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Educating Girls An Overview of Gendered Education in America Photo Credit National Geographic, copyright National Geographic Society

Educating Girls

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An Overview of Girls' Education in America

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Page 1: Educating Girls

Educating Girls

An Overview of Gendered Education in America

Photo Credit National Geographic, copyright National Geographic Society

Page 2: Educating Girls

History:Girls Are Different

Photo Credit National Geographic, copyright Bambang Hidajat

Page 3: Educating Girls

“And since the Americans have bravely

established their liberties, (not withstanding the vain

efforts of tyranny) we hope that their modesty will

keep them from exercising that despotism over us,

which they so openly despised in their master. . . . and

now, may they wish to see the fair sex on an equal

footing with themselves, enjoying all the blessings of

freedom.”

- New York female academy student, 1794

Page 4: Educating Girls

History

1700s – Finishing Schools

1800s – Girls’ Schools, Young Women’s academies, and Coeducation

1972 – Title IX

1974 – Women’s Educational Equality Act

1991 – How Schools Shortchange Girls

2006 – Title IX amended

Page 5: Educating Girls

From the 1700s

Arts, such as music, embroidery, drawing, and painting furniture

Refinement and social graces

Dancing

Hosting a ball

Etiquette and manners

How to be a wife: cook, clean, and keep a household

Finishing Schools

Page 6: Educating Girls

1700-1800s

Instruction for a small group of children led by a woman in her home (in place of parents educating their own children)

Equivalent to an elementary level education

Begun in colonial times based on English methods

Prepared boys for town schools or academies

Girls might be allowed to attend town schools during summers or holidays

Dame Schools

Page 7: Educating Girls

1800s

Colonial women were involved in family businesses and commerce

Literacy was needed for all

Movement for single-gender seminary or academy modeled after English finishing schools, to provide a “moral, literary, and domestic education”

Prepared female teachers for Catholic girls’ schools

Women were the foundation of ‘good manners’ and a positive influence on men

Women’s Seminaries and Academies

Page 8: Educating Girls

1800s

Taught boys and girls in the same schools

Included secondary schools

Common in the west due to small classes

Tracked programs: College preparatory (boys) Vocational (girls, minorities)

For girls through the 1960s: Nursing Secretarial Teaching Motherhood

Coeducation

Page 9: Educating Girls

History: Girls Are the Same

Photo Credit National Geographic, copyright Wahyudi Andriano

Page 10: Educating Girls

1972

Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, Congresswoman Patsy Mink

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance…”

BIG changes to school athletics

Several states passed laws to include schools not receiving Federal funding

Title IX

Page 11: Educating Girls

1974

“promotes education equity for women and girls through competitive grants.”

Training for teachers to encourage gender-equity in classrooms

Guidance and counseling to increase opportunities for women in technologically demanding workplaces

Evaluating and replicating exemplary gender equity programs

From $6 million in 1976 to just under $2 million in 2009

Women’s Educational Equality Act

Page 12: Educating Girls

1991

Classrooms have progressed in terms of gender equity

Girls’ academic performance has increased

Girls continue to face unique challenges

Compared to male peers, girls have less self-confidence and lower self-esteem

General inequity in society continues to impact education

How Schools Shortchange Girls, American Association of University Women

Page 13: Educating Girls

2006: But, girls ARE different

provide school districts with flexibility in the implementation of single-sex programs

Coeducational facilities reinforce gender stereotypes through “gender intensification” – ‘poetry is for girls,’ ‘computer science is for boys’

Gender separate format can boost grades and test scores

Teacher training is KEY in separate gender instruction

Amendments to Title IX: separate gender education

Page 14: Educating Girls

“We can conclude from the research that there are significant differences in how boys and girls learn. The cognitive differences are brain based; behavioral differences can be brain based or a result of responses from brain-based differences. The very architecture of the brain and the resultant differences in sensory perception and physical skills differ markedly between the sexes in the classroom and in society.”

-Virginia Bonomo, 2010

Page 15: Educating Girls

Sensory Differences

Boys have

35% lesshearing

Girls

classi

fy

visually

,

boys

locate

and see

motion

Boys avoid eye contact during dialogue

GirlsRetainSensoryMemoryDetailsWell

Boys useTargetsAndSpatialMemory

Page 16: Educating Girls

HOWEVER!

When developing computer software, educational tools, or curriculum, there is no lowest common denominator:

Girls AND Boys Research BOTH genders and adjust the

material to perform well with both

Assessing these materials requires unbiased methods (no interviews)

Page 17: Educating Girls

“It is understandable why, when the statistics emerged showing boys’ underachievement, it was concluded that schools had gone “too far” in redressing girls’ inequalities. It is also understandable why these same measures were adopted to tackle the problems boys were experiencing with school. However, this meant that the construction of traditional gendered subjectivities of boys and girls were left unchallenged and, hence, the ongoing production of lower levels of self-confidence amongst girls.”

-Christine Skelton, 2010

Page 18: Educating Girls

Implications

Photo Credit National Geographic, copyright Joshua Kast

Page 19: Educating Girls

What Girls Want

Throughout the research, girls have wanted:

Opportunities

Respect

Challenges

Community

Recognition

Socially, girls now have the ability and, increasingly, the economic motivations to pursue higher education

“When you compete with girls, you compete on skills.” -‘Debbie,’ 2008

Page 20: Educating Girls

Identity Economics

‘Insiders’ versus ‘Outsiders’ In work: nurses and male nurses In school: jocks and drop-outs

Identity utility: gaining or losing face through actions that agree with or disagree with identity

Schools AND Companies must promote ‘insider’ identity that is attainable regardless of gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status

Standard Economic Theories + Individuals’ Identities

Page 21: Educating Girls

In Coeducational Schools

Gender equity means adjusting instruction for Each Student, regardless of gender

There’s no such thing as, or need for, ‘gender-blind’

Boys need more Motivation, Activity, Efficacy

Girls need more Support, Recognition, Community

“Boys will be boys, right? If I lagged behind, people would think I’m not okay. It’s the same with boys and teachers. Teachers seem willing to push the boys more than they push the girls. Girls are just expected to be good.”

Page 22: Educating Girls

What About All-Girl Schools?

Research indicates positive outcomes: Self-confidence Encouragement Leadership Community Opportunities for public-speaking,

technology, science, math, and writing Less disruption/distraction Ability to experiment with multiple roles

(class clown, bully, sports champ) Skills transfer to coed high schools

What about all-girl classes?

• Research suggests school climate has a big impact despite individual class makeup

Page 23: Educating Girls

What About the Boys?

Valuing girls and traditionally ‘female’ studies such as art and music provides boys greater access to some of life’s finest things

Improving teacher awareness of individual needs ultimately impacts every student, providing tailored instruction

Feedback that validates students’ efforts over abilities increases motivation

Challenging students increases motivation

Improvements for girls are always good for boys: their sisters, mothers, wives, and daughters benefit, and:

Page 24: Educating Girls

What About the Boys?

Research suggests that girls’ educational attainment is strongly influenced by their mothers; boys, by their fathers. Boys who have no fathers need strong male role models and mentors.

In peer groups, boys may be less likely to find encouragement to pursue higher education. Boys need ‘insider’ identities.

Parents are less likely to ask sons about school, and may have lower expectations for sons’ academic achievement. Parents need to understand their impact.

Our biggest stumbling blocks:

Page 25: Educating Girls

Educating Girls

Younger and Warrington state that single-sex classrooms experience success due to culture – an environment of collaboration, encouragement, and common purpose and values.

Effective teachers view community as essential to the inclusion and engagement of every student.

Focusing on girls neglected social realities and has gone as far as possible. Future efforts need to acknowledge, and honor, individuals of both genders.

Educating Everyone