The National Inventory of School District Interventions in Support of LGBTQ Student Wellbeing

RISE: Respect, Inclusion, Safety, Equity

(Conducted in partnership with the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents and funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in 2013-2016.)

The National Inventory of School District Interventions in Support of LGBTQ Student Wellbeing was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of school-system interventions in reducing stigma and improving resilience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and Two-Spirit, and queer and questioning (LGBTQ) students. It was conducted as part of the larger research program Reducing Stigma, Promoting Resilience: Population Health Interventions for LGBTQ Youth led by Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc at SARAVYC, UBC.

The goal of this study was to identify which interventions have been implemented across Canada through an online survey of school district Superintendents/Directors, and what benefits were associated with the various interventions. The survey covered a range of possible interventions in support of LGBTQ students: LGBTQ-inclusive policy, generic and LGBTQ-specific harassment procedures, course content, Gay-Straight Alliances/Gender and Sexuality Alliances, generic and LGBTQ-themed events, professional development, and teaching resources. With 200 superintendents/directors from 141 school districts, the National Inventory response was strong, representing 36% of Canada’s 394 school districts; these districts comprise approximately 48% of Canadian schools (n=6476) and approximately 50% of Canadian teachers (n=128,131) and 2,403,372 students from pre-kindergarten through Grade 12, and the sample was representative of Canadian school districts regionally, by location (e.g., urban/rural/remote/etc.), and by religious affiliation (i.e., secular/Catholic).

Dr. Saewyc noted, “This study provides an important picture of the different ways school districts across Canada support LGBTQ students. It’s a key step to identifying what works to improve school experiences and reduce health disparities for LGBTQ youth.” The main purpose of the National Inventory was to develop a more detailed picture of how school systems are acting to support LGBTQ students across the country.

Key findings of the National Inventory study include:

• LGBTQ-specific policy is perceived to be more effective than a generic safe schools policy in protecting LGBTQ youth. However, it is much less likely to be implemented in K-8 schools.
• Many school districts rely solely on Gay-Straight Alliances or anti-harassment policy.
• Urban schools were more likely than rural ones to have LGBTQ-specific interventions.
• 31 districts have LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum and of those, most have it in K-8 schools.
• Fewer than five districts reported opposition to LGBTQ interventions on religious grounds.

Dr. Catherine Taylor is Project Leader for the National Inventory, leading a team of 12 top researchers in the field of LGBTQ youth. This research project is part of a five-year program of research funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) called Reducing Stigma, Promoting Resilience: Population Health Interventions for LGBTQ Youth, headed by principal investigator Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc at UBC.

FINAL REPORT:

View the report at SARAVYC here: http://tinyurl.com/gkrlknk

French Version [PDF]

Suggested citation:

Taylor, C., Peter, T., Edkins, T., Campbell, C., Émond, G., & Saewyc, E. (2016). The national inventory of school district interventions in support of LGBTQ student wellbeing. Final report. Vancouver, BC: Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre [SARAVYC], University of British Columbia.

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