Transfuturist Framework for Education: Recalibrating “Success” for Trans and Nonbinary Students in K–12 Schools

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Abstract

Research on the educational experiences of trans and non-binary (TNB) students in K-12 schools is highly damage-centered, whereby “success” is often measured by a decrease in harm and articulated through others’ voices. This conceptual paper explores a new race-conscious theoretical framework that draws on five primary sources. The Transfuturist Framework for Education makes five theoretical contributions: it (1) positions TNB students as experts in their own experience; (2) creates a more comprehensive metric of “success”; (3) provides educational leaders with a more hopeful justification for proactive gender-affirming policies and practices; (4) imagines revolutionary, gender-liberatory educational settings for TNB students; and (5) provides a solid base from which to reframe educational policies, leadership strategies, and research relating to TNB students.

Author

• SJ Hemmerich, University of Wisconsin - Madison