The mental health decline of Black and multiracial school-age youth before and during COVID-19 is evident from numerous data sources, including Mental Health America (MHA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, and the Congressional Black Caucus Emergency Task Force on Black Youth Suicide. The pandemic only added fuel to the fire—as seen from an […]
Advocacy Agenda: November 2022
Mental healthmental health resourcesracial equity
A Safe and Affirming Place
For seven years, I was the associate principal of Ashland Middle School (AMS) in Ashland, OR. With a population of 25,000, Ashland is a city in the southwest corner of the state, just over the border from California. Home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Southern Oregon University, Ashland has a small-town feel and a […]
LGBTQ studentsschool climateStudent support
Legal Matters: November 2022
In recent years, LGBTQ+ inclusion in public schools has been the subject of litigation, with many decisions in favor of LGBTQ+ students (e.g., Whitaker v. Kenosha Unified Sch. District No. 1, 2017; Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board, 2020). More recently, however, we’ve seen efforts to oppose LGBTQ+ inclusion through legislation at the state level, […]
GLSENLGBTQ School Leaders NetworkLGBTQ studentspolicymakers
A Summer Syllabus for School Leaders
For school leaders, summer is the time to relax, recharge, and read. Here, we share our top five picks from the “Syllabus” section of Principal Leadership. Items include books about timely topics in education as well as podcasts that are worth a listen. Be sure to check out new “Syllabus” selections in the September issue […]
Celebrating Pride Month Starts with Student Voice
During one school’s election for student body president this year, a candidate was openly gay. He was preparing to give a speech over the intercom during homeroom period. A few minutes before he presented, the school’s principal briefly met with him to discuss the contents of his speech.
Leadership NetworksLGBTQ School Leaders Network
Syllabus: May 2022
LGBTQ Youth and Education: Policies and Practices The second edition of LGBTQ Youth and Education: Policies and Practices (Teachers College Press) is a powerful tool for educators committed to developing the pedagogy, curriculum, and policies to improve school experiences for LGBTQ students and their allies. Author Cris Mayo, an education professor at the University of […]
best practicesEquityLGBTQ
Legal Matters: May 2022
Recent headlines report a renewed interest in the debate about what books students should have access to in school libraries and classrooms. Sometimes the books at issue include discussions about race, sexual orientation, sexual violence, or other “explicit” content. For example, take the recent governor’s race in Virginia partly focused on banning certain books in […]
CensorshipCurriculumPolitics
Student Centered: April 2022
Discovering my identity as a nonbinary lesbian female changed how I thought about my place in the LGBTQIA+ community in many ways. I learned that this community is constantly facing inequality. I knew this was the case prior to discovering my own identity, but after coming out, this truth became even more evident. Being nonbinary […]
Leadership NetworksLGBTQ School Leaders NetworkLGBTQ studentssafe spacetransgender students
Roundtable: Students’ Mental Health
For school leaders, students’ mental health has become an increasing concern. As the pandemic drags on, schools are doing their best to help their students reacclimate to in-person learning or adjust to remote instruction when school buildings close due to the spread of COVID-19. To understand how students are coping with the stress of the […]
COVID-19Mental healthsocial-emotional needs
A Sporting Chance
In many states, decisions around who participates in school-based athletics fall initially to athletic directors and administrators. In some instances, there are governing boards for individual states that create regulations for student athlete participation, including participation based on sex assigned at birth and gender identity. Between 2020 and 2021, a record number of states introduced […]