Transgender Students in Elementary School offers guidance to educators who want to provide a supportive school culture and climate for transgender and gender-expansive students. The book provides recommendations for creating learning environments that facilitate all students' sense of belonging and reduce the constraints inherent in binary gender norms. Through this book, teachers and school leaders can deepen their understanding about why they need to make schools gender-inclusive and how to make it happen. Focusing on case studies of five schools, Melinda M. Mangin provides real-life quotes and vignettes that candidly illustrate the learning curve of leaders, staff, and families. These stories demonstrate both the successes and challenges of creating affirming school environments for transgender and gender-expansive students. Mangin argues that while educators are powerfully motivated by the desire to meet the needs of the transgender children in their care, change should not be limited to one-time efforts to meet one child's needs. Rather, the focus should be on creating a comprehensive school culture in which children of all gender expressions and identities can thrive.

Transgender Students in Elementary School offers guidance to educators who want to provide a supportive school culture and climate for transgender and gender-expansive students. The book provides recommendations for creating learning environments that facilitate all students' sense of belonging and reduce the constraints inherent in binary gender norms. Through this book, teachers and school leaders can deepen their understanding about why they need to make schools gender-inclusive and how to make it happen. Focusing on case studies of five schools, Melinda M. Mangin provides real-life quotes and vignettes that candidly illustrate the learning curve of leaders, staff, and families. These stories demonstrate both the successes and challenges of creating affirming school environments for transgender and gender-expansive students. Mangin argues that while educators are powerfully motivated by the desire to meet the needs of the transgender children in their care, change should not be limited to one-time efforts to meet one child's needs. Rather, the focus should be on creating a comprehensive school culture in which children of all gender expressions and identities can thrive.

The story of a transgender child based on the real-life experience of Jazz Jennings, who has become a spokesperson for transkids everywhere "This is an essential tool for parents and teachers to share with children whether those kids identify as trans or not. I wish I had had a book like this when I was a kid struggling with gender identity questions. I found it deeply moving in its simplicity and honesty."—Laverne Cox (who plays Sophia in “Orange Is the New Black”) From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl's brain in a boy's body. She loved pink and dressing up as a mermaid and didn't feel like herself in boys' clothing. This confused her family, until they took her to a doctor who said that Jazz was transgender and that she was born that way. Jazz's story is based on her real-life experience and she tells it in a simple, clear way that will be appreciated by picture book readers, their parents, and teachers.

When Max starts school, the teacher hesitates to call out the name on the attendance sheet. Something doesn't seem to fit. Max lets her know the name he wants to be called by--a boy's name. This begins Max's journey as he makes new friends and reveals his feelings about his identity to his parents. Written with warmth and sensitivity by trans writer Kyle Lukoff, this book is a sweet and age-appropriate introduction to what it means to be transgender.

A loving mother shares her journey of parenting a gender creative child, from toddler to adult.

Drawing on examples of teaching from elementary school classrooms, this timely book for practitioners explains why LGBTQ-inclusive literacy instruction is possible, relevant, and necessary in grades K–5. The authors show how expanding the English language arts curriculum to include representations of LGBTQ people and themes will benefit all students, allowing them to participate in a truly inclusive classroom. The text describes three different approaches that address the limitations, pressures, and possibilities that teachers in various contexts face around these topics. The authors make clear what LGBTQ-inclusive literacy teaching can look like in practice, including what teachers might say and how students might respond. “Reading the Rainbow is a terrific, nuanced, practical resource that many ELA teachers should come to value. Children in their classrooms, whatever their identities, will be the better for it.” —Mombian “Reading the Rainbow invites us to enact justice in our classrooms as we honor our students’ rights and work to foster equity.” —From the Foreword by Mariana Souto-Manning, Teachers College, Columbia University “The field has been hungry for this book! It will allow elementary teachers to make immediate and impactful change in their classrooms.” —Elizabeth Dutro, University of Colorado Boulder “This is a warm and vigorous invitation for teachers to create more equitable classrooms where the full humanity of students is honored.” —Mollie V. Blackburn, Ohio State University

Safe Is Not Enough illustrates how educators can support the positive development of LGBTQ students in a comprehensive way so as to create truly inclusive school communities. Using examples from classrooms, schools, and districts across the country, Michael Sadowski identifies emerging practices such as creating an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum; fostering a whole-school climate that is supportive of LGBTQ students; providing adults who can act as mentors and role models; and initiating effective family and community outreach programs. While progress on LGBTQ issues in schools remains slow, in many parts of the country schools have begun making strides toward becoming safer, more welcoming places for LGBTQ students. Schools typically achieve this by revising antibullying policies and establishing GSAs (gay-straight student alliances). But it takes more than a deficit-based approach for schools to become places where LGBTQ students can fulfill their potential. In Safe Is Not Enough, Michael Sadowski highlights how educators can make their schools more supportive of LGBTQ students’ positive development and academic success.