Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Equity & Diversity Opinion

How to Challenge Normative Gender Culture to Support All Students

By Larry Ferlazzo — July 11, 2022 1 min read
California state Sen. Scott Wiener discusses his proposed measure to provide legal refuge to displaced transgender youth and their families in March.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

During the summer, I am sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past 11 years. You can see all those collections from the first 10 years here.

Today’s theme is Challenging Normative Gender Culture in Education.

You can see the list following this excerpt from one of the posts:

supportive

1. ‘We All Have LGBTQ Students, Whether We Know It or Not’

Three educators provide suggestions to support LGBTQ students, including respecting pronouns and having LGBTQ authors in classroom libraries. Read more.

2. Strategies for Supporting LGBTQ Students

Three educators share ways to help LGBTQ students. Read more.

3. Six Ways Educators Can Support LGBTQ Students During COVID-19

Two educators share suggestions on how to support LGBTQ students in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, including “using appropriate names and pronouns.” Read more.

4. Sexual Harassment & Assault in Schools

Six educators share stories of sexual harassment at school and offer recommendations on how teachers can respond to it, including through educating themselves and students alike. Read more.

5. Challenges Faced by Women Teachers & Ways to Respond to Them

Educators Megan M. Allen, Rusul Alrubail, Pernille Ripp, Amy Williams, and Patricia (Tish) Jennings contribute commentaries in this post. Read more.

6. Wondering ‘How Gender Influences a Teacher’s Struggles & Successes’

This post features educator Ray Salazar, who, in addition to sharing his personal experiences and thoughts, interviewed other teachers. Read more.

7. Male Teachers ‘Walking a Tight Rope’

New York City teacher José Vilson and Sacramento, Calif., educator Alice Mercer share their ideas. In addition, I’ve included many reader comments. Read more.


Explore other thematic posts:

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Grow Leaders, Keep Teachers: Leadership Development as a Staffing Strategy
Find out how to turn leadership development into a staffing strategy and grow your next generation of school leaders from within.
Content provided by Frontline Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Closing the Practice Gap: Essential Insights for Leaders
Three instructional experts will share strategies for making students’ reading and math practice more engaging and impactful this year.
Content provided by Renaissance
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
The Principal's Role in Collective Efficacy and Student Outcomes
Learn practical strategies that help principals translate their confidence into stronger collective teacher efficacy and student outcomes.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Equity & Diversity Federal Equity Centers Protecting Students' Civil Rights Fight to Stay Open
Four centers that support schools' efforts to expand student opportunity are fighting for their existence.
12 min read
Attorney Eshé Collins at her office in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia on June 25, 2026.
Attorney Eshé Collins at her office in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia on June 25, 2026.
Dustin Chambers for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Opinion 'Culturally Responsive Teaching Isn’t Performative’: How to Get It Right
Want to create a more equitable education experience for all students? Start here.
9 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Equity & Diversity What's Driving Graduation Gains at Federally Funded Native American Schools?
Innovations in career-focused education, virtual learning, and other areas could be contributing, some say.
5 min read
Native American Graduation Rates 26148594508639
Chief Leschi Schools senior Gerald Dillon, 18, gets a hug from a 2nd grade student as he serves as a teaching assistant through the school's career and technical education program, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Chief Leschi Schools in Puyallup, Wash. Over the past decade, graduation rates have risen at Bureau of Indian Education Schools.
Lindsey Wasson/AP Photo
Equity & Diversity Decades After Brown v. Board, New Lawsuit Challenges Persistent K-12 Segregation
Segregation violates a state constitution's right to an adequate education for all, plaintiffs argue.
6 min read
Portrait of nine-year-old African-American student Linda Brown as she poses outside Sumner Elementary School, Topkea, Kansas, 1953. When her enrollment in the racially segregated school was blocked, her family initiated the landmark Civil Rights lawsuit 'Brown V. Board of Education,' that led to the beginning of integration in the US education system. (Photo by Carl Iwasaki/Getty Images)
Nine-year-old African-American student Linda Brown poses outside Sumner Elementary School in Topeka, Kan., in 1953. When her enrollment in the racially segregated school was blocked, her family initiated the landmark civil rights lawsuit <i>Brown</i> v. <i>Board of Education</i> that led to the Supreme Court decision outlawing racial segregation in U.S. schools. A new lawsuit in Massachusetts challenges persistent segregation in that state's schools.
Carl Iwasaki/Getty