School

1
School

• Should we separate the kids?

2
P.E.

• Elementary ed, physical ability differences small
• Puberty, differences become large

3
Math Science

• No math differences found 4th, 8th, 12th grades
  (Coley, 2001)
• Science? Males slightly better 4th, 8th grades
• No gender difference 12th grade

4
Are schools biased against boys?

• Teachers are females, making modeling more
  difficult
• Boys are more likely to be criticized
• Officials ignore boys having language problems
• Typical boy behavior is labeled problematic

5
Educational Attainment

• Males gt likely to drop out of school (small
  difference 15 v.13)
• Boys do predominate in bottom half of high school
  classes
• Males 45 of college now

6
Grade retention

• Each year, 7-9 are retained
• By grade 12, about 30-50 retained
• Retention increases risk of dropping out
• Retained twice? Virtually assures it
• Kids w/ l.d. often retained prior to finding the
  problem

7
Who gets retained?

• Males, 2 to 1 ratio, possibly 3/1
• 2x as many l.d. students
• All minorities, esp. blacks

8
Are schools biased against girls?

• Teachers spend more time interacting w/boys
• Boys get more instruction than girls
• Teachers help boys work out problems on their own
  
• By middle school, girls self-esteem is
  significantly lower than boys

9
Yet, Girls

• More engaged w/ material
• More attentive in class
• Put forth more effort
• Participate more in class

10
And we study

• Contributions of men, mostly white men
• Easier to remember information that applies to
  oneself

11
In addition, teachers pay more attention

• To whites than blacks

• To MC or UMC kids than WC children
• w/in each gender, White MC children gtattention

12
School itself is Sexist

• Authority figures typically male (principals,
  supers)
• Elem ed teachers are female

• H.S. teachers about half are female
• Eng, foreign langfemale teacher
• Math, sciencemale

13
So should we segregate schools?

• Would you trust them?
• Seems to be an education fad about to start

14
In Sex Segregated schools

• Girls didnt attain better math or science skills
• Did report better attitudes about these subjects
• More self-confidence

15
Should we teach androgyny?

• Other solutions

16
Federal Educ Dept

• Made it easier to create single-sex classes or
  schools
• Legislation takes effect 11-24-06
• Children excluded from a class must get a
  substantially equal class

17
Androgyny

• Presence of desirable masculine feminine
  characteristics in the same individual

18
Idea that androgyny

• Would stop harmful traditional sex-typing
• Open equal opportunity

19
Androgynous individuals

• Viewed by some as more flexible
• Competent
• Mentally healthy

20
Programs promoting it

• Taught to K, 5th 9th grades
• Most successful w/ 5th graders
• 9th graders boomerang effect, esp w/ boys

21
Critics think

• too much attention on gender role
• Should try to think of ourselves as people