consistent codes of conduct and school board policies, and make sure they specifically address sexual orientation, gender, race, and body image. All groups need to be protected.
- Gender-Specific Language: Try not to focus on stereotypes. Too much of our society focuses on what boys and girls should like and how they should act. Try to occasionally question those stereotypes.
- Safe Space Stickers: Hang a safe space sticker from the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network or an equality sticker from the Human Rights Campaign in the classroom window. It may be symbolic, but it shows that everyone is accepted.
- Acceptance Not Tolerance: Use the word acceptance instead of tolerance in your lessons on character education. People want to be accepted, not tolerated.
About the authors:
Peter DeWitt (Ed.D) is a former K-5 teacher (11 years) and principal (8 years). He runs competency-based workshops and provides keynotes nationally and internationally focusing on school leadership (collaborative cultures and instructional leadership), as well as, fostering inclusive school climates.
Sean Slade is the Senior Director of Global Outreach at ASCD, focusing on promoting and expanding the ASCD Whole Child approach across the United States and globally. The ASCD Whole Child approach is part of a broad, multiyear plan to shift public dialogue about education from an academic focus to a whole child approach that encompasses all factors required for successful student outcomes. It strives to enhance learning by addressing each student's social, emotional, physical, and academic needs through the shared contributions of schools, families, communities, and policymakers.