School Newsletter

School Newsletter: Gender Equity in Our Classrooms and Programs

By Adi Ackerman·July 9, 2026·6 min read

Gender equity in schools covers more ground than most newsletter communications acknowledge. It includes documented achievement gaps between genders, access to programs and opportunities, protection from gender-based harassment, and increasingly the specific needs of transgender and nonbinary students. This newsletter covers how to address all of these honestly.

The documented gaps worth naming

Girls are underrepresented in advanced STEM courses, engineering programs, and technical career pathways in many schools. Boys are underrepresented in arts, language arts achievement, and social- emotional skill development. Both patterns have real consequences. A newsletter that names these gaps and describes what the school is doing to address them is more useful than a generic commitment to gender equity.

Programs that make gender equity concrete

Girls Who Code clubs, women in STEM mentorship programs, and gender- inclusive engineering projects address the STEM gap. Reading programs specifically designed to engage boys in literacy, arts programs that actively recruit male students, and social-emotional programs that serve boys specifically address the literacy and wellbeing gaps on the other side.

Communicate about these programs specifically in the newsletter. A program that exists but is not communicated about has limited reach.

Audit your communications for unintentional gender messaging

Review recent newsletters with a gender lens. Do photos consistently show girls in nurturing roles and boys in leadership roles? Do achievement stories follow gender patterns? Does language assume that certain activities or careers are for certain genders?

These patterns accumulate into a message even when no single one was intentional. Correcting them requires seeing them, and seeing them requires looking deliberately.

Transgender and nonbinary students: specific support

Transgender and nonbinary students have specific needs related to name and pronoun use, bathroom and locker room access, participation in gender-segregated activities, and protection from harassment. A school that communicates its specific policies in these areas, rather than assuming families will ask if needed, makes those students and their families feel the school has thought about them.

Gender-inclusive language in all communications

Using "students" rather than "boys and girls," "families" rather than "moms and dads," and "they/them" when referring to a student of unknown or nonbinary gender are small language changes that accumulate into a significant signal about the school's culture. These changes cost nothing and matter to the students for whom they are relevant.

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Frequently asked questions

What does gender equity mean in a school setting?

Gender equity means ensuring that students of all genders have equal access to academic programs, extracurriculars, leadership opportunities, and support. It includes addressing documented gaps, like underrepresentation of girls in STEM and boys in literacy and arts, as well as ensuring that transgender and nonbinary students are recognized and supported.

What specific programs should schools communicate about in gender equity newsletters?

Girls in STEM and coding initiatives, gender-inclusive sports policies, counseling resources for students navigating gender identity, curriculum that includes women's history and contributions, and any specific supports for transgender or nonbinary students. Specific programs communicate that the school has acted on its commitment.

How should schools address gender stereotypes in school communications?

By reviewing their own communications for unintentional reinforcement of stereotypes. Photos that consistently show boys in STEM and girls in arts, language that assumes certain activities are for certain genders, and achievement stories that follow predictable gender lines all reinforce stereotypes even in a school that is trying to counter them.

How do schools support transgender and nonbinary students in communications?

By using the names and pronouns students use, by not disclosing a student's gender identity without their permission, by including gender-neutral language in family communications, and by describing the specific policies and supports the school has in place for gender-expansive students.

How does Daystage help schools communicate gender equity programs and policies to families?

Daystage lets schools send targeted newsletters that can include gender equity program updates, policy information, and resource lists. A school that communicates consistently about its gender equity efforts through the newsletter builds family trust and student awareness simultaneously.

Adi Ackerman

Author

Adi Ackerman is a former classroom teacher and curriculum writer with 8 years in K-8 schools. She writes about school communication, parent engagement, and what actually works in real classrooms.

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