Thursday, April 16, 2009

Will Title IX be coming to a math class?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/13/AR2009041302119.html

From the article:
Is it true that women are being excluded from academic science programs because of sexist bias? Some researchers agree that bias is to blame; others, perhaps a majority, suggest that biology and considered preference explain why men and women gravitate to different academic fields. But researchers who dispute the bias explanation played little or no role in the Title IX conferences, summits or congressional hearings.

...... The fields that will be most affected -- math, engineering, physics and computer science -- are vital to the economy and national defense. Is it wise, to say nothing of urgent, for the president and Congress to impose an untested, undebated gender parity policy at this time?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Title IX is interesting because you see a lot of research being done on gender differences, yet it has very little influence on making public policy.

If research gets published showing gains in women test scores over men when the two groups of separated - the fear from districts are lawsuits, because of Title IX, where everyone gets treated exactly the same way and its up to the district to prove it.

Having said that one should look at the message behind the DOE's proposed list of exemplary and promising curriculum (fishbowl world of sharks and minnows) AND the evaluation studies that came before and later. In other words, it is not too hard to imagine why we have results the way they are. A 'glowing' social paradox. No textbook is better than another where now, even no child is better than another (NCLB). We have really succeeded in only razing public schools to the ground. The loss in public confidence is simply too great. Where even the president is not afraid to make jokes about it (because it is common knowledge).

I am cursed that I was born a teacher.