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Dignity for All
The author provides professional development ideas and strategies that will help educational leaders foster a more caring school culture not only for LGBT students, but for all students.
- Grade Level: PreK-12, Elementary, Secondary
- ISBN: 9781452205908
- Published By: Corwin
- Year: 2012
- Page Count: 136
- Publication date: March 06, 2012
Price: $31.95
Description
All students deserve a safe, respectful school environment
Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered are susceptible to harassment from their peers and are at high risk of dropping out of school. This book provides professional development ideas and real-life vignettes that will help educational leaders foster a more caring school culture not only for LGBT students, but for all students. Peter DeWitt presents specific strategies for school leaders that include:
- Implementing a student code of conduct and school board policies to safeguard students
- Helping staff members recognize and respond to overt and covert LGBT issues
- Professional development guidelines to equip staff to intervene
- Ways to include appropriate LGBT topics in the curriculum
- Supporting Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) in middle and high school settings
This practical and compassionate guide contains numerous cases and examples, strategies and templates for codes of conduct (including the NY Code), book study questions, and links to pertinent articles, websites, and blogs for further information. Dignity for All helps inform educators of the issues and methods for building acceptance in a diverse world.
Author(s)

Peter M. DeWitt
Peter M. DeWitt, EdD is a former K–5 teacher (eleven years) and principal (eight years). He is a school leadership coach who runs competency-based workshops and provides keynotes nationally and internationally, focusing on school leadership (collaborative cultures and instructional leadership), as well as fostering inclusive school climates.
Additionally, Peter coaches school-based leaders, directors, instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and school-based leadership teams both in person and remotely. In summer 2021 Peter created a yearlong on-demand asynchronous coaching course through Thinkific where he has fostered a community of learners that includes K–12 educators in leadership positions.
Peter’s work has been adopted at the state and university level, and he works with numerous school districts, school boards, regional networks, and ministries of education around North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the UK.
Peter writes the “Finding Common Ground” column for Education Week, which has been in circulation since 2011. In 2020 Peter co-created Education Week’s “A Seat at the Table” series, where he moderates conversations with experts around the topics of race, gender, sexual orientation, research, trauma, and many other educational topics.
Additionally, Peter is the editor for the Connected Educator series (Corwin) and the Impact series (Corwin), which include books by Viviane Robinson, Andy Hargreaves, Pasi Sahlberg, Yong Zhao, and Michael Fullan. He is the 2013 School Administrators Association of New York State’s (SAANYS) Outstanding Educator of the Year and the 2015 Education Blogger of the Year (Academy of Education Arts & Sciences), and he sits on numerous advisory boards. Peter is the author, co-author, or contributor of numerous books, including the following:
· Dignity for All: Safeguarding LGBT Students (Corwin, 2012)
· School Climate Change (co-authored with Sean Slade; ASCD, 2014)
· Flipping Leadership Doesn’t Mean Reinventing the Wheel (Corwin, 2014)
· Collaborative Leadership: Six Influences That Matter Most (Corwin/Learning Forward, 2016)
· School Climate: Leading With Collective Teacher Efficacy (Corwin/Ontario Principals Council, 2017)
· Coach It Further: Using the Art of Coaching to Improve School Leadership (Corwin, 2018)
· Instructional Leadership: Creating Practice Out of Theory (Corwin, 2020)
· 10 Mindframes for Leaders: The Visible Learning Approach to School Success (edited by John Hattie and Ray Smith; Corwin, 2020)
· Collective Leader Efficacy: Strengthening the Impact of Instructional Leadership Teams (Corwin/Learning Forward, 2021)
Peter’s articles have appeared in educational research journals at the state, national, and international level. His books have been translated into four languages.
Some of the organizations Peter has worked with are the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), Arkansas State University, EDUTAS, University of Oklahoma, Victoria Department of Education (Australia), University of Rotterdam (Netherlands), Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA), Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), the National Education Association (NEA), New Brunswick Teacher’s Association (Canada), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), Education Scotland (Scotland), Glasgow City Council (Scotland), Kuwait Technical College (Kuwait), the National Association of School Psychologists, ASCD, l’Association des directions et directions adjointes des écoles franco-ontariennes (ADFO), the Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario (CPCO), the Ontario Principals’ Council (OPC), National School Climate Center, GLSEN, PBS, NPR, BAM Radio Network, ABC, and NBC’s Education Nation.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
1. The Silent Minority
Our School Experiences
What It Means to Be Gay
The Need for Role Models
Harassment and Discrimination of LGBT Students
Negative Stereotypes of LGBT Students
Conclusion
Action Steps
Discussion Questions
2. Bullying of LGBT Students
Where Bullying Behavior Begins
Cyberbullying
Setting the Tone in School
Safeguarding and Supporting LGBT Students
Conclusion
Action Steps
Discussion Questions
3. The Role of Schools
The Impact Schools Can Have on LGBT Students
Keeping Students Safe
Teacher Biases
Professional Development
Parent Outreach
Conclusion
Action Steps
Discussion Questions
4. Curriculum Matters
Diverse Literature at an Age-Appropriate Level
Supportive Learning Environments for LGBT Students
Curriculum
Elementary School Gender Differences and Character Education
English Language Arts
Social Studies
Guest Speakers Who Address Bullying
After-School Enrichment
Conclusion
Action Steps
Discussion Questions
5. Gay-Straight Alliances
Why Schools Should Offer a GSA
The Parameters of Creating a GSA
Events Held by a GSA
Conclusion
Action Steps
Discussion Questions
6. Following Through: School Board Policies and Codes of Conduct
Laws That Support School Decisions
School Leaders Embracing the Sexual Diversity of Students
A Shared Vision: Creating School Codes of Conduct
Creating School Board Policies
How Parents, Staff, and Students Can Help
Conclusion
Action Steps
Discussion Questions
Questions to Ponder
7. Important Stories From Higher Education
Appendix: NASP Position Statement: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth
References
Index
Reviews
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"Dignity for All is a wise book that will help administrators, teachers, and parents work together to make sure that our schools are welcoming for all of our students. Peter DeWitt provides the insight and ideas to lead the way in including LGBT students."Diane Ravitch, Research Professor
New York University
"In this book, a group of students that is often misunderstood and frequently maligned finds a voice. Educators whose reach extends to every student will discover here a deeper understanding of these students’ needs as well as sound advice on addressing those needs."Carol Ann Tomlinson, William Clay Parrish, Jr. Professor
University of Virginia Curry School of Education
“Leaders set the tone for their buildings. Peter DeWitt offers an important resource for teachers and administrators that will help create an inclusive school for all students.”Todd Whitaker, Professor
Dept of Educational Leadership, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN
"Dignity for All provides educators with critical information on the experiences of LGBT students in our schools and how to create safe and affirming spaces for these youth. Grounded in his experience as a teacher and school administrator, Peter DeWitt makes vital knowledge accessible for those on the front lines in schools."Eliza Byard, Executive Director
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
"This book is a valuable resource guide for schools considering a course of action. It is recommended for all high schools seeking progressive change."Kevin Beach
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