News and Events
Dr. Elizabethe Payne, Director of the Queering Education Research Institute (QuERI), will be delivering a talk entitled “Re-think LGBTQ Bullying” at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC, on Monday, January 13, 2014. This talk will most likely be open to Education students enrolled in universities in the DC area. If you are interested in attending, contact QuERI after the first of the year for more information.
Webinar for parents in New York on September 19 at 7PM. Dr. Payne is the guest speaker.
Click the image for registration information.
QuERI will be participating in the Beyond Anti-Bullying Workshop at Syracuse University on September 22, 2012. SU graduate students can attend for $10, and SU undergraduates can attend for free:
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In July 2012, the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) took effect in all New York public schools. The purpose of this law is to afford all students a school environment free of discrimination or harassment. This includes specific protections for students who are targeted in relation to their actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, weight, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression or sex. One of the major requirements of this law is to develop a professional development plan “to raise awareness and sensitivity of school employees to these issues [of discrimination and harassment] and to enable them to respond appropriately.”
We will be offering two professional development programs during the 2012-2013 academic year. The first is professional development addressing school personnel’s overall responsibilities under DASA with additional, specific attention to the needs of LGBT students and the children of LGBT parents. It will provide (1) information on the scope and intent of DASA and steps necessary for reaching DASA compliance; (2) research-based content on how and why LGBT students are persistently targeted in school environments; and (3) recommendations for a proactive approach to DASA implementation composed of professional practices that are effective in enhancing inclusion and equity in educational settings. This professional development session will be free of charge in the Syracuse area during the 2012-2013 academic year, and it can be tailored to meet the needs of elementary or secondary schools. Abbreviated one hour training sessions will be available, but the standard training session will be two hours and include time for discussion. A limited number of trainings are being offered during the semester (due to the limited time of graduate student and faculty trainers), so it is advisable to sign up for these sessions as soon as possible.
The second professional development program is a session on bullying and LGBT students. This 90-minute session will inform participants about the complicated social dynamics of bullying, including information on how and why youth target one another and why LGBT youth (or those who are perceived to be) are particularly vulnerable within this system of targeting. This program will provide information about the connection between school culture and peer-to-peer aggression and outline strategies for shifting school culture.
For more information about these opportunities or to schedule a session for your school, please contact Dr. Payne or Melissa Smith at rsis@syr.edu. For more information about the research based professional development offered through QuERI, and other available workshop descriptions, please see our website www.queeringeducation.org and select the “Reduction of Stigma in Schools” link.
QuERI is blogging for the Huffington Post!
New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) goes into effect in July, 2012. This QuERI workshop will inform teachers, administrators, student support professionals and parents about the standards for DASA compliance. It will also provide recommendations for effectively implementing policies, procedures and instructional practices aimed at disrupting bias and creating school cultures that value difference and diversity. The QuERI DASA training will focus specifically on creating safe and equitable environments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) students and the children of LGBT parents. This special session will also include a presentation on support parents can give to their LGBT child who is experiencing harassment.
May 24, 2012
6:00-9:00 pm
BOCES Rodax 8 – 6075 East Molloy Road, Syracuse
Continuing Education Credits available
REGISTRATION INFORMATION COMING SOON
PRESENTER BIOS
Elizabethe C. Payne, PhD, is a professor in The Cultural Foundations of Education Department at Syracuse University. She is also Director of QuERI – The Queering Education Research Institute©. In 2006, Payne began the Reduction of Stigma in Schools© (RSIS) professional development program to educate area school administrators and faculty on the relationship between social stigma and academic outcomes for LGBTQ students in schools and provide tools for creating more supportive environments for LGBTQ youth. As a sociologist of education, she specializes in qualitative research, critical theory, youth culture, and LGBTQ issues in education. Her current research explores educator experiences working with transgender elementary school students and the effectiveness of LGBTQ professional development for educators. Dr. Payne serves on the New York Dignity for All Students Act State-wide Task Force, and the Dignity for All Students Act State Policy Group.
Linda Stone Fish, M.S.W., Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University. She also has a private practice in which she specializes in couple and family therapy with adolescents. Dr. Stone Fish has published over 25 research and theoretical articles focusing on family therapy with special populations. She recently co-authored the book, Nurturing Queer Youth: Family Therapy Transformed.
Melissa J. Smith, MA, is a PhD candidate in the Cultural Foundations of Education department at Syracuse University. She has been a fellow with The Queering Education Research Institute since 2008 and is currently the Professional Development Coordinator. She has served as co-researcher with Dr. Payne on several qualitative studies, including an evaluation study of RSIS. Prior to her doctoral work, Smith was a high school English teacher in Omaha, Nebraska, Public Schools. She holds a M.A. in English from the University of Nebraska. Her dissertation work addresses the experiences of teacher allies.
The QuERI Gallery to Go exhibits will be displayed in Central New York schools during the month of April. The QuERI team has developed a curriculum guide to connect the exhibits to academic curriculum and facilitate discussion in classrooms. To access the curriculum guide, click the link below.
