Initiating and Sustaining GSAs Across the District as Part of a Vision for Equity: A Case Study in Chicago Public Schools

Background

Increasingly, there are calls for educational equity to explicitly include LGBTQ+ students, including the creation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) clubs, or Genders and Sexualities Alliances (GSAs), which are associated with positive outcomes for LGBTQ+ students and promote a safer school climate for all students. However, less is known about strategies to initiate and sustain GSAs. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) serves as a case study of how to embrace LGBTQ+ equity through an evaluation of its current practices to support GSAs.

Methods

The study is comprised of two qualitative data strands, including 20 interviews with GSA sponsors and six focus groups with GSA students. Both forms of data were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. Analyses from each set of data were integrated, and overall themes were generated.

Results

Eleven school-level strategies for initiating and sustaining GSAs were identified and six district-level strategies were identified.

Implications

CPS is using these evaluation findings to further strengthen their work to support GSAs, and other districts can learn from their experiences, such as creating guidance and training to educate the school community about the rights of students and sponsors and resources, including funding for stipends to sponsors.

Conclusion

Increasing the number of schools with thriving GSAs is essential. CPS provides an illustrative case study of the key strategies at both the school and district levels to ensure that GSAs can serve to affirm, protect, and uplift LGBTQ+ students.