A systematic review of research on LGBTQ educators’ experiences and LGBTQ curriculum in K-12 U.S. public schools

ABSTRACT

This systematic review of literature was conducted to understand (a) acronym usage to define LGBTQ educators and curriculum, (b) theoretical frameworks and research designs of studies investigating LGBTQ educator perspectives, (c) the barriers, supports, and benefits identified by LGBTQ educators (i) in including LGBTQ topics into the curriculum and (ii) regarding their disclosure decisions. Of the 12 studies reviewed, patterns emerged in the prevalence of Queer theory as a guiding theoretical lens, narrative and case study approaches to inform investigations into lived experiences, and cross-study concurrence around fear of disclosure and self-censorship. Recommendations for future research include streamlining inconsistencies in LGBTQ acronym definitions, diversifying samples away from predominantly White/Caucasian gay and lesbian educator samples, increasing transgender, queer, questioning and bisexual perspectives, and studying impacts of LGBTQ curricular inclusion.

KEYWORDS:

• LGBTQ
• educator
• identity
• curriculum
• inclusion

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. We capitalize Transgender as a marker of importance and respect for Transgender individuals’ identity, culture, and community (Lewis & Sembiante, 2019).

2. Heteronormativity, coined by Warner (1991), refers to society’s social norm and assumption that heterosexuality is the accepted and privileged sexual identity norm. Heteronormativity creates an ‘othering’ effect for all other types of sexual identities which are considered deviant in contrast to heterosexuality (Warner, 1991).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melissa A. Antonelli

Melissa A. Antonelli is a doctoral candidate in Curriculum, and Instruction at Florida Atlantic University. Currently, in her fourth year, her dissertation focus is on LGBTQ educators and their experiences with LGBTQ inclusive curriculum. Melissa is also an educator in the Palm Beach School District and works as an adjunct professor in the College of Education at FAU. Her research interests are driven by her personal connection to the LGBTQ community and desire to increase the representation of LGBTQ people and issues in the K-12 public school system.

Sabrina F. Sembiante

Sabrina F. Sembiante is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Although her research focuses on the instructional practices that support emergent-to-advanced bilingual students’ developing bilingualism, biliteracy, and academic languaging in school contexts, she also mentors doctoral students in literature review methodology. She has presented her research at over 50 international conferences and has authored more than 25 articles to date, disseminated in top tier journals including Language and Education, Bilingual Research Journal, Curriculum Inquiry, Language Arts, and Journal of Early Childhood Literacy