Dear John,

Did you know even teachers have teachers? They're called teacher educators, and GLSEN Research's newest report looks at how they’re preparing K–12 educators in their teacher education programs to address LGBTQ issues. 

Educating Educators: Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practice of Teacher Educators on LGBTQ Issues. 

There are currently no national regulations or standards requiring LGBTQ-related content inclusion in teacher preparation. 

Because of this, it is up to teacher educators to include this important content on their own, and their attitudes and beliefs about LGBTQ issues likely influence their teaching practices. We examine the attitudes, beliefs, and practices of teacher educators regarding LGBTQ issues in their work.

Some key findings include:

1. The vast majority of teacher educators (94.7%) believed it was very important to equip pre-service teachers with the skills and knowledge to teach their students about respecting all.
2. Most teacher educators (80.1%) reported that they included LGBTQ content at least once in their courses.
3. Teacher educators are not well-prepared on LGBTQ topics. Only 3 in 10 teacher educators (34.3%) received training on LGBTQ-related topics in their in-service training and just over 4 in 10 received such training in their own graduate or undergraduate training (39.3%).
4. Of LGBTQ-specific skills and content to equip their students with, teacher educators rated content about intervening in anti-LGBTQ remarks the most important (82.4% reported it “very important”) followed by skills and knowledge to use LGBTQ-inclusive language (63.0%), and to advocate for changes in their school’s LGBTQ inclusivity (58.2%).
5. More than a third (39.3%) of teacher educators reported that their own lack of knowledge or preparation regarding LGBTQ issues were barriers for LGBTQ inclusion in their teaching.
6. For even more findings, read the whole report at glsen.org/teacher-educators.

Supportive teachers are critical to creating safe and inclusive school environments for LGBTQ students. Education programs and institutions have a responsibility to prepare teachers who will create classrooms that are safe and affirming for all youth. More professional development and training is needed at ALL stages of educational and professional careers – from their pre-service education to continuing professional development in their tenure as teachers. 

Joe Kosciw, Ph.D.
Director of Research
Pronouns: He, Him, His

GLSEN Inc.
110 William Street
30th Floor
New York, NY 10038
United States

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