Queer Inclusion in Teacher Education explores the challenges and promises of building queer inclusive pedagogy and curriculum into teacher education. Weaving together theory, research findings, and practical "how-to" strategies and materials, it fills an important gap by offering a clear roadmap and resources for influencing the knowledge, beliefs, and actions of faculty working with pre-service teachers. While the book has implications for policy change, most immediately, readers will feel empowered with ideas for faculty development they can implement in their own teacher education programs. Looking at both the politics and practices of teacher education and the ways in which queer issues manifest in schools, it is hopeful in suggesting that if teachers and pre-service teachers can critically reflect on homophobia and heteronormativity, they can begin to think about and relate to queer youth in a different, more positive and inclusive way. A Companion Website [http://queerinclusion.com] with additional activities and materials for teacher educators and faculty development and a practical guide enhances the usefulness of the book.

Queer Inclusion in Teacher Education explores the challenges and promises of building queer inclusive pedagogy and curriculum into teacher education. Weaving together theory, research findings, and practical "how-to" strategies and materials, it fills an important gap by offering a clear roadmap and resources for influencing the knowledge, beliefs, and actions of faculty working with pre-service teachers. While the book has implications for policy change, most immediately, readers will feel empowered with ideas for faculty development they can implement in their own teacher education programs. Looking at both the politics and practices of teacher education and the ways in which queer issues manifest in schools, it is hopeful in suggesting that if teachers and pre-service teachers can critically reflect on homophobia and heteronormativity, they can begin to think about and relate to queer youth in a different, more positive and inclusive way. A Companion Website [http://queerinclusion.com] with additional activities and materials for teacher educators and faculty development and a practical guide enhances the usefulness of the book.

Teacher educators have opportunities to include issues of multicultural education, equity, and social justice in the work done with preservice teachers. Including the educational and societal experiences of historically marginalized populations in curriculum creates spaces for teacher educators to model multicultural and social justice based pedagogies, while preparing teachers to work with and work for these students. The most effective way for teacher educators to address the unique perspectives of historically and currently marginalized populations is to integrate various perspectives throughout the curriculum (Grant & Zwier, 2012). Most teacher education programs address diverse populations via an integrated approach. In fact, Sherwin and Jennings (2006) found that potential student experiences regarding social class, race, and special needs populations were typically integrated into the curriculum, however, lesbian, gay bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues were not. There is research that demonstrates how carefully planned and implemented educational interventions can have a positive effect on preservice teachers’ knowledge of and attitudes toward gays and lesbians (Butler, 1999). Despite the positive impact of addressing LGBTQ issues as a part of the teacher preparation program, Gorski et al. (2013) found that LGBTQ issues receive significantly less class time than other issues, especially race, and are, in fact, eight times more likely to actually be omitted from multicultural teacher educator courses. The inclusion of LGBT topics is important for a myriad of reasons. Most importantly, studies (GLSEN & Harris Interactive, 2012; Kosciw, Greytak, Diaz, Bartkiewicz, 2010, 2012; Kosciw, Greytak, Palmer, Boesen, 2014; Kosciw, Greytak, Giga, & Danischewski, 2016) have revealed a negative school climate for students who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender; this hostile environment can have dire consequences for these students. The impact of bullying and harassment due to LGBTQ students’ gender and/or sexual identities can produce a number of negative effects, including isolation from friends and family, depression, drug and/or alcohol use and addiction, low selfesteem, lack of engagement in school, academic failure, and fighting (Beam, 2007; Holmes & Cahill, 2004; Kosciw et al., 2010, 2012; Kosciw et al, 2014; Kosciw et al, 2016, Meyer, 2010; Wilkinson & Pearson, 2009). The negative climate does not just come from peer-to-peer negative interactions. In the most recent GLSEN study (Kosciw et al, 2016) it was found that • 57.6% of LGBTQ students who were harassed or assaulted in school did not report the incident to school staff, most commonly because they doubted that effective intervention would occur or the situation could become worse if reported. • 63.5% of the students who did report an incident said that school staff did nothing in response or told the student to ignore it. • 56.2% of students reported hearing homophobic remarks from their teachers or other school staff, and 63.5% of students reported hearing negative remarks about gender expression from teachers or other school staff The aim of this book is to support teacher educators as they engage in the work of preparing pre-service teacher to work with and work for LGBTQ youth through explicit discussions of gender and sexuality. Chapters for this book include personal anecdotes regarding shifts in author’s thinking about including LGBTQ as a part of teacher preparation; specific pedagogical practices employed by authors to present LGBTQ focused material as a part of their coursework; the resistance authors have faced from students, parents and administration and their responses.

Past research on gender and LGBTQ issues in K-12 and teacher education has primarily focused on identifying ways of fostering inclusive and affirmative school communities for non-cis and/or queer students and enabling learning contexts to promote academic learning. Much of this work has attended to theorizing pedagogies and curricula conducive towards such an aim. Yet, despite legal advances for gender equity and LGBTQ rights in diverse global contexts and the increased visibility of LGBTQ issues in mainstream media, non-cis and queer individuals (especially those of color) continue to experience violence, face housing discrimination, employment discrimination, and the denial of service in public businesses. In light of the numerous growing conservative movements to not only roll back legal advances for LGBTQ individuals, but to also promote a culture of homophobia and transphobia, scholars must attend to the myriad ways in which members of the school community can counter such efforts, and how the multiple facets of the educative experience can be conceptualized beyond a paradigm that continues to marginalize gender diverse and LGBTQ individuals. This volume, Exploring Gender and LGBTQ Issues in K12 and Teacher Education: A Rainbow Assemblage, edited by Adrian D. Martin and Kathryn J. Strom, provides examples of empirical inquiries and theorizations that explore how schools can function as more than safe academic environments for gender diverse and LGBTQ students. The contributing authors attend to classrooms and educative contexts as spaces that promote the affirmative inclusion of not only LGBTQ students, but other education stakeholders as well with the aim to dismantle homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, and other hate-based ideologies. The volume serves as an insightful and useful resource for educators, teacher educators, and education researchers engaged in inquiry and pedagogy towards systems of schooling unencumbered by heteronormativity other hate-based ideologies with implications for future professional practice.

What do we mean when we talk about 'queer teachers'? The authors here grapple with what it means to be sexually or gender diverse and to work as a school teacher within four national contexts: Australia, Ireland, the UK and the USA. This new volume offers academics, educators and students a provocative exploration of this pivotal topic.

This bold and necessary book points out a simple and overlooked truth: most schools never had girls in mind to begin with. That is why the world needs what Sally Nuamah calls feminist schools, deliberately designed to provide girls with achievement-oriented identities. And she shows why doing so would help all students, regardless of their gender.

This exploration of effective practices to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and gender-diverse students in elementary, middle, and high school contexts focuses on curriculum, pedagogy, and school environment. Narratives and artwork from the field are framed by sociocultural and critical theory as well as research-based elaboration on the issues discussed. Applications of antidiscrimination law and policy, as well as learning skills like creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking help teachers tackle some of the most significant educational challenges of our time. The stories of real-world practices offer encouragement for building inclusive environments and enhancing social-emotional relationships among youth, families, and schools. Gender Diversity and LGBTQ Inclusion in K-12 Schools provides a helpful roadmap for educators hoping to create safe and empowering spaces for LGBTQ and gender-diverse students and families.