The institution of schooling is a key socializing agent, and teachers' attitudes toward gender and sexual diversity play a crucial role in the education of all children, shaping in particular the school experience of LGBT + children and youth. Our research used a survey of Early Childhood and Primary teachers (N = 182) and university students…

Little research has examined the experiences of lesbian/gay (LG) parent families or adoptive parent families in early childhood education settings. This study uses interview data to examine the perceptions and experiences of 45 lesbian, gay, and heterosexual couples (90 individuals) with 10 adopted children with respect to their (1) openness with…

Sex education and diverse sexualities are controversial topics within the primary school arena. Concepts of childhood innocence have influenced sex education curriculum, policy development and teaching practices within schools. However, research shows that primary school-aged students are aware of and talk about sexualities. The aim of this…

Gay and lesbian issues are often silenced in teacher education programs. Such silencing has serious consequences for teachers who feel unprepared to discuss such issues in their classrooms. Challenging the silence regarding gay and lesbian issues that often permeates early childhood classrooms, we share a teacher's critical inquiry into teaching…

Teachers often are shocked and in disbelief when someone points out that they are not embracing all children and families. For many teachers, digesting the words of "Everything Possible" or encountering their first nontraditional family in the classroom is an "aha" moment, when they realize that they need classroom resources to support these…

This text captures the profiles and cumulative records of six diverse students at early childhood, middle childhood, and then high school level. Intended for the preservice teacher, this book illustrates how to create a caring school environment; accommodate for special learning needs in instructional and assessments; and interact with families…