ERIC Number: ED672360
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Sep
Pages: 32
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Who Wants to Say "Gay?" Public Opinion about LGBT Issues in the Curriculum. EdWorkingPaper No. 23-838
Morgan Polikoff; Michael Fienberg; Daniel Silver; Marshall Garland; Anna R. Saavedra; Amie Rapaport
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Public schools are currently a source of major political conflict, specifically with regard to issues related to LGBT representation in the curriculum. We report on a large nationally representative survey of American households focusing on their views on what LGBT topics are and should be taught, and what LGBT-themed books should be assigned and available. We report results overall and broken down by demographic, partisan, and geographic variables. We find that Americans report that they largely do not know what topics are being taught in schools, but they do not think LGBT topics are being taught to elementary children. There is widespread opposition to teaching about LGBT issues in elementary school, with more mixed support in high school. Voters are much more opposed to LGBT-themed books being assigned to students than available to them. There are very large splits in attitudes toward LGBT issues in schools, especially along political and religious lines and across states and counties based on partisan lean. We discuss implications of these findings for education policy and urge greater understanding of Americans' views about controversial topics in the curriculum.
Descriptors: LGBTQ People, Controversial Issues (Course Content), Public Opinion, Books, Geographic Location, Individual Characteristics, Elementary Secondary Education, Religious Factors, Political Affiliation
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Authoring Institution: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Grant or Contract Numbers: 2037179; 2120194; 2214168
Author Affiliations: N/A