A major survey from the U.S. Department of Education will ask new questions about anti-LGBT bias in schools and about gay-straight alliance clubs (GSAs).
The questions will appear in the 2016 and 2018 School Survey on Crime and Safety from the department’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), GLSEN informs us. GLSEN consulted with NCES on revisions to the survey, which will now include many of its recommendations, including the GSA question. Another is the separation of questions about whether hate crimes were related specifically to sexual orientation or to gender identity, rather than asking broadly about anti-LGBT harassment in a single question.
GLSEN’s Executive Director, Dr. Eliza Byard, said, “Education decision-makers at all levels look to SSOCS to identify urgent school climate issues and possible solutions. These new questions will make anti-LGBT bias visible to them in a new way. These changes to the survey will also provide an important new perspective on the impact of GSAs on school climate.”
Gathering data isn’t the same as taking action—but thoughtful data collection and analysis can help make our actions targeted and effective. Kudos to the Department of Education and to GLSEN for taking these steps towards the safety and well-being of all students.