HEDCO Institute for Evidence-Based Educational Practice’s Post

🔍 New Research Alert: Exploring School Safety and Wellbeing for the LGBTQ+ Community 📚🌈 Excited to share my latest research on school safety, interpersonal challenges, and self-harm among LGBTQ+ students, staff, and parents. This study sheds light on unique experiences and concerns, offering crucial implications for creating inclusive and supportive school environments. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+) individuals often face challenges in school settings. My study, encompassing 1926 students, 198 staff, and 180 parents, delves into perceptions of safety, interpersonal challenges, and self-harm across different roles, school types, locations, and gender identities. Results reveal that LGBTQ+ students, staff, and parents encounter similar concerns, with students showing a higher prevalence across all indicators. Students in government/public, religious affiliated, and nonmetropolitan schools, as well as transgender and gender diverse students, reported particularly high levels of distress. This research emphasizes the need for school-wide interventions to foster positive climates, focusing on safety, anti-bullying, and self-harm tailored to LGBTQ+ community members' needs. Creating safe and inclusive school environments is pivotal for LGBTQ+ wellbeing. This research aims to be a valuable resource for educators, policymakers, and advocates striving towards this essential goal. 🔗 [https://lnkd.in/ezYBK6SN ] #LGBTQ #Research #Education #SchoolSafety #Inclusion #MentalHealth #AntiBullying

Today is Day of (No) Silence—a day filled with action and support for LGBTQ+ youth across the country experiencing silencing and erasure in schools. While historically participants have taken a vow of silence, GLSEN is encouraging active advocacy and dialogue to combat the surge in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and to foster inclusivity in educational spaces. We’re just 4 months into the year, and already over 475 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced. Over 80% of LGBTQ+ students report feeling unsafe at school. Given these alarming statistics, the urgency to mobilize for LGBTQ+ rights and inclusivity has never been greater. Learn how to rise up, speak out, and take action for a brighter future here: glsen.org/dayofnosilence

Today is GLSEN's National Day of (No) Silence, a day dedicated to recognizing the effects of harassment and discrimination of LGBTQ+ people in schools. Participating in the day of silence "speaks" volumes, and I'm proud to say that our office held a moment of silence this morning to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. With over 800 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced last year, it's crucial to acknowledge and stand up against these bills that impact millions in the community. These bills are catalysts that lead to bullying, harassment, discrimination, and hate crimes in schools, the workplace, public settings, and even our own homes. Let's all take a moment today to reflect on the importance of creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals and actively work towards a future where everyone feels accepted and valued. Check out the link for more information on GLSEN and the history of Day of (No) Silence. #DayOfNoSilence #LGBTQ+ #GLSEN #TEKsystems

In recent months, the well-being of LGBTQ+ students has become increasingly concerning. Discover methods to offer intersectional #MentalHealth services to better address their needs. https://bit.ly/3L1YE4J #LGBTQStudents #StudentMentalHealh #SupportStudents

New article I wrote for Born This Way Foundation for Channel Kindness: "How Schools Can Ensure The Safety + Support for Transgender + Nonbinary Students" https://lnkd.in/dmWXMvPz #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqia #pride #pridemonth #Pride2024 #transrights #transrightsarehumanrights

As we close out Pride Month, there’s new research we just released with Theirworld among LGBTQ+ youth. The findings are discouraging: • 52% of LGBTQ+ youth face bullying • 38% don’t feel schools are safe • 35% have missed school due to bullying Learning in a safe educational environment is a fundamental right that all children deserve. We need officials at all levels of government who will strongly advocate for more inclusive education policies that help children feel safer in school. https://t.co/3sCf382be7

Check out this Wisconsin Public Radio article that features ELPA Ph.D. students Erin K. Gill, M.S., Benjamin Lebovitz, and their advisor Dr. Mollie McQuillan! The article highlights their report that looked at the 2021 Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey and found that transgender and LGBTQ+ youth are more likely to report unsafe school climates and mental health concerns than their cisgender, heterosexual peers. One statistic from their report states that transgender students are more than three times as likely as their cisgender peers to report they have been bullied at school. They found that supportive school-based resources are needed to offset the mental health risks. They also suggest that protective policies could be put into place and more inclusive curricula could be added to make the students feel safer. #ThisIsELPA #ELPAExcellence #transgender #transgenderrights #transgenderawareness #k12 #k12education #lgbtq #lgbtqrights #educationalleadership #educationpolicy

Protecting Students: Controversial Bill Threatens LGBTQ+ Rights in Schools #academicfreedom #chillingeffectonteachers #genderidentityinstruction #GeorgiaSenatebillcontroversy #GovernorBrianKempveto #LGBTQstudents #LGBTQyouthmentalhealth #parentalauthority #parentalrights #penaltiesfornoncompliance #regulationofprivateschools #stateinterventioninschoolcurricula #studentwellbeing #writtenconsent

How do students, teachers and school leaders want to discuss race and LGBTQ issues at school? The results from a new RAND survey are complicated, in Chalkbeat https://lnkd.in/g-GihwhC

"Adults and teens felt more comfortable with teachers teaching about racism than LGBTQ issues. They were also more comfortable with teachers talking about past injustices than present-day inequality, and more comfortable with gay rights than trans rights. And they were more comfortable with any of these topics coming up at the high school level — though many teens reported their own discomfort....Half of teachers, meanwhile, said they thought students shouldn’t learn about gender identity at school, with an even higher share of elementary school teachers agreeing with that view. The findings come as anti-trans legislation creates a more hostile environment for gender non-conforming youth in many states." We have to do better to protect trans lives. We have to do better to offer our youth the tools that they need to feel empowered, to feel like they belong, to thrive.