Following a successful Capitol Hill briefing on LGBTQ issues in education in June, AERA Executive Director Felice Levine and AERA Director of Professional Development George Wimberly led a briefing for members of the Education Department on the same subject on October 27.
Levine and Wimberly were invited to speak by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Allied Employees at Education as part of LGBT History Month at the department, and to provide information to departmental staff members who were unable to attend the congressional briefing.
Wimberly, who is the editor of the AERA report LGBTQ Issues in Education, shared critical highlights of the report, including bullying of LGBTQ students and LGBTQ student achievement and educational attainment; discussed the challenges faced by researchers in this area of inquiry; and provided an overview of recommendations for further research.
The briefing concluded with an open dialogue among Wimberly, Levine, and attendees. They explored the implications of AERA’s report on the department’s goals, and discussed how the report’s recommendations can be used to make changes to current department practices and promote improved data and statistics. Attendees also expressed interest in further research from AERA on LGBTQ issues in education.