Gender+Bias+in+Education

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Crystal Mercado Overview

Recent articles such as Obama science fair to focus on girls' education and High School Girls Score Lower Than Boys In Math And Science show boys scoring higher than girls with regard to Math and Science. Why is this so? Are boys just better at Math and Science or could it be connected to gender bias? Children are very perceptive, so they would be able to pick up on any conscious or unconscious biases the teacher shows during instruction. If either gender feels that they are expected to do more, or less, then the students will usually fulfill that expectation. Throughout history, most girls (especially those from middle and upper class socioeconomic status) were taught to be polite, lady-like, and not “worry their pretty little heads” over finances, math, or science. The statistics within the articles and references show that this is a problem that crosses all socioeconomic groups and is being encountered throughout the world. Many cultures, such as in Africa and Muslim countries that practice Sharia Law, do not even allow girls to go to school.

Articles such as Gender Bias in Education by Amanda Chapman and Gender Bias in Teaching by Kathryn Scantlebury point to gender bias as being the culprit in the disparity between grades and standardized testing between girls and boys. Chapman (2014) writes, “Sitting in the same classroom, reading the same textbook, listening to the same teacher, boys and girls receive very different educations." (Sadker, 1994) In fact, upon entering school, girls perform equal to or better than boys on nearly every measure of achievement, but by the time they graduate high school or college, they have fallen behind. (Sadker, 1994) However, discrepancies between the performance of girls and boys in elementary education,leads some critics to argue that boys are being neglected within the education system: Across the country, boys have never been in more trouble: They earn 70 percent of the D's and F's that teachers dole out (in elementary school). They make up two thirds of students labeled "learning disabled." They are the culprits in a whopping 9 of 10 alcohol and drug violations and the suspected perpetrators in 4 out of 5 crimes that end up in juvenile court. They account for 80 percent of high school dropouts and attention deficit disorder diagnoses. (Mulrine, 2001)” Due to these statistics, “The Boy Crisis” appeared. Articles such as Exploring the "Boy Crisis" in Education, In the Real World, the So-Called ‘Boy Crisis’ Disappears, and Putting the “Boy Crisis” in Context, discuss the “Boy Crisis” and what needs to be done to decrease or erase the gap in achievement between genders. Could this be why girls are falling behind in Math and Science? Is too much attention being given to boys to ensure their success?

It is interesting to note that in the article Girls Make Higher Grades than Boys in All School Subjects, Analysis Finds, the author states “Although gender differences follow essentially stereotypical patterns on achievement tests in which boys typically score higher on math and science, females have the advantage on school grades regardless of the material. School marks reflect learning in the larger social context of the classroom and require effort and persistence over long periods of time, whereas standardized tests assess basic or specialized academic abilities and aptitudes at one point in time without social influences.” (Voyer & Voyer, 2014).

Trend or Issue?

Trend: to extend in a general direction, follow a general course (mountain ranges trending north and south); to veer in a new direction: bend (a coastline that trends westward); to show a tendency: incline (prices trending upward). Issue: a vital or unsettled matter (economic issues); concern, problem (I have issues with his behavior); the point at which an unsettled matter is ready for a decision (brought the matter to an issue).

Gender bias in Education can be viewed as a trend and as an issue. The fact that gender bias in education has been occurring for many years shows that it is a trend. The “Boy Crisis” and articles such as Obama science fair to focus on girls' education and High School Girls Score Lower Than Boys In Math And Science shows that the bias can extend and veer in different directions depending on what is assessed and who is doing the assessing. For years there was a shift in education to focus on boys because they were viewed to be falling behind. The current shift is focused on increasing interest and achievement in math and science among girls. The next trend will be determined by interpretation of grades and standardized test scores.

Gender bias is also an issue because it is a concern for members of the education field. Education should be equal to all students, but this is not always the case. Education administrators strive to have all teachers view and treat the genders equally, but this is nearly impossible to do with the way education is assessed. The “Boy Crisis” is proof that administrators are swayed by standardized test scores. Teachers were expected to work harder to ensure that boys improved. While they were doing this, were they neglecting the girls? Is that why standardized tests show boys scoring higher and girls falling behind in high school? Gender bias, no matter which gender is being biased against; effects the way students see and feel about themselves. If students perceive that they are not expected to do well then generally their grades and attitude about school will be reflect this. This affects the self-esteem of students as well as their academic success. Students start to feel like their teachers think they are not able to grasp the concepts and succeed, so why bother, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. What is the solution? There is actually a very simple solution, treat students as learners instead of as boys or girls so that charts such as the one below will no longer be needed. To achieve this, administrators need to provide training for all their faculty and staff. Gender Bias training can be administered during pre-service. The Gender Bias Learning Project offers handouts, power-points, videos, and role playing as resources and guidance to help faculty and staff recognize any gender perceptions or unconscious gender biases they may have.

** Chart of the Day: Women need a perfect GPA to earn as much as men with a 2.0 ** By [|MAYA] | Published: MAY 22, 2014

We already know that women need a PhD to earn as much as men with a BA, and now a new report on the relationship between high school grade point average (GPA) and income shows that women need a 4.0 GPA to earn as much as men with a 2.0. Via ThinkProgress : The study also shows that, on average, women have significantly higher GPAs, while men still end up having higher incomes.

To view a proposal describing a gender bias awareness training for teachers, please download the document below:

References

Beede, D.; Julian, T.; Langdon, D.; McKittrick, G.; Khan, B.; Doma, M. (2011) Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation. //ESA Issue Brief #04-11. //Our science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce is crucial to America’s innovative capacity and global competitiveness. Yet women are vastly underrepresented in STEM jobs and among STEM degree holders despite making up nearly half of the U.S. workforce and half of the college-educated workforce.

Cappon, P. (2011). Exploring the ‘Boy Crisis’ in Education. //Canadian Council on Learning//, 1-52. Discusses the issue of the "boy gap" or "boy crisis" in education that has been the subject of increasing attention across a number of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED) countries.

Chapman, A. (2014). Gender Bias in Education. //EdChange//, 1-4. Discusses how the socialization of gender within schools assures that girls are made aware that they are unequal to boys.

Covert, B. (2014). In the Real World, the So-Called ‘Boy Crisis’ Disappears. //The Nation//, 1-3. Discusses how girl are socialized to be better students, little is done to prepare them for a workplace that is not an even playing field.

Dusenbery, M. (2014). **Chart of the Day: Women need a perfect GPA to earn as much as men with a 2.0**. //Feministing//, 1. The study shows that, on average, women have significantly higher GPAs, while men still end up having higher incomes.

Jackson, D. (2014). Obama science fair to focus on girls' education. //USA Today//, 1. The Obama administration is hoping its annual White House Science Fair will encourage more girls to take up science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

Lin, J. (2013). High School Girls Score Lower Than Boys In Math And Science. //Indiana Public Media//, 1-3. Discusses how girls start to lag significantly behind their male peers when girls transition from middle school to high school.

Sadowski, M. (2010). Putting the “Boy Crisis” in Context. //Harvard Education Letter//. Discusses how finding solutions to boys' reading problems may require looking beyond gender.

Scantlebury, K. (2009). Gender Bias in Teaching. //Education.com//, 1-8. Discusses how teachers; gendered perceptions and unconscious gender biases affect students; success, self esteem, and participation in the classroom.

Voyer, D., & Voyer, S. D. (2014, April 28). Gender Differences in Scholastic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. //Psychological Bulletin//. Advance online publication. @http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0036620. For math, science, boys lead on achievement tests while girls do better on classroom grades, research revels. Despite the stereotype that boys do better in math and science, girls have made higher grades than boys throughout their school years for nearly a century, according to a new analysis published by the American Psychological Association.

Williams, J. C., Norton, D., Hessler, J., Rauner, M., & Wilkens, M. (2014, June 4). //Gender Bias Learning Project//. Retrieved from Gender Bias Learning Project: http://www.genderbiasbingo.com/ Gender bias in academia is alive and well. Identifying and understanding the distinct patterns of gender bias is the first step towards ensuring that bias does not derail your career. The Center for WorkLife Law, with support from a NSF ADVANCE leadership grant, has developed this on-line gender bias training that teaches you to identify the four basic patterns of gender bias: Prove it Again!, The Double Bind, The Maternal Wall, and Gender Wars. = = = = = =