Safety and Opportunity For Every Child: Engaging support for LGBT youth and

1. Safety and Opportunity For Every Child: Engaging support for LGBT youth and LGBT issues in K-12 education Eliza Byard, Ph.D., Executive Director GLSEN Thursday, March 4, 2011

2. GLSEN’s Vision: GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to accept and respect all people, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.

3. Fundamental Strategy: Engage the education and youth development worlds on their terms, with proposed solutions

4. Knowledge Base Required: GLSEN Research supports the organization's mission by conducting original research on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in K-12 education and evaluating GLSEN programs and initiatives. Given the paucity of information available on the school experiences of LGBT students, GLSEN began conducting its own research in 1999 and established the Research Department in 2003.

5. School-based Interventions: - Enumerated anti-bullying policies - Supportive faculty and school staff - Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) - Inclusive curricular content

6. GLSEN’s Partners The purpose of CEF is to provide members of the general public and government officials with information enabling them to better assess the need for funding of federal education programs. CEF takes positions on federal education funding issues that represent a consensus of its membership and then communicates those positions to federal government officials and Members of Congress.

7. GLSEN’s Partners ASCD’s Whole Child Initiative calls on families, educators, policymakers, and communities to ensure each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged. ASCD proposes a broader definition of achievement and accountability that promotes the development of children who are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

8. GLSEN’s Partners The National Collaboration for Youth (NCY), a 40-year old affinity group, is a coalition of the National Assembly member organizations that have a significant interest in youth development. Members of NCY include more than 50 national, non-profit, youth development organizations. Its mission is to provide a united voice as advocates for youth to improve the conditions of young people in America, and to help young people reach their full potential.

9. GLSEN’s Partners America’s Promise Alliance is a cross-sector partnership of 400+ corporations, nonprofits, faith-based organizations and advocacy groups that are passionate about improving lives and changing outcomes for children. We have made a top priority of ensuring that all young people graduate from high school ready for college, work and life. Their work involves raising awareness, encouraging action and engaging in advocacy to provide children the key supports they call the Five Promises: Caring adults, Safe Places, A Healthy Start, An Effective Education and Opportunities to Help Others.

10. GLSEN’s Partners

11. Strategic Focus: 2000-2010: Tight focus on student safety and bullying prevention 2010-2015: Ensure that the whole school supports the whole child (Safety, Respect, Health, Leadership Opportunity)

12. No Name-Calling Week No Name-Calling Week

13. Safe Schools Improvement Act Bi-partisan co-sponsors in House and Senate: • Senate • S. 3739 • Sponsor: Robert Casey, Jr (D-PA) • Lead Cosponsor: Mark Kirk (R-IL) • 15 additional cosponsors, including 5 members of the Senate education committee • House • H.R. 2262 • Sponsor: Linda T Sánchez (D-CA) • Lead Cosponsors: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) • 129 additional cosponsors, including key Republican and Democratic members of the House education committee

14. Safe Space Campaign “I didn’t feel safe to come out when I was in school. That’s why I’m sending a Safe Space Kit to my old high school in Wellsville, Kansas.” - Chely Wright Country Music Artist

15. www.glsen.org