Educators Urge End to Classroom 'Gender Wars'

[seabeyond]

The gathering's participants said that while the interests of girls and boys have been pitted against each other, many of the conditions that cause girls to fail in the classroom are the same ones that are detrimental to boys. And while the fierce debate over the unique educational and social needs of children of both genders has raged, scholars who study those needs have rarely tried to find common ground. "We seem to be debating who has it worse, boys or girls; we know in a way that both boys and girls are being shortchanged in their education and in societal support," said William Pollack, best-selling author of the book "Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons From the Myth of Boyhood."

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"Some of us have studied mostly girls. Some focused on boys. Some have focused on both," Thorne said. "But through all of these differences and disagreements, we share a strong sense of dismay that our many years of research and educational interventions on behalf of social justice and equity for all children have now been framed with a metaphor of war." One of the most prevalent myths about education, symposium participants agreed, is that what works for girls in the classroom doesn't work for boys. Participants argued for a more subtle analysis of what benefits children, for example, focusing more on ethnic and racial differences than on gender.

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The symposium also looked at research showing that girls suffer from societal expectations that they shouldn't go into fields like math and science. Scholars who focus on the experience of boys say that boys also suffer from feelings that they shouldn't study English or art because they are "girl" subjects. Therefore, creating more flexible gender roles and broadening expectations for both genders helps boys and girls.

"Gender ideologies are harmful to boys and girls. Ideologies keep (boys and girls) locked into roles and induce us as adults to create certain kinds of educational opportunities for some and to block off other kinds of opportunities and visions for others," said Susan Bailey, who heads up the Wellesley Centers for Women and was a lead author of the 1992 American Association of University Women report.

http://womensenews.org/story/education/010405/educators-urge-end-classroom-gender-wars
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a little bragging. my 8th grade son received the highest grade in the school for his starr english test. he has always tested highest and placed in the highest levels with reading comprehension.

my 11th grade son blows everyone away in his testing in english. composition and reading. he continually places in the top 98%/99% nationwide on the ACT, SAT, highschool tests, duke tests. he made it in the top 5% of the top 10% nationwide.

both suck and struggle at the math. and some of the sciences. though they excel at the science that is mostly reading, like biology.

not really bragging. a reality. we have not had a lot of gender issues in our schools. i hear about them. i dont see them. there are things i recognize, but for the most part i think the schools do a pretty good job addressing these issues wanting the best for the kids.

one of the many issues i see that makes me cringe at our conditioned roles we assign to gender.

[MadrasT]

1. What the hell?

People are still perpetuating this gender-specific bullshit in education? I thought we left this behind in the 70's. I certainly heard a lot less of it then than I do now.

It feels like I am seeing more and more of these "studies" that try to divide people up by gender and most of what I see it doing is just what is described here. Pitting one gender against the other and turning it into a war.

If you point that out to most people who are attached to the idea of biological gender being deterministic of behavioral attributes, they try to cite sound scientific reasons for doing it, a few of which seem OK, but many of which seem absurd, and in the end it just feels to me mostly like more societal re-enforcement to keep women on one side of the fence and men on the other.

In the end, when I am having conversations with people who love this types of gender specific stereotyping, I just ask them, "OK why? Why do you think it is important to classify people by alleged gender-specific attributes? What useful information or tool for navigating life does it provide to you?"

I have rarely had anyone give me an answer that wasn't ultimately misogynistic bullshit at its core.

Now that I think about it, I know far more men who love this stuff than women.

Hmmmmm....

I have two books on the way that discuss and debunk this "male brain vs female brain" type of research. Can't wait til they arrive. I don't believe it, I'm tired of hearing it presented as "fact", and I want some intelligent ammunition against this nonsense.

[seabeyond]

2. ah, woman. i think i am falling in love with you, lol. agreed. i am seeing such a push from mens

movement on this crap. actually, i have been seeing it as a whole from men for the last 5 years. this is another subject i would like to get into in this forum. it seemed in the 70's and 80's both gender was walking away from this crap. the last decade with the push of christian coalition, bushco, and mens movement i am seeing it brought back 100xs what it was in the 50's and 60's and earlier. and with such vehemence.

i think men feel they have lost control and in this way of creating the difference in gender is their ability to hold onto the superiority.

these are all just thoughts, opinions and ideas over the last handful of years, that i would like to explore.

the big push is in the crap cultlike evolutionary behavioral psychology. ALWAYS, it is ALWAYS presented male as dominant.

yes, there is a big push going after the schools in this, and since my kids are right there, i have been watching, reading, learning.