Progress and Backlash in the Wake of Obergefell: Reaching Conservative Southern Teachers Through the Power of Literature

This paper uses a mixed narrative and quantitative analysis to examine how a graduate class of predominantly politically and religiously conservative (self-identified), elementary teachers in the South made discursive sense of gender and sexually diverse (GSD) young adult and children's literature in the context of concurrent, relevant national events, especially the U.S. Supreme Court's legalization of gay marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges. Using narrative data, supplemented with quantitative pre- and postsurveys, this study provides fruitful insights into conservative professionals' attitudes and practices regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth and adults. Our findings suggest effective ways to help prepare conservative professionals to sensitively address GSD issues in elementary school settings.     

The complexities of workplace experience for lesbian and gay teachers

Discrimination against lesbians and gay men has been endemic throughout Australia’s history. However, in twenty-first century Australian society there are signs of growing sophistication and acceptance of sexual diversities. Despite this, schools continue to be organisations where sexual ‘difference’ is marginalised and silenced, having ramifications on the professional lives of lesbian and gay teachers. This article, based on qualitative research with 14 lesbian and gay teachers working in metropolitan Sydney, explores the ways in which schooling micro-cultures and systemic practices affect participants’ working lives. In particular, it highlights the ways in which these teachers negotiate the complex discursive fields in schools to perform their ‘professional’ teacher subjectivities in ways that are personally functional and effective, and simultaneously organisationally ‘acceptable’ in what has been for lesbian and gay teachers, traditionally hostile workplaces.     

Lesbian and gay teachers and sex/uality education policy enactment in schools

ABSTRACT

This paper examines lesbian and gay teachers’ identities and experiences in schools in the context of school policies relating to homophobia and to sex and sexuality education. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 12 lesbian and gay teachers working in English and Welsh schools, and using the concept of ‘policy enactment’, I analyse the ways in which school policies around homo/bi/transphobic bullying and sex/uality education and their enactment are perceived by lesbian and gay teachers. The article examines teachers’ personal experiences in relation to sexuality in school, and then broadens out into related issues for pupils and a discussion of the varied approaches to sex and relationships education in the schools. I argue that the enactment of these policies is not straightforward, and that they could be better supported by a more inclusive and comprehensive sexuality education curriculum.     

A historical reflection on literacy,gender and opportunity: implications for the teaching of literacy in early childhood education

This paper presents a historical reflection on gender and literacy, with a view to informing the present teaching of literacy in early childhood. The relationship between gender, literacy and opportunity in the labour market is examined, given that despite girls’ achievement in literacy, in comparison with boys’, women continue to earn substantially less than men. In order to understand this relationship, this paper reflects on literacy as a socio-historical construct as well as examining the ways in which the past is constitutive in forming enduring notions of gender that penetrate all elements of society, including the literacy classroom. This critical analysis of what is learned about and through the medium of literacy in the early childhood classroom has major implications for the teaching of literacy today. It is argued that in order to address this issue, early childhood educators need to value and nurture children’s digital literacies as well as create learning environments that allow all children genuine opportunities to question, challenge and explore dominant discourses that are embedded in text.     

Do schools discriminate against homosexual parents? Evidence from a randomized correspondence experiment

The recognition of homosexual rights is a controversial issue in many countries. Spain was the third country in the world (after the Netherlands and Belgium) to introduce a law recognizing homosexual marriage and the adoption of children by homosexual couples. In this paper, we examine for the first time whether schools are more hesitant about giving feedback to homosexual parents during children's pre-registration period in Catalonia (Spain). To do so, we designed a correspondence experiment to be conducted in schools. We created three types of fictitious couples—one heterosexual, one gay, and one lesbian—and sent emails to schools in which the couples’ sexual orientation was explicit. Our results show that gay couples had a significantly lower (22 percentage points) call-back probability than heterosexual couples. No statistically significant differences in call-back probability were found between the lesbian and heterosexual couples.     

Speaking out: perspectives of gay and lesbian practitioners in outdoor education in the UK

Outdoor education has been shaped historically and culturally by many influences. Physically challenging activities out of doors have been appropriated by a number of traditions. These include militaristic, educational and developmental ideologies. Arguably, central to these ideologies are heterosexual, white middle class values. While women have sought to challenge this and feminist and pro-feminist research is evident, very little research has been undertaken into sexuality in relation to teacher or practitioner perspective and experience. Consequently, gay and lesbian voices within outdoor education are all but silenced. This paper explores the perspectives of three lesbian and four gay men who work in the UK outdoor education ‘industry’.

In-depth interviews were held with the participants exploring a variety of issues relating to their life histories and their experiences of working in a predominantly heterosexist outdoor education culture. This paper focuses upon the ways in which the participants perceived the need to conceal their lesbian and gay identities and the consequential effects of managing their identities.     

Making ‘place’ for ecological sustainability in early childhood education

Culturally, childhood is often understood as a time of innocence which can mean that issues such as ecological sustainability are considered too problematic for early childhood practice. By drawing on findings from a research project that focused on issues of ecological sustainability in early childhood centres in New Zealand from Western and indigenous perspectives, this article contributes a critical perspective of ecological sustainability as an educational issue in early childhood education (ECE). The article falls into two parts: the first section gives an overview of some of the conceptual and theoretical issues that underpin critical perspectives of childhood, and provides a context for current global ECE discourse, while the second section introduces the research project and discusses the intersections of ‘local’ and ‘global’ in light of teachers’ emerging ‘pedagogies of place’. The intent is to demonstrate that critical engagement with such complex global issues as ecological sustainability generates spaces for new understandings of how ECE can contribute to theory and practice of education for sustainability.     

Unsettled Relations: Schools,Gay Marriage,and Educating for Sexuality

In this article, Cris Mayo examines the relationship among anti‐LGBTQ policies, gay marriage, and sexuality education. Her concern is that because gay marriage is insufficiently different from heterosexual marriage, adding it as an issue to curriculum or broader culture debate elides rather than addresses sexual difference. In other words, marriage may be an assimilative aspiration that closes down discussions of what sexuality is and can mean, that sidesteps other related social issues such as health care for all, and that reinforces sexuality and gender identity as privatized, not political, concerns. Mayo examines different strands of LGBTQ history that complicate the meanings of sexuality and that critique a variety of antigay or heterosexist policies for their exclusions. She concludes by suggesting that the possibilities of sexuality are not served by advocacy for one gay relationship formation and calling for a sexuality education that is instead directed at sexual diversity.     

Evolving issues in early childhood education: A personal perspective

This article describes the issues in early childhood education that were most pressing during the past two decades. It indicates whether each issue has been settled and outlines urgent new issues for today. In 1967 the most salient issues were the importance of early childhood for education, when early education should begin, whether it could compensate for childhood experience at home, and whether the effects of early education were permanent. In 1972 the central issue was the best kind of early educational program. By 1977 attention had shifted to ways that early education could be done most efficiently and cheaply, whether parent education was the answer, and how it worked. By 1982 a new issue had arisen: the effects of full-time day care on preschool children's development. Today's most pressing issues seem to be finding ways to maximize the fit between programs and participants, the implications of the superbaby trend, and the effects of day care on infants' development.     

“同妻”“同夫”婚姻维持与解体的比较——一项虚拟社会人类学研究

＂同妻＂与＂同夫＂作为社会边缘群体,在与同性恋者组成的婚姻家庭中是弱者,对于婚姻的维持以及解体都经受着与常人不同的艰辛和困扰。从虚拟人类学的角度考察,无论是婚姻的维持、解体或是再婚,＂同夫＂＂同妻＂群体都是受害者,然而他们所遭受的困扰与磨难却是有差别的,＂同妻＂相比于＂同夫＂有着更为弱势的地位,这与社会性别不平等是分不开的。同情这两大弱势群体的同时也要反思为何已婚同志家庭会不断产生、如何避免此类错误再发生,才能从根本上帮助减少＂同夫＂＂同妻＂群体的再生;同时更要将男性与女性置于更合理的位置上,减少因性别差异导致的性别不平等与性别歧视,才能帮助＂同夫＂＂同妻＂群体在已婚同志家庭中受到的伤害尽可能减少。     

Let's Make Better Use of Our Libraries

Teachers concerned with issues of social justice are sometimes confronted by classroom incidents that compel them to take action. This article draws on an incident in a primary school setting where deprecating language, used toward a child of lesbian parents, challenged the teacher to confront the issue of homophobic language. The teacher worked in consultation with the school community to provide a real-life learning opportunity about diverse family structures. Written in a narrative style, the teacher's voice is used to articulate the incident and the dilemmas he confronted. To explore the issues, this article shows that “difference” in an educational setting can be both positive and problematic; educators can challenge the unjust use of homophobic language; and the need for visible gay role models extends not only to students but also to gay educators.     

The complexities of participatory action research and the problems of power,identity and influence

This article highlights the complexity of participatory action research (PAR) in that the study outlined was carried out with and by, as opposed to on, participants. The project was contextualised in two prior-to-school settings in Australia, with the early childhood professionals and, to some extent, the preschoolers involved in this PAR project seen as co-researchers. This article explores the author’s journey to PAR, which she considered a socially just mode of inquiry. However, it is not without its complexities and challenges. This article makes transparent these complexities and explores issues of ‘power’, identity and influence in collaborative research. Questions often reflected upon by researchers are re-visited in this article: What theoretical underpinnings align with the investigation? Why undertake such a demanding research design as PAR? What does this research design involve? Where does the university researcher fit? How does a PAR team ‘work’ when there are so many different personalities involved? What are the challenges that are faced by participatory action researchers and how might these be overcome? While these challenges are not new to PAR researchers, the solutions and discussion put forward in this article may generate further reflection and debate.     

School psychology and issues of sexual orientation: Attitudes,beliefs, and knowledge

The purpose of this study was to investigate school psychologists' attitudes toward lesbians and gay males. Aspects of school psychologists' knowledge, beliefs, current practices, and levels of preparedness related to issues of sexual orientation were also explored. A sample of 288 school psychologists (215 females and 73 males, mean age = 44 years) who were members of NASP participated in this study. Participants completed research packets containing a hypothetical case analogue vignette and three questionnaires querying their attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge about issues of sexual orientation. The results indicated school psychologists endorse relatively positive attitudes toward lesbians and gay males, report low‐to‐moderate levels of knowledge about lesbian and gay male issues, are willing to address lesbian and gay male issues on the job, are generally aware of how such issues impact schools, and are inadequately prepared to deal with lesbian and gay male issues. These findings are discussed in relation to their impact on the field and the implications for graduate training. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 201–210, 2004.     

Sexual Orientation,Social Justice and Teacher Education

Social justice concerns in teacher education are commonly restricted to issues of race/ethnicity, class, gender, disability and geographic location. Sexual orientation, as a social justice issue, receives little or no attention in Australia despite evidence that gay, lesbian and bisexual students constitute a disadvantaged group in school systems. This paper makes the case for the inclusion of sexual orientation as a social justice issue in initial teacher education foundations curriculum, however, it is hypothesised that there is likely to be multi‐faceted resistance to this. Pairing the topics of gender and sexuality/sexual orientation is proposed as both a way of circumventing most of the resistance and achieving some useful outcomes. The paper concludes with a consideration of whose responsibility it is to act on this issue.     

“The Changers and the Changed”: Preparing Early Childhood Teachers to Work With Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual,and Transgender Families

The Census Bureau estimates that up to 14 million children under the age of 18 are being raised by lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) families. Just as heterosexual families require child care to enable work and want high-quality early childhood education to enhance their children's development, LGBT families experience the same needs and desires for their children. However, similar to other educational institutions, the early childhood field has either held negative beliefs regarding diverse family structures or ignored the unique needs of LGBT families. As part of an effort to address teachers' understandings of equity, faculty at a southeastern university sponsored a course designed to prepare early childhood teacher education students to offer welcoming, inclusive learning environments for LGBT families and their young children. The purpose of this article is to examine the learning process and transformation of students in this course. Findings from quantitative and qualitative data are presented, as is a discussion on how courses on family equity can and should be incorporated into teacher education programs.     

Something more to tell you: gay,lesbian or bisexual young people's experiences of secondary schooling

How do young people who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (lgb) experience secondary schooling? How do they feel that questions of sexuality are dealt with in the curriculum and do they find this treatment helpful? This article presents the findings of a project that replicated Trenchard and Warren's 1984 study, Something to tell you. The findings are analysed and some suggestions are made as to changes in lgb‐identifying people's experiences of schooling from 1984 to 2001. Finally, the article considers these changes in relation to the question of the ‘effect’ of Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988.     

Reconceptualising professionalism in early childhood education: insights from a study carried out in Bologna

This paper explores the issue of early childhood professionalism from a socio-cultural perspective. In particular the article is concerned with how pre-school teachers conceptualise their professionalism by making sense of the work they carry out on an everyday basis in early childhood institutions. In analysing teachers’ perceptions special attention has been paid to the socio-political and historical conditions that have contributed to shaping them. Drawing on a recent empirical study conducted within Bologna province (Italy), contemporary issues in early childhood professionalism are analysed and insights for a possible re-conceptualisation are offered through a critical interpretation of teachers’ perspectives. The findings discussed in the article highlight how a complex conceptualisation of professionalism, building upon continuous learning in relational contexts, is currently challenged by recent neo-liberal influences. In facing these challenges a crucial role will be played by teachers’ collaborative practices in the workplace that, if reclaimed as a space for collective decision-making, could potentially become an arena for rethinking teachers’ professional development in dialogue with local communities.     

South African contributions to LGBTI education issues

ABSTRACT

South Africa stands out in the African region for its protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights. This article examines South Africa’s contributions to local policy for LGBTIs and to work on LGBTI issues in education policy and education rights progress internationally. It also considers broader South African contributions to the theorisation of gender and sexuality. Data derive from an analysis of 102 interviews with key informants participating in high-level global networking for LGBTI students’ rights, and documentary analysis showing how stakeholders characterise South African contributions to transnational LGBTI education work. Informants identified how such contributions have a strong human rights emphasis, furthering post-colonial resistance to simplistic gender and sexuality classification schema imposed via imperial colonising dynamics. While South African work in this area has also promoted and facilitated research, it has at times been limited by ambivalence from its leadership. The nation’s early adoption of constitutional rights, relationship rights and educational equity provisions as acts of decolonisation contribute valuable African LGBTI work examples to the region. Their success encourages further funding for South-South transnational LGBTI education work.