This paper critically evaluates societal reactions to integrating LGBTQ+ content into the Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum in England and Wales. Utilising Stanley Cohen's theory of moral panics, it examines the roles of media, moral entrepreneurs, authorities, and the public in shaping debates around educational reforms. The paper…

The inclusion of pleasure in school-based sexuality education remains a controversial issue despite a long-standing body of scholarship which argues for its importance. While recent studies reveal sexual pleasure remains missing in school programmes, it appears to be in abundance in the Netflix series "Sex Education." This paper examines…

This study examined the learning trajectory of five US humanities teachers when navigating learning to teach the difficult history of school desegregation within a context of a six-month inquiry-based professional development. The research questions were: What do teachers frame as problems when teaching difficult histories? How do they…

Since the publication of the first edition of "Understanding Academic Freedom," the never-ending struggle to defend academic freedom has entered a demonstrably new phase. Legislation determining what can and cannot be taught in schools in Florida, Texas, and other states has intensified governing board activism that impinges on widely…

Objective: Across the USA, state-level Bills have been introduced that curtail discussion about gender, sexuality, and biology in public schools. Specifically, two Bills have recently been passed in the states of Florida and Texas that we engage with here as we think through the following questions: what ideologies related to bodies and sexuality…

This paper critically examines the spatial context of discussing controversial issues in educational settings. It begins by evaluating the concept of safe spaces, addressing significant critiques such as the illusion of safety, essentialism, censorship, and the negativity of learning. Next, civility is considered as an alternative, highlighting…

This article is a constructively self-critical autoethnography of my evolving identity as an instructor in a race and ethnicity course. I supplement and contextualize my self-reflections with data in the form of comments from student evaluations. I begin by considering how my social location mediates class dynamics. I then present comments from…

This study aims to explore parents' views and concerns regarding the teaching of politics and the inclusion of politically controversial issues in schools. We employed an exploratory sequential design and a mixed-methods approach in this study. Initially, we conducted indepth interviews with 12 parents to explore their perspectives on teaching…

Contemporary literature reveals that many educators, especially those in elementary schools and in conflict-effected societies, are reluctant to engage in the teaching of current public issues, even more so social controversies. However, this qualitative study examined the successful experience and the perspectives of educators from two elementary…

Although lessons about sexism can increase gender egalitarianism in children, teachers often shy away from discussing sensitive topics, such as sexism, in classrooms. We conducted two studies to examine why teachers may not discuss sexism. In a qualitative study with 20 primary school teachers, teachers reported not discussing sexism because of…

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of book challenges in educational contexts in the United States. Books representing sexual and gender diversity have been particularly targeted, as have books by and about people of color. Further, many states restrict or censor curricula and discussions of sexual and gender…

Katie Milton Brkich et al., "The Rejection of the NGSS in Georgia: Social Covenants as Contextually Mitigating Factors," offers a compelling critical analysis that highlights how social-political influences, introduced as covenants, shape curricular decisions that may limit science literacy within the curricular landscape of science…

Analogous to the political use of language itself in determining, even producing, student learning outcomes, the use of politically charged discourse circumscribes (the boundaries of) student learning opportunities. This 'positive' (i.e. productive) understanding of discourse does not only prohibit discussion about race and racism but helps…

In this paper, we seek out the possibility of joyful and queered spaces of sexuality education. The sexual lives of queer and transgender youth are often passed over in sex and sexuality education classrooms. In this study, we were interested in exploring how sexual and bodily diversity make an appearance in these often-normative spaces. Through…

The aim of this autoethnography is to explore caring strategies for use in the teaching of sensitive and controversial issues in higher education. The text discusses a situation in which I received negative feedback on my teaching strategies during a session about sexually abused boys and men at an institution of higher education in Norway.…