January 14, 2013

STUDENT SEXUALITY SURVEYS…your thoughts please

By neverblendin

Hello lovely people. I’m on the diversity committee at a college in the UK and a question arose at today’s meeting. I’d be interested to gather feedback from you and would appreciate your opinions and insight. The college are required to gather information on students regarding various characteristics (much like job applications currently do). The information is to inform, statistically , on percentages of LGBT, Transgender, religious learners as well as their cultural backgrounds and any declared disabilities. Within education it can be useful to see if certain groups achieve better/worse so that analysis can be made to prompt improvement in provision. Currently boys with declared disabilities outperform other male learners, for example. This is believed to be because learning support was successful in providing the previously disadvantaged students with the tools to achieve. Is there any reason for a college to know about the sexuality or gender identity of a learner? What benefits might there be or disadvantages? Please let me know your thoughts on this. Lastly, would such a survey provide more accurate statistics if students were asked to complete it anonymously?

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About neverblendin

David Watters, a graduate of Napier University, Edinburgh, Trinity College of Music, London and the Institute of Education, University of London, has worked internationally within education and Educational Management for more than 20 years. He has taught extensively within many socially and culturally diverse settings; most recently as a Head of Performing Arts within Further Education. He is a personal and professional development associate with The Pacific Institute (www.pacificinstitute.co.uk), personal coach, freelance writer and founding member of NBI Associates. He is a writer on social equality issues, is a key player in the Equal Love Campaign UK and author of the forthcoming book, NEVER BLEND IN which features key voices from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community and which aims to inspire and encourage those who may lack self-esteem or who question their validity. David is currently promoting a youtube campaign"Give 'em Hope"and is asking individuals, couples and groups to make and share videos telling about the benefits of living with personal authenticity. He has shared a platform with Stuart Milk and Peter Tatchell and is a supporter of 17-24-30, The Trevor Project, Schools Out, The Terrence Higgins Trust, The Albert Kennedy Trust and numerous others. His background in arts and education, combined with a solid understanding of Cognitive Behavioural Strategies, and his passion for Equality Advocacy drive every aspect of his work as a personal development facilitator, motivational speaker and writer. View all posts by neverblendin
This entry was posted on Monday, January 14th, 2013 at 5:41 pm and posted in EDUCATION ARTICLES. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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