Show T. T t Kit r i I t V r 7 Mj k awk A w A i report blasts g gender bias in US U.S. education education CPS FROM the first grade through college girls and young women face ongoing gender bias in s school hool ranging from sexual harassment to lack of attention from teachers teach teach- ers says a study released by bythe bythe bythe the American Association of University Women The study was presented to tomajor tomajor tomajor major education organizations including the National School Boards Association and the National Education Association While most of us are painfully painfully painfully pain pain- fully aware of the crisis in American education few understand understand understand un un- un- un or acknowledge the inequities that occur daily in classrooms across the country country country coun coun- try said Alice McKee president president president dent of the Educational Educational Foundation in an page 11 summary of oJ the study Although girls and boys enter school roughly equal in inability inability inability ability in the space of 12 years girls fall behind in predictable predictable predictable pre pre- areas 0 0 A The study charges that girls get less attention face biased tests and are at a disadvantage in a technology high-technology world because they are discouraged from studying science and mathematics Research indicates that teachers from the preschool level and beyond tend to choose classroom activities that appeal to boys rather than girls Construction on of nf the glass 0 ceiling begins not in the executive executive executive exec exec- suite but in the classroom classroom classroom class class- room room McKee said The report also says that women with five or more years of college working full time make only 69 cents for every dollar earned by men with an equal number of years in education However for women who have earned eight or more math credits in college the difference is considerably considerably considerably con con- less According to Lynn Burbridge associate director the Wellesley Center for Research Research Research Re Re- search on Women and an author author author au au- au- au thor of the study 14 people spent a year-and-a-half year researching researching researching re re- re- re searching journals government government government govern govern- ment papers and documents pertaining to the education of American women It wasn't our goal to attack attack attack at at- tack anybody just to present what wha t the litera literature ture says Burbridge said The study acknowledges that some progress has been made to promote equality ty in education but not enough A list of 40 recommendations includes a suggestion that teachers administrators and counselors be evaluated on the degree to which they promote promote promote pro pro- mote gender-equitable gender and multicultural education Another suggests that teacher training courses not perpetuate assumptions about the superiority of traits and activities traditionally traditionally traditionally ascribed to males in our society The suggests that teachers need to work to help girls develop a positive self-image self and learn to pay closer attention to their needs |