Sexual orientation topics in educational leadership programmes across the USA

Abstract

This investigation examines the inclusion of sexual orientation topics within the formal curriculum of 55 public college and university educational administration/leadership programmes across the USA. The findings indicate that programmes place a low priority upon sexual orientation compared to other diversity topics and that 59.5% of programmes fail to include sexual orientation as a form of diversity in their formal curriculum. The findings summarise both inclusive and non-inclusive programme coordinator assessments of the various challenges to addressing sexual orientation topics such as time constraints, faculty ignorance, and student discomfort. The research reports the various topics related to sexual orientation covered by inclusive programmes and the reasons given by programme coordinators from non-inclusive programmes as to why they do not address sexual orientation topics. Finally, the research found that the presence of openly gay or lesbian faculty had no apparent affect upon the likelihood that sexual orientation topics are covered.

Keywords:

• educational leadership
• inclusive education
• higher education