This article outlines a thinking framework that any teacher can use to adapt curriculum through a lens of gender diversity. The authors illustrate the adaptation of several sample lessons to achieve three key outcomes: (1) to support and reduce harm to LGBTQ students; (2) to engage all students with inquiry into science in society; and (3) to…

It is critical for educators to understand how the official educational policy of the United States, which reflects dominant language ideologies, renders a particular view of immigrant families and students. Educational policy explicitly emphasizes the need for linguistically diverse students to acquire standard English, implicitly problematizing…

This article describes a film entitled "The Year we Thought about Love" (2014) in which a LGBQT troup of teens who are part of a youth troupe called True Colors present the diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lives in art. Their mission is to break through personal isolation, challenge the status quo, and build thriving…

Teachers in the United States receive conflicting messages about who they can and should be in and outside of the classroom. Some teachers may believe critical approaches to combating racial, political, and social issues are outside the scope of their classroom or not relevant to their discipline. Teachers may also feel constrained and…

Tolerance must be conceptualized based on the diversity that exists in our world, our communities, and our schools. The author posits that dealing with diversity is a 21st-century skill set and that tolerance of difference is a rudimentary element of that set. The diversity of experiences and situations that confront middle school students and…

In most societies, some social identity groups hold a disproportionate amount of social, cultural, and economic power, while other groups hold little. In contemporary U.S. society, examples of this power are evident around issues of ability/disability, with able-bodied individuals wielding social dominance and people with disabilities experiencing…

In this article the authors describe pedagogy which rests on commitments to solidarity, activism, and intersectional understandings of personhood and social (in)justices. The authors seek to create accessible classrooms where our many selves and critical consciousness can be in (dis)comforting conversation with one another. Then, they hope to…

This article details my racialized awakenings as a White kindergarten teacher after being called a racist by a parent of one of my students. I chronicle critical reflections of myself and my school in terms of latent institutional racism and actions. I share the actions that I have begun in my efforts to counter racism and move toward teaching for…

School climate reform, an evidence-based strategy, supports K-12 students, school personnel,parents/guardians, and community members learning and working together to promote pro-social education. School climate is the holistic context of the life, vigor, and quality of the social connectedness, physical elements, and supportive practices that…

In this diverse collection, editors Killoran and Pendleton Jimenez bring together an important collection of chapters that tackle homophobia, transphobia, and heterosexism. From the hallways and classrooms of elementary and secondary schools to the lecture halls of postsecondary institutions, "Unleashing the Unpopular: Talking About Sexual…

Acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (GLBTQ) adolescents in high schools is growing. Yet, the experience of this family suggests that creating and maintaining a safe environment for GLBTQ students requires constant vigilance, even in the best of environments. As school administrators face competing pressures from…

Diversity is defined as differences in groups of people and individuals based on ethnicity, race, language, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, exceptionalities, and religion. Each of these aspects of diversity is a "culture" in and of itself. The goal of physical education teachers is to become "culturally responsive teachers" and…

In the wake of institutionalized homophobia afflicting public schools, the nation faces a unique opportunity to acknowledge and transform the assumption that all people are or should be heterosexual and gender-conforming. In this article, the author examines how people, as a nation, can reform schools to be more inclusive of diverse student…

This article presents some of the advances in legal support for addressing homophobia and transphobia in school settings and provides a critique of school-based policies that focus on these phenomena as particular incidents involving bullies and victims. Defining heteronormativity as a cultural phenomenon underpinning recognisable acts of…

Transgender people are becoming increasingly visible in popular culture, academia, and national politics. University and college administrators are struggling at every level with how to address the needs of trans-identified staff people, faculty members, and students, all of whom are increasingly becoming open, vibrant participants in university…