District and School Leaders’ Efforts Concerning the Public Gender Transition of a High School Teacher

This case study examined the efforts of district and school level leaders related to the public gender transition of one high school teacher over a 2-year period. We employed Theoharis’ (2007) conceptualization of social justice education leadership to guide our analysis. This qualitative inquiry drew from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the superintendent, transgender teacher, high school principal and relevant teacher union leaders. Related documents were also collected to triangulate the data sources. Data analysis involved open coding to identify themes and significant features of participants’ actions and experiences. The findings are presented in the form of a chronological narrative about district and school leaders’ actions as one teacher underwent a public gender transition. Following this narrative, we explore three critical characteristics of the educational leaders’ actions: Collaborative communication, intentionality and anticipation, and framing. This study addresses a significant gap in the literature concerning how educational leaders might work to create safe school environments for LGBTQ educators. While the efforts made by district and school level leaders in this case represent important steps toward creating safe environments for transgender educators, additional professional development and policy making are critical actions that could build on the efforts detailed in this case.