Biased Education: Two Worlds of Gender in the Classroom

The August issue of Teen Vogue Magazine published two articles on school safety and gender bias in the classroom. Both topics are timely and clearly related . More importantly, awareness of gender issues in the classroom is becoming more critical in the wake of ongoing public school and college violence. Study after study has shown that "Men and Women are different. Years of research on personality indicates men on average are more assertive, active and aggressive in their actions. Women are extroverted, anxious, compliant, emotionally sensitive and dependent" (Woolfolk, 2005, p. 165). Men and Women experience two different worlds in the same classroom and more Educators are wondering if we should simply teach classes for each gender.

First Day At School

Your daughter raises her hand and waits for the teacher to notice her. Meanwhile, a boy shouts out while he raises his hand. The teacher scolds the boy but your daughter notices that the boy was picked first and received more attention from the teacher. What is wrong with this picture? This is a typical story in many classrooms. "When providing feedback educators are more likely to praise, correct, help and criticize boys - all of which foster achievement. Boys are more likely to receive comments on the content of their work and suggestions for improvement. Conversely, girls receive more superficial communication, frequently focusing on the appearance rather than the academic content of their work" (Kepford, 2007).

How can gender bias be overcome in the classroom? Bias - "a situation in which assessment information produces results that give one group an advantage or disadvantage over other groups" (Airasian, 2004) - runs rampant in the classroom. Why? The central problem is that teachers tend to see the world from their point of view and must be taught to expand their ability to assess information in a classroom. Assessment - obtaining the information needed to make a choice in a classroom - helps the teacher to make decisions in your child's daily world. What do teacher's see and how do they interpret what they see?

Enter The Teacher

Teachers are a profession that is struggling "to provide role models of both sexes and all races within a teaching workforce that is predominantly white (90 percent) and female (79 percent). Since 1981, the ratio of male to female teachers has steadily declined - it now stands at a 40-year low (21 percent)" (NEA, 2003). In contrast, US student populations in the modern classroom are becoming increasingly more diverse with boys and girls from countries all over the world. Federal, State and Local policies and laws are constricting the ability of local school districts to divide their classrooms into English Language Learners or other types of student populations. The result has been that "within the first days of school, teachers become immediately absorbed in time-consuming tasks that keep them from paying careful attention to who each student is" (Ovando et all, 2006, p.33). Rather, the teacher begins to rapidly assess each student based on their experiences and background. Boys will be boys and girls - your child and my child - are likely to be ignored or subtly but consistently snubbed.

If Gender Bias Already Exists Then Why Not Create Two Classrooms?

"The number of same sex classes in public schools is on the rise" (Teen Vogue Magazine, 2007). Educators across the country agree that men and women tend to learn in slightly different ways and that the Elementary school years significantly contribute to what children learn about "what it means to be male or female" (Woolfolk, 2005). So why create separate but equal classrooms? Boys and girls can each be taught in their Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) where they will develop skills and abilities that will assist our increasingly globally competitive culture. Separate but equal classrooms will help ensure that men and women receive the same amount of attention and may help spur increased interest in science and math. "The imbalances in teacher attention given to boys and girls are particularly dramatic in math and science classes" (Woolfolk, 2005, p. 168).

Is The Concept of "Separate But Equal" Classrooms Even Applicable?

Anyone who remembers the Civil Rights movement will have an immediate image conjured up by the words 'Separate but Equal'. Can we truly create balanced male and female classrooms? Sadly, many powerful lobbying groups across the country doubt that our schools are up to the task of creating same sex classrooms. "Critics who compare the plan to "separate but equal" segregation-era classrooms haven't been so sure. The National Organization for Women says it creates the risk of breeding second-class citizens" (Yen, 2006).

However, the continued academic issues and new safety threats have placed tremendous pressure on federal officials to ease same sex policies and rewrite Title IX guidelines that limit same sex classes that receive Federal funding. "Under the new rules, schools could separate genders for a variety of subjects if they believed it offered educational benefits, such as promoting greater student comfort or higher attendance. In all cases, enrollment in a single-sex class would be voluntary" (Yen, 2006). The jury is still out so it is unknown whether or not same sex classrooms will truly offer safe haven for both genders in the classroom but initial results show that same sex classrooms may just be a useful tool in the classroom. "But advocates of the gender separation options say the anecdotal evidence already is compelling enough. DeMary of Virginia, who retired from a Virginia public school last December and now directs the Center for School Improvement at Virginia Commonwealth University, describes a young girl in a girls-only middle school classroom in Virginia who spoke to the State Department of Education. "She said, 'I don't have to worry about the boys ... I can focus on the content.' "(Green, 2006).

References:

Airasian, P. (2005). Classroom Assessment (5th Ed.) Boston, MA McGraw Hill

Green, E. (2006). Are Single Sex Classrooms Legal? U.S. News and World Report retrieved August 5, 2007 from http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/061027/27singlesex_2.htm

Heward, W. (2006). Exceptional Children (8th Ed.). Boston, MA Pearson Education

Kepford, L. (2007) Gender Equity in the Classroom NCSC News retrieved August 7, 2007 from http://www.ncsc.info/newsletter/June_2002/gender.htm

NEA (2003). Despite Long Hours, Low Pay, Teachers Love Their Profession NEA retrieved July 31, 2007 from http://www.nea.org/newsreleases/2003/nr030827.html

OVando , C.,Combs, M. and Collier, V. (2006) Bilingual & ESL Classrooms (4th Ed.) Boston, MA McGraw Hill

Teen Vogue (2007) Gender Lines Teen Vogue Magazine

Woolfolk, Anita (2005). Educational Psychology (9yj Ed.) Boston, MA Allyn and Bacon

Yen, H. (2006). U.S. Limits on Same Sex Schools To Ease Associated Press retrieved July 31, 2007 from http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2602156