Understanding Me, Understanding You: Transforming Diversity in Middle Schools

1. Understanding Me, Understanding You: Transforming Diversity in Middle Schools James Bell, Lisa Marvel, Stephanie Smith, Ruth A. Uhey, and Krystal Wright EDD 7101 – Wilmington UniversityDecember 6, 2010

2. INTRODUCTION: BULLYING • Growing trend • Fosters a school climate of fear • Impairs physical and psychological health

3. James Nabozny: “Bullied” • Bullied – • “Designed to help administrators, teachers and counselors create a safer school environment for all students, not just those who are gay and lesbian. • Intended to help all students understand the terrible toll bullying can take on its victims, and to encourage students to stand up for their classmates who are being harassed” (http://www.tolerance.org/bullied).

4. President Obama: Bullying Speech • October 21, 2010 • “We've got to dispel the myth that bullying is just anormal rite of passage, or an inevitable part of growing up. It's not. We have an obligation to ensure that our schools are safe for all of our kids. Every single young person deserves the opportunity to learn and grow and achieve their potential, without having to worry about the constant threat of harassment.”

5. Significance: Elementary School • Seemingly innocent name-calling and • teasing because someone appears different. • Glasses • Bright hair color Kirsten Vital Superintendent of the Alameda Unified School District “To include everyone [by creating] a welcoming environment for everyone including [the] LGBT community. [The intended materials connected] to the anti-teasing, anti-bullying curriculum [by] helping kids not to tease each other on the playground and not to bully one another and really understand everyone's differences” (Melendez, 2009).

6. Significance: Middle School • Peer-to-peer cruelty escalates • Explore identity • Learn about social hierarchies • Develop life skills around interpersonal interaction, intimacy, and group dynamics. • “Peers can be a source of support serving many positive functions; but for many… peer relationships and peer groups can also be a source of ostracism, social exclusion, and harassment” (Horn, S.S., & Romeo, K.E., 2010, p. 7).

7. Middle School: Percentages of Students Who Reported Bullying Source: Jennings, K. (2010, November 17). Source: Jennings, K. (2010, November 17). Bullying and Harassment Conference. U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools meeting at the Maryland State Department ofEducation, Severn, MD.

8. Significance: High School • Bullying in high school can have detrimental consequences as students are more physically developed to inflict harm. • 2.9% “described themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual” (Healthy Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Students Project, 2009). • Due to intense level of fear, many do not admit gay until after graduating high school. Phoebe Prince (15), South Hadley High School, 2010

9. Significance: Higher Education Students’ perceptions and fears of what could potentially happen to them are very real, and can affect not only their academic success, but may prevent them from reporting any bullying as well. Tyler Clementi (18), Freshman - Rutgers University, 2010 Matthew Shepard (21), University of Wyoming, 1998

10. Massachusetts Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth Report • Baring sexual orientation discrimination. • Punishing perpetrators who act violently or harass gay students. • Urging higher education institutions to recruit potential gay employees by advertising in homosexual publications. • Hiring gay employees by offering benefits for their partners. • Creating educational opportunities on homosexuality and AIDS. • Incorporating “the contributions to society of gay people should be incorporated in workshops and the curriculum” (Chronicle of Higher Education, 1993)

11. Statement of Need • Reassess: • School Environment • Teachers • Faculty/Staff • Peer Communication • Policies and Programs • Implement: • Professional Development • Due to the escalating violence that is directly linked with bullying, it is critical for all education stakeholders to review, assess, and focus on the school environment and characteristics in order to affect real change for ALL students.

12. Objective and Goals • Objective • The objective of implementing mandatory professional development at the middle school level is to create opportunities for understanding of the LGBT & Q population in an effort to build and strengthen positive relationships that will improve school culture. • Goals • Building on the foundation of the objective, the following goals establish the groundwork for the professional development programs for middle school populations: • Create an awareness campaign for parents and community members to understand the feelings associated with the LGBT & Q population in an effort to increase cultural competence. • Create a program for school staff that includes dialogue with LGBT & Q students and parents to promote cultural sensitivity. The program will examine qualitative and quantitative data (i.e. student grades, attendance, interviews with parents and students, etc.) of LGBT & Q students to determine the effect of a culturally insensitive school environment.

13. Evidence – Why Middle School? • “The middle school years have a tremendous impact on the social • and academic development of adolescents[, as well as] the power • to either improve psychological functioning of youth or compromise it” • (Birkett, Espelage, and Koenig (2009). • 91.4% of LGB middle school and high school students reported that they sometimes or frequently heard homophobic remarks in school such as ‘‘faggot,’’ ‘‘dyke,’’ or ‘‘queer.’’ Of these students, 99.4% said they heard remarks from students and 39.2% heard remarks from faculty or school staff (Kosciw and Diaz 2006). • 6th through 10th graders [surveyed]: • 24.2% reported being bullied once or twice • 8.5% reported being bullied sometimes • 8.4% reported being bullied at least on a weekly basis (Birkett, et al, 2009). • 7-12th grade students [surveyed] • 28.1% of gay and bisexual males and 20.5% lesbian and bisexual females reported previous suicide attempts • 60% of the LGB youth sampled had considered suicide attempts

14. Plan of Action • Greatest Impact – MIDDLE SCHOOL • Bullying escalates at the middle school level • Review, assess (survey), and focus on the school environment and characteristics in order to affect real change for all students. • Professional Development for education stakeholders. • Due to the critical years of maturity during middle school, implementation of a professional development program for education stakeholders is critical in order to affect real change prior to students entering high school.

15. The GLSEN Lunchbox Training Program • The GLSEN Lunchbox • Comprehensive training program • “Provides educators and community members with background knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to make schools safer and more affirming places for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students” (http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/educator/library/record/1748.html)

16. Budget and Funding • Kit contains over 40 training exercise cards, a binder with 140 pages of handouts/resources, a video with nine exerpts from GLSEN, Human Relations Media and Women's Educational Media, 25 GLSEN Safe Space stickers, and a GLSEN highlighter and photo holder. • Price: $129.95 each • Funding: School Climate Grant and/or Professional Development Funds. • Delaware: 19 School Districts, plus 19 Charters (38 total) • $129.95 x 38 = $4,938.10 • $129.95 x 201 schools = $26,119.95

17. Create Awareness • In-Class Resources (Website List) • Invest in Professional Development – GLSEN Lunchbox Kit Training Program • Future Integration of LGBTQ and Teaching Tolerance in Age-Appropriate Curriculum. Recommendations and Conclusion Questions?

18. References • Arcadia University. (2010). Information for LGBT Students. Retrieved at http://www.arcadia.edu/abroad/default.aspx?id=12922 • Birkett, M., Espelage, D., & Koenig, B. (2009, August 1). LGB and Questioning Students in Schools: The Moderating Effects of Homophobic Bullying and School Climate on Negative Outcomes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, volume 38, issue 7, p. 989-1000. doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9389-1 • Brummel, B. (Producer), & Sharp, G. (Director). (2010). Bullied [Motion picture]. United States: Southern Poverty Law Center. • Cassels, C. (2010, October 27). Bullying in America: Time to confront national crisis experts say. Medscape Medical News. Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/731328 • Cianciotto, J., & Cahill, S. (2003). Education policy: Issues affecting lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered youth. New York: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. Accessible at www.ngltf.org. • Gay-Lesbian-Straight Education Network. (2009). 2009 National School Climate Survey. Available from http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/2624.html • Goldfriend, M. (2001). Integrating gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues into mainstream psychology. American Psychologist, volume 56, p. 977-88. • Jones, R. (1999, November). I don’t feel safe here anymore. American School Board Journal, volume 86, issue 11, p. 26-31. • Kim, R. (2009). Report on the Status of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People in Education: Stepping Out of the Closet, Into the Light. Washington, DC: National Education Association. • Kitts, R.L. (2005). Gay adolescents and suicide: Understanding the association. ADOLESCENCE, Vol. 40, Issue 159, p. 621- 628. San Diego, CA: Libra Publishers, Inc. Retrieved from CINAHL database (2009113734) http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?hid=11&sid=42728bf1-548f-4a2d-a411- b9bba270f8c0%40sessionmgr13&vid=11 • Kosciw, J. G., & Diaz, E. M. (2006). The 2005 national school climate survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN. In Birkett, M., Espelage, D.L., & Koenig, B. (2009, August 1). LGB and Questioning Students in Schools: The Moderating Effects of Homophobic Bullying and School Climate on Negative Outcomes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, volume 38, issue 7, p989-1000. • Melendez, L. (2009, May 8). Alameda may introduce gay issues to schools [Video file]. Retrieved at http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/education&id=6804194 • Rubin, K.H., Bukowski, W., & Parker, J. (2006). Peer interactions, relationships, and groups. In Horn, S.S., & Romeo, K.E. (2010, November). Peer Contexts for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender students: Reducing stigma, prejudice, and discrimination.The Prevention Researcher, volume 17, issue 4, p. 7-10. • Russell, S., & Joyner, K. (2001). Adolescent sexual orientation and suicide risk: Evidence from a national study. American Journal of Public Health, volume 91, p. 1276-1281.