Reflective Research Paper

Historically boys were top of the class. Today that is no longer the case. A recent article in The Economist discusses a 2009 study by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) that examined how 15-year-old boys and girls performed in reading, mathematics and science. They found that girls are performing better than their male classmates. This gender gap is worldwide. Girls score higher than boys on tests measuring reading ability in every country in the world (Loveless).

One may believe that being part of the same classroom with the same textbooks, desks and pencils that boys and girls receive the same exposure to education and what it may hold, right? The socialization and discrimination of gender within our education system assures that young women are made aware that they are unequal to their male peers. Every time a girl is oppressed in a setting where she has the right to feel comfortable and safe in, it not only shows the young girl how society views her but it changes the way others may see her. It is easy to dismiss this phenomena and blame it on the girls and women these situations affect, with typical comments such as “Well maybe girls just aren 't interested in school like boys” or “Girls are

Women have always been viewed as the weaker sex, and society will continue to view them that way unless they do something about it. In the essay “When Bright Girls Decide that Math is a Waste of time”, the author Susan Jacoby discusses the problems women steering clear of math and science subjects because of the traditional view of a woman. She focused on what causes high school girls to focus on arts courses instead of STEM courses and what are the effects of it on themselves. The underlying discrimination amongst boys and girls, stereotypical thinking of parents and teachers that girls are not good at math eventually decreases the self-confidence among girls to solve science and math problems.

Title IX is a part of the Educated Amendments Act of 1972. The law states that, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be

When you send your children off in the morning to go to school, no matter what grade they are in whither it be elementary, junior high, or senior high, you expect that they will receive the best education that they can get. They should be asked challenging questions, encouraged and called upon to participate in class, they should also be given as much help as they need to secede by the teacher. However, this is most commonly not the case. Parents and the children themselves are unaware of what is going on because gender bias is not a noisy problem. Most people are unaware of the secret sexist lessons that occur every day in classrooms across the country. In this essay I will use two essay's from the reader:

Sex. That one little word has led to a mini-revolution in all aspects of a girl's education, from Kindergarten to Graduate School, all across the nation. In 1972, Title IX was adopted as the landmark legislation for prohibition of gender discrimination in schools, and was signed into law, by President Richard Nixon, on June 23. This legislation encompasses both academics and athletics. Title IX reads: "No person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of sex be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal aid." Since 1972, many attempts have been made to alter the appearance and effect of Title IX.

Schlosser. She carried out the study while on a post-doctoral fellowship at Princeton University, and will study the effects of gender in higher education lecture halls next. This is one of few studies of its kind to use scientific data to address the question of gender effects in school. Boys with more female peers in their classes show higher enrollment rates in both advanced math and science classes, but overall benefits were found in all grades for both sexes. Prof. Schlosser found that primary-school classrooms with a female majority showed increased academic success for both boys and girls, along with a notable improvement in subjects like science and math. In the middle schools, girls were found to have better academic achievement in English, languages and math. And in high school, the classrooms which had the best academic achievements overall were consistently those that had a higher proportion of girls enrolled. A higher percentage of girls lowers the amount of classroom disruption and fosters a better relationship between pupils and their teacher, a study of the data suggests. Teachers are less tired in classrooms with more girls, and pupils overall seem to be more satisfied when a high female-to-male ratio persists. Prof. Schlosser was inspired to the study by a “renewed interest on the effects of classroom gender composition on students’ learning, since a new amendment to America’s Title IX

Title IX, presented in 1972 to prohibit sex discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving any type of federal financial aid. The

Title IX was first introduced in Congress by its head author and sponsor, Senator Birch Bayh. On June 23, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed into law Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972 in response to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, requiring equal opportunity for males and females in educational programs - including athletic programs. According to the United States Justice Department, Title IX is a comprehensive federal law which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any type of federally funded education program or activity. The main purpose of Title IX is to avoid using federal money to support sex discrimination within education programs and to provide United States citizens with effective protection.

“It is early indeed that children show an awareness of the message that… females are generally less interesting and important than males are… The (often inadvertent) bearers of this message include parents, peers, and teachers.” (Lips, 1979, p. 128.) The absence of gender equity can be damaging to both males and females. Surprisingly most of the teachers and administrators are unaware of this problem. Organizations such as the American Association of University Women (“Gender equity,” 2003.) strive to create programs that will improve equality within schools. The purpose of this research paper is to identify gender equity issues in the classroom and explore strategies for teachers to incorporate equitable

Most of this gender disparity starts early. As early as in grade school. Young girls are rarely motivated to take Math and Science. This can be problematic because studies show that a lack in intellectual belief can in turn inhibit intellectual growth. There is also that persistent unconscious bias that Science and Math are male fields while females tend to do well

The NCES report (2000) on science is a little different. It reports that between 1973 and 1994 nine to thirteen year old females were more likely to score lower than males and that seventeen year old females always scored lower. In the early grades girls and boys are equally as interested in science and math as boys and their achievement is comparable, it is in middle school when girls begin to fall behind (M. Sadker, D. Sadker, and Stulberg, 1999). In every article I read there is agreement that there is a gender gap in science and I am convinced that one exists.

For example, Jahren states” she was a child probably around that same age, hanging around in her father’s lab (Lab Girl).” The kind of person she became, a scientist, clearly she learned a lot from those younger days. Gender bias should be brought to the classrooms as visual content. Visual content such as drawing, pictures, videos, etc. The reason being, Jahren dad was a professor, she was always hanging around where she discovered new scientific inquiry. At that young age, as for me I want to see everything as to how the particular object was made. Why or why not my dad chose this profession and also for him to teach me what he knows. According to the article, textbooks were there for visual learners. It contained graphics and learning utensils. The more you read the more intelligence you gain. Jahren reads, develops and generate her own new knowledge. In addition, nowadays everything changed from the old fashioned textbooks in class rooms to being online. Online resources are more engaged by the youths because everyone including three year olds can operate an electronic device without the need of help. The way men and women are represented is an important factor when influencing children views of gender roles. It is relevant to be aware of the representation of men and women in education resources because that’s the main source from where children get their ideas of science

When discussing how nature and genetics affect genders’ learning styles, we can look at the article, “Gender-Friendly Schools” by Kelley King, Michael Gurian, and Kathy Stevens. This article talks about how certain genetic factors make separating classrooms beneficial. Specifically, the article mentions a few schools who increased their test scores, specifically for boys, when they tried separating classrooms by gender. Also, it is mentioned

Two years later, congress enacted the Women’s Educational Equity Act (WEEA), which was designed to set up a network to assist Title IX and to provide grants to help defeat gender bias (Equity Online: WEEA Equity Resource Center, 2002). Basically, this act was the backbone to ensure that Title IX was improving the education system, as intended. The WEEA, in conjunction with Title IX led to enormous changes in public education, and advancements for women in athletics, and academics.