Evaluation of a Mandatory Professional Development on Supporting Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender-Nonconforming Students in Chicago Public Schools

Abstract

To address the reality that LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and others) students remain more likely to experience harm, harassment, and violence at school as well as miss school due to feeling unsafe and the fact that students identifying as transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming (TNBGNC) are at even greater risk of bullying, harassment, and significant mental health concerns, Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) Office of Student Health and Wellness (OSHW) created a novel professional development (PD) requirement in 2019, entitled “Supporting Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming Students.” The PD, a recorded webinar encouraging independent time for reflection and planning, takes an intersectional approach and is required of all CPS staff members across the entire district. A pre- and postevaluation of the PD, guided by the Kirkpatrick model, was completed by 19,503 staff members. The findings from this evaluation show that staff members significantly increased their knowledge, showed statistically significant gain in self-reported skills, and articulated key actions they could take toward sustaining an environment that fosters skill implementation and culture change more broadly. Findings reveal that a culture that supports staff members in learning from their mistakes can help to encourage staff members to employ gender-inclusive behaviors such as asking individuals for their pronouns and using gender-neutral pronouns. This districtwide mandatory PD approach shows value in influencing staff members’ thinking and behaviors known to be supportive of TNBGNC students and may serve as a model for other school districts looking to build capacity to support TNBGNC students.