Parent Navigation of School Policy: How Mothers of Transgender Youth Interact With the School

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 5:25 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Toward Family Engagement: Reimagining Parental Involvement (Table 6)

Abstract

The US policy landscape is marked by a rapidly shifting set of policies governing transgender students' access to educational spaces at various levels of governance. While prior research has illustrated the role of the supportive parent as an advocate for educational access (Aramburu Alegría, 2018; Johnson & Sikorski, 2010; Pullen Sansfaçon et al., 2015; Riggs & Bartholomaeus, 2018), this proposal advances our understanding through its emphasis on policy and the comparison of parent experiences to espoused policy. Through 8 semi-structured interviews and a comparative analysis of policy documents, this research will provide insights into the challenges and successes of navigating educational access. This understanding informs how policy has been implemented and the role of the parent.

Author

• Nicolas Pardo, University of Southern California