Navigating heteronormativity in K-12 schools: challenges and opportunities for school leaders in supporting LGBTQ students

School principals can provide learning environments that respect and embrace the cultural backgrounds and identities of LGBTQ students. School leaders who embrace diverse identities can create safer and more welcoming spaces for their students. Unfortunately, heteronormative leadership and policies in K–12 schools continue to entertain hostile and unsafe school environments. School principals play an important role in building positive school environments, and their advocacy is necessary to build safe and inclusive school cultures. This qualitative case study explores a multitude of tools, strategies, and the Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL) framework that school principals can utilize to promote social justice and defend LGBTQ student rights in their schools. Two key research questions drove this research to examine the barriers and challenges school leaders face in effectively implementing inclusive LGBTQ school policies, and how principalship training programs can better equip future school leaders to create inclusive school policies where LGBTQ students can feel safer and be more successful. Through interviews conducted with three Grand Public Schools principals, this research revealed that although the school district empowers their school principals to create more equitable and just environments for their students, the common themes identified were centered on the lack of school principals’ training, communication, and alignment between the district and the school policies specific to LGBTQ students. It is recommended for the school district to focus on aligning specific LGBTQ policies across their schools, provide their school leaders with professional development on communication skills focused on addressing LGBTQ-related topics, and training on sexual minority concepts so that their LGBTQ student population can better be protected against harassment and discrimination.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Dunham, Audrey Martine Lucie

Contributors dc:contributor

• Mason, Curtis
• Pak, Yoon
• Huang, David
• Lee, Sharon

• LGBTQ students
• school principals
• K-12 public schools
• inclusion
• CRSL frameworks
• safe learning environments
• inclusive policies

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Audrey Dunham

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129243

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129243