From the City Council to Early Childhood Classrooms: Examining the Policy and Politics of a School District's Gender-Inclusive Guidelines

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Three
  In Roundtable Session: Manifesting Gender Inclusion and Equity in Education Policy (Table 1)

Abstract

This study examines the enactment of a large U.S school district's gender-inclusive policy in early childhood classrooms. Data come from 55 semi-structured interviews with key district policymakers, PD providers, teachers and school administrators. I found teachers having scant knowledge about the gender guidelines and the resources available, a challenge that can be traced back to the political circumstances in which the policy was conceived. The gender-inclusive school district policy was a product of City Councilmembers' long history of LGBTQ advocacy and political and economic power over the DOE. Originated as an external, "top-down" endeavor, the necessary structures and systems to disseminate the policy were never developed, resulting in severe inefficacies and inefficiencies, and hindering the sustainability of the endeavor.

Author

• Carolina Snaider, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Presenting Author