Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 29, 1992 TAG: 9203290107
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Passing shoppers reacted in much the same way the nation's public schools have acted in creating an educational bias against female students, the University of Virginia professor said Saturday during a seminar at Hollins College.
People smiled and cooed at the child in the way little girls are usually greeted, Callahan said. "And then I would say: `This is my nephew.' "
Immediately, the baby talk became more gruff and businesslike. "Their voices would change. Their behavior would change. Their whole attitude would change," Callahan said.
The professor's point: Like the society it reflects, America's school system is shortchanging the education of girls by treating them differently, directing them to stereotyped roles and devoting more attention to boys.
Much of what Callahan and other speakers said at a Gender Bias in Education seminar was documented last month in a national study by the American Association of University Women.
The report was based on two decades of research. Among its findings: Teachers give girls significantly less attention than boys; girls are not encouraged to pursue math or science fields that lead to high-paying jobs; curriculums and textbooks often ignore females and reinforce stereotypes; many standardized tests are biased against girls; and minority girls in particular are at a disadvantage in the classroom.
Some state and local school officials have questioned the study, saying such bias is not widespread.
"Yes it is," Callahan said when asked to repond to the critics. "Most people don't want to believe there is a problem."
Some people may not think classroom bias exists because it takes a more subtle form than other types of discrimination, such as the graphic images of racism that galvanized public sentiment during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, advocates say.
But they maintain it's just as pervasive and pressing - especially given that by the turn of the century, two-thirds of the people entering the work force will be women and minorities.
With today's eighth-graders destined to be the college graduates of the year 2000, the AAUW is pushing for quick reforms in the country's classrooms.
The group is trying to make teachers aware of what it says is their often unintentional habit of paying more attention to boys, who usually are more outspoken in asking questions.
"The boys are noisier; the boys are quicker," said Vi Fapiano of the Roanoke AAUW branch. "The boys will call out in class eight times more often than the girls. But when the girl calls out, she's told to wait her turn."
Another problem is textbooks that reinforce a male-dominated world while ignoring female accomplishments, and other reading material that perpetuates stereotypes.
For example, Callahan said many elementary school libraries still include books that encourage boys to become astronauts and girls to become nurses.
"One of the most devastating things is the lack of change in our school libraries," she said. "If you go back and look at those stories and the sex stereotyping, it would almost be better if we emptied the library."
Callahan said stereotyping in the schools only mirrors a society-wide problem, and that changes also will have to come from parents, the media and other institutions.
"It's a societal issue, and the schools reflect society," she said.
But in Roanoke, school officials are not acknowledging a problem as widespread as the AAUW describes.
Roanoke Superintendent Frank Tota told the 60 women who attended the seminar that while such problems may have existed in the past, city schools already have taken corrective action.
He pointed out that of 20 awards recently presented by the Governor's School for Math and Science, 12 went to girls.
And on the national level, he pointed out that critics of the study have noted that 61 percent of female high school graduates go on to college, compared to 50 percent of male graduates.
In Roanoke, a program called Praise for Girls encourages girls to take more math and science classes. About half the students at the Governor's School are girls.
And both of the city's high school principals are women.
Tota said in an earlier interview that those things indicate that Roanoke has been working to eliminate the types of gender bias that may have existed 10 years ago.
Still, Tota said schools must continue to look for ways to eliminate all kinds of bias.
"We need to get out of the posture of looking back to correct past mistakes," he said, "and start looking forward to make sure we don't repeat those mistakes."
Staff writer Neal Thompson contributed information for this story.
by CNB