educating girls
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An Overview of Girls' Education in AmericaTRANSCRIPT
Educating Girls
An Overview of Gendered Education in America
Photo Credit National Geographic, copyright National Geographic Society
History:Girls Are Different
Photo Credit National Geographic, copyright Bambang Hidajat
“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
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
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
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
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
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
History: Girls Are the Same
Photo Credit National Geographic, copyright Wahyudi Andriano
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
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
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
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
“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
Sensory Differences
Boys have
35% lesshearing
Girls
classi
fy
visually
,
boys
locate
and see
motion
Boys avoid eye contact during dialogue
GirlsRetainSensoryMemoryDetailsWell
Boys useTargetsAndSpatialMemory
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)
“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
Implications
Photo Credit National Geographic, copyright Joshua Kast
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
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
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.”
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
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:
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:
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