THE IMPACT OF GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION RELATED BULLYING ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Jeanette De Jesus

Urban Assembly Academy for Future Leaders

INTRODUCTION:

Even though there has been a significant amount of research conducted on the topic of bullying since the 1970s, the relationship between bullying and the subject of gender identity and sexual orientation has mostly been ignored. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) youth and those perceived as LGBTQ are at an increased risk of being bullied. This topic must be examined in order to make schools safer and more inclusive for ALL students to achieve academic excellence

TASK:

For this assignment you will work collaboratively in groups of four (4) to Raise Awareness within your school community on the need to create a safe learning environment for LGBTQ youth.

You will work collaboratively with your group to conduct research on the impact of bullying based on gender identity or sexual orientation, on the academic achievement of youth in school. You will prepare a presentation and an additional product to raise public awareness and convey your message to your peers and school community.

1. You will create a Google slides presentation that will introduce the problem to your audience and offer several solutions and your recommendation for the best solution. Your presentation must include graphics, present research, and offer solutions. The presentation must include at least 10 slides, with an additional slide citing all of the sources used.

2. You will design and create a bumper sticker using Adobe Illustrator that promotes an anti-bullying stance. Your bumper sticker should be BOLD in design and be EASY to read from 3 - 6 feet away. Your bumper sticker should include a quote and images which best represent your message. To accompany your bumper sticker, you will write a descriptive paragraph which will include an explanation of the quote and images your chose for your bumper sticker and the reason for its importance

***Your group will use the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) Tool as an outline for your products***

PROCESS:

To complete this project you will need to follow the six (6) steps of the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) Tool.

STEP 1: You will be placed in groups of four (4) in order to complete the gathering of information for the PPA worksheets. Each member of the group will have a specific role. Your group roles are as follows:

*Leader – This student will organize the group. He/She will ensure that deadlines are met, keeping everyone on task. This student will help and support all the group members.

*Researcher - This student will lead the research by guiding the other members to the web pages. He/She will assign information from the resources and collect information that will be used to complete the PPA worksheets

*Creative Director - This student will assist the group in generating and developing their ideas. He/She will keep the others abreast of the aim of the assignment, and will ensure that all the work is “innovative.”

Art Director - This student will cover all the aspects of layout, design, and photography. He/She will discuss design and layout ideas with the other group members and will oversee the designing of the google slides presentation.

**All group members are required to contribute to the completion of the worksheets AND completion and presentation of the slides.**

STEP 2: Along with the information from your research, follow the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) 6 Step Process. Complete the worksheets and allow them to guide you with your slide presentation and bumper sticker project.

1. Define the Problem: Identify and explain the problem that you are researching. Ensure that you can convey why this condition is undesirable.

Worksheet #1 (Define the Problem)

2. Gather Evidence: The goal of your research is to find proof that this problem actually exists. You can use statistics, primary or secondary sources, articles from newspapers or magazines, blogs, podcasts, etc.

Worksheet #2 (Gather Evidence)

3. Identify Causes: Why are youth bullied because of their gender identity or sexual orientation? Who or what is responsible for this problem? What are the underlying factors that have lead to this type of bullying?

Worksheet #3 (Identifying the Causes)

4. Evaluating Existing Public Policies: Find policies that already exist regarding bullying. What do these policies say? Who do they benefit? Do they address the issue of gender identity or sexual orientation based bullying? Do these policies need to be changed?

Worksheet #4 (Evaluating Existing Public Policies)

5. Developing Solutions: Formulate new/original public policy alternatives (solutions) for your social problem. What are some alternatives you think will solve or help with the problem that exits?

Worksheet #5 (Developing Solutions)

6. Select Preferred Policy: Ask yourself how realistic the proposed solution is? How likely would it be to lessen the problem? Are there any obstacles that can prevent it from working? Is there anything that can be done to overcome those obstacles?

Worksheet #6 (Selecting the Best Policy)

RESOURCES:

· Bullying and School Climate

· LGBTQ Youth

· Violence Prevention – Safer Schools, Safer Communities

· Sexual Orientation Bullying: Definition and Prevention

· Bullying Statistics: Anti-Bullying Help, Facts, and More

· New Study: Rates of Anti-LGBTQ School Bullying at “Unprecedented High”

· Youth Bullying because of perceived sexual orientation widespread and damaging

· Bullying in Schools

· Safe School Laws

· School Anti-Bullying: State Maps of Laws and Policies

· Bullying & Safe Schools for LGBT Students

· Title IX Protections from Bullying and Harassment in Schools

· New York State Education Department

· New York City Department of Education

EVALUATION:

Bumper Sticker Rubric

PowerPoint and Oral Presentation Rubric

CONCLUSION:

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have completed your Web Quest study on the problem of the growing trend of gender identity and sexual orientation related bullying and its impact on academic achievement. Not only have you succeeded in your task of becoming socially aware of this issue, you have raised awareness of this problem in your school community and have also discovered possible solutions to improve it. In the process, you have simultaneously learned and implemented the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) Tool to evaluate civics, citizenship, and governmental systems in order to become a public policy creator, consultant, or lobbyist.