Making Your Social Studies and ELA Curricula LGBTQ+ Inclusive

Presented by Daniel Hurewitz, Associate Professor of History, Hunter College, and Advisor, New York City Department of Education; Mary Kennedy, Senior Producer, The WNET Group; and Peter Lapré, High School Social Studies Teacher, New York City Department of Education

Sponsored by WNET

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Research shows that when all students have the opportunity to engage in LGBTQ+ affirming curricula, students and school culture benefit. In this edWebinar, Mary Kennedy, Senior Producer from The WNET Group, Daniel Hurewitz, Associate Professor of History at Hunter College, and Peter Lapré, High School Social Studies Teacher in the New York City Department of Education, introduce a collection of free, media-rich resources from the newly developed LGBTQ+ Identity Toolkit, created by The WNET Group and the New York City Department of Education’s Social Studies Department.

The presenters showcase a range of resources, including videos, informational text, discussion questions, and teaching tips, all to help educators effectively integrate LGBTQ+ history and narratives into U.S. history, social studies, and English classrooms. Content is aligned with Hidden Voices: LGBTQ+ Stories in United States History, a curriculum guide developed by the New York City Department of Education.

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to teachers, librarians, school counselors, curriculum directors, directors of professional development, and school and district leaders of middle and high school grade levels.

About the Presenters

Daniel Hurewitz is a historian, academic administrator, curriculum developer, teacher trainer, and yes, a playwright. He serves as an associate professor of history at Hunter College and worked as an advisor, writer, and editor helping the New York City Department of Education develop curricular materials to support faculty in teaching LGBTQ+ history.

Mary Kennedy is a senior producer at WNET New Public Media. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she has been instrumental in the development of the video-based resources included in the LGBTQ+ Identity Toolkit featured in this edWebinar and in the WNET Group’s LGBTQ series, First Person, a digital series that delivers candid personal narratives illustrating larger conversations about gender, sexuality, social norms, and identity development.

Pete Lapré has taught social studies at Park East High School in East Harlem, New York, for more than 13 years. He has extensive experience designing curricula and assessments and providing feedback to various pedagogical projects such as the NYCDOE, notably for their Passport to Social Studies, The World History Project, and other cultural institutions. He holds an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.

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