By Laurel White
The ways elementary and high school administrators disrupt or enable bullying of transgender and gender-expansive students in their schools show up in very distinct ways, according to a new UW–Madison study.
The study, published in the most recent issue of the nation’s top educational leadership journal, Educational Administration Quarterly, shows four distinct ways elementary and high school leaders model support for bullying. The study divides the harmful actions into four categories: direct action, facilitated support, accommodating external stakeholders, and resisting education or external support that would help disrupt bullying. It also sheds light on how some leaders successfully interrupt bullying.
Mollie McQuillan, lead author of the study and an assistant professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, says the study provides a broader definition of administrative bullying than had previously existed. She also says it makes clear how crucial school leaders’ actions are in enabling or dismantling a culture of bullying in their schools.
“Administrators comprise a small but mighty part of school systems,” McQuillan said. “The need for school administrators who understand their role in perpetuating transphobia has heightened in the midst of well-coordinated, international campaigns targeting transgender people in schools.”
The qualitative study gathered data from school bullying-related court cases across the country, as well as dozens of interviews with school administrators and policy consultants. McQuillan co-authored the analysis with Cris Mayo, a professor of education at The University of Vermont.
The study defines and expands upon these enabling actions by administrators:
- Direct bullying — when leaders participate in perpetuating recurring, targeted, aggressive behavior that harms LGBTQ+ students.
- Facilitative bullying — when leaders identify bullying, but take no action to disrupt it.
- Accommodative bullying — when leaders acknowledge changes should be made to interrupt bullying, but immediately give in to real or perceived pushback on their attempts to respond to bullying.
- Resistant bullying — when leaders refuse to learn more or educate their staff about gender diversity.
The analysis found successful disruptors of bullying identify the need to take action, take steps to educate themselves and others on gender diversity, and show commitment to reforming school structures, even in the face of resistance. These leaders also proactively collaborate with students, supportive parents, and supportive community organizations when developing and implementing school policies.
McQuillan says she hopes the study will inform additional school policies, procedures, and training across the country to support leaders committed to interrupting gender-based bullying.
“As attacks on transgender youth intensify in legislatures and classrooms alike, district leaders stand on the frontline of protecting students from continued bias-based bullying,” she said. “Gender-based bullying impacts all students and staff in PK-12 schools, but it has a disproportionate effect on transgender, nonbinary, and other gender expansive students. Students need well-informed and dedicated leaders who will help sustain student education and safety in these difficult times. ”
Broadly, McQuillan’s research examines the intersection of educational policy, social relationships, and health of LGBTQ+ students and educators. She was recently announced as a member of the 2023-24 cohort of the Scholars Strategy Network’s Health Equity Scholars Program, a year-long national program aimed at helping scholars effectively share health equity research with policymakers.
Earlier this year, McQuillan received the Emerging Scholar Award from the American Educational Research Association’s division focused on administration, organization, and leadership and the organization’s 2023 Outstanding Policy Report award in the educational policy and politics division for a paper that examined the efficacy of a Wisconsin school district’s programs for supporting LGBTQ+ students.
Other recent publications from McQuillan found training elementary school teachers in inclusive practices for LGBTQ+ students leads to lower disciplinary rates for all students and that moves to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic may have mitigated some mental health challenges for LGBTQ+ students.
The full text of the new study, “School Leaders and Transphobia: Interrupting Direct, Facilitative, Accommodative, and Resistant Forms of Gender-Based Bullying,” is available here.