GENDER EQUITY: Public Schools, Segregated Schools?

Welcome to Citizens for Better Schools WHAT'S NEW: Ala Ed Budget Crisis - State Takes Fed Stimulus Funds Then Cuts State Funding REGISTRATION NOW OPEN: Brown Past 50 SympoSIUM and Education Workshops SCHOOL TAKEOVER CORNER: BIRMINGHAM * DETROIT * SAINT LOUIS School Size and Grade Structure Contact Citizens for Better Schools Education Statistics & Thumbnail Facts: School size not saving Detroit schools form chopping blocks - Economies of scale B'ham Superintendent Search: Edgecombe County - Birmingham City Schools NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND REAUTHORIZATION UPDATE PAGE - NOW OPEN BIRMINGHAM SCHOOL CLOSING WATCH: MORE SECRET MEETINGS 2007-2008 BIRMINGHAM SCHOOL CLOSINGS (HERE WE GO AGAIN - "DOWN SIZING, RIGHT SIZING, or CAPSIZING" ) Alabama School Districts Without One Month Reserve Fund More Busing in Birmingham With School Consolidations ALA'S #1 PROBLEM: TEACHER SEXUAL MISCONDUCT Blog Ala's Biggest Problem - Teacher Sexual Misconduct BIG SPENDERS - MOST COSTLY SCHOOLS NOT SMALL SCHOOLS The late Henry Sparks made Birmingham the financial envy of the state's education system Education Finance, Economics, & Budget Monitoring Despite Free Space in SomeSchools, Many Packed Classrooms(How are Birmingham Classrooms?) Class Size Comparison Changes For Parents - The Classroom Effects of Closing & Consolidating Schools COMING SOON: ** THE CHOICE: SCHOOL ZONING, BIG SCHOOLS - SMALL SCHOOLS (WHICH EDUCATES THE POOR BEST?) CLASS SIZE REDUCTION Education Research on School Size: School Climate and Academic Achievement Evidence Based Consequences of Increased School Size Curriculum and Instruction BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOLS DECLINE: THEFT IN SCHOLS - INTERNAL CONTROLS LACKING Worhtless BOE Guidelines and Frame Work For Superintendent Stan Mims, Lay Citizen Advisory Task Force (BOE Policy 6170) Sabotaged In Education: Big Is Not Better - Research Finds Small Schools Better for Poor and Black Students Links About Birmingham City Schools The Good Common School Journal Thumbnail Facts: Birmingham Enrollment/ Teacher Loss Not Cause of $22 Million Bham BOE Losses Anniston Citizens for Better Schools FAIRFIELD CITIZENS FOR BETTER SCHOOLS Jefferson County (Alabama) School System: Sylacauga Citizens for Better Schools Citizens For Better Schools: Education Management and Leadership Special, Exceptional, and Gifted and Talented Education GOLD FACULTY - BROWN PAST 50 WORKSHOP: BEYOND NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND - FULFILLING THE PROMISE OF BROWN Contact Your School, State, and Federal Representation Here! Favorite Links: Legal Resources - College Funding Opportunity ALL SPORTS Birmingham - ALL THE TIME GENDER EQUITY: Public Schools, Segregated Schools? Phillips Academy - Crisis in Student School Bus Transportation WE ARE "HOKIES" TOO! Topic Index: BREAKING SCHOOL CLOSING NEWS ** Citizens for Better Schools Guest Book

The "New" Jim Crow - Segregated Classes, Seperate and Unequal in Birmingam, Alabama City Public Schools :

The "New" Jim Crow - Segregated Classes, Separate and Unequal in Birmingham, Alabama City Public Schools: Citizens for Better Schools Same Sex Class Policy Presentation to the Birmingham (Alabama) Board of EducationProposed Creation of “All Male” Middle School ClassesCitizens for Better Schools opposes the proposed creation of wholesale single-sex middle schools for Birmingham City Schools. Citizens oppose the proposed change for legal, education program, and fiscal policy reasons.We highlight several significant problems with the proposal: The proposed regulations disregard legal standards established under both Title IX and the Constitution There is insufficient research evidence to support the proposed changes with regard to single-sex classes and schools Instead of promoting equality and advancing the interest of all students, the proposal may end up reinforcing harmful gender-based stereotypes There is insufficient accountability and evaluation and no public involvement with development of the superintendent’s segregative same-sex proposal On May 17, 2007, the nation commemorated the 50^th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. 347 U. S. 483 (1954). Since Brown, the federal courts and the Congress affirmed the principle that in education for our children, “separate is inherently unequal.” The superintendent’s same-sex proposal may well lead to many setbacks in the quest for equality of opportunity for all students and to the very same harmful impact of segregation recognized by the Supreme Court in Brown, 347 U. S. 494Therefore, Citizens for Better Schools urges the Birmingham Board of Education and Superintendent to withdraw the proposal to establish "same sex classes" and, instead, to enforce rigorously the existing civil rights laws, along with other federal law and policy (e.g., the No Child Left Behind Act) intended to redress discrimination and to advance educational achievement and opportunity. Lowering class sizes, un-tracking curricula, and hiring more "Highly Qualified Teachers" is superior to producing academic achievement and improving school discipline environment than segregating young children by gender and race.For Further Information or Comment Contact: Ronald E. Jackson, Executive Director, Citizens for Better Schools (205) 478-7183 REFERENCES:NAPE Opposition to Single Sex Classes, Title IX; Legal Liability; NO Mandate for Change: http://www.ncwge.org/documents/comments_NAPE.pdfAmerican University professors Myra and David Sadker published Failing in Fairness: How America's Schools Cheat Girls. The book describes striking discoveries about fairness in American schools. During a three-year study, trained observers visited more than 100 classrooms in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The responses observers noted in those elementary-school classrooms included the following: Boys called out eight times as often as girls did. Teachers ignored the "raise your hand" rule. If a boy yelled out, the teacher usually praised his contribution. Girls who called out got reminders to raise their hands. Teachers valued boys' comments more than girls' comments. Teachers responded to girls with a simple nod or an OK, but they praised, corrected, helped, and criticized boys. Boys were encouraged to solve problems on their own, but teachers helped girls who were stuck on problems.

SINGLE-SEX EDUCATION CHALLENGEDIn 1998, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) published

Separated by Sex: A Critical Look at Single-Sex Education for Girls. Single-sex education is not necessarily better than coeducation, that report noted. The publication "challenges the popular idea that K-12 single sex education is better for girls than coeducation." According to the report, boys and girls thrive on a good education, regardless of whether the school is single-sex or coeducational. "There is no evidence in general that single-sex education works or is better for girls than coeducation. "When elements of a good education are present, girls and boys succeed. Elements include small classes and schools, equitable teaching practices, and focused academic curriculum. "Some kinds of single-sex programs produce positive results for some students, including a preference for math and science among girls. [Although] girls' achievement has improved in some single-sex schools, there is no significant improvement in girls' achievement in single-sex classes."

CLOSING THE GENDER GAPIn fact, recent research seems to show that the gender gap between boys and girls has closed. "All of this suggests that the broad nationwide efforts to raise female achievement in schools have been effective," said Cornelius Riordan, a professor of sociology at Providence College, in

The Silent Gender Gap, a November 17, 1999, Education Week story.

The American Association of University Women Educational Foundation Find out about groundbreaking research conducted on the subject of gender equity in education.	Equity in Mathematics and Technology Lists of links to girls' sites, resources, articles, organizations, and a discussion forum.
The Ada Project This is a WWW site designed as a clearinghouse for information and resources relating to women in computing.	Gender Equity Program and Resource Overview, Curriculum and Learning Resources, and Other Gender Equity Research and Resources from the B.C. Ministry of Education.
GirlTECH A teacher training and student technology council sponsored by the Center for Research on Parallel Computation	TAP Junior Educational resources for encouraging girls and teens in Science, Computing, and Technology
G.I.R.L.S. Girls Interested In Real-Life Science, a girls' science club at Lanier Middle School, Houston, Texas	Campbell-Kibler Associates, Inc. User-friendly materials and resources for promoting gender equity in Math and Science in the Coed Classroom
Ensuring Equity and Excellence in Mathematics This site has lots of information and links to help in achieving gender equity in mathematics.	Ensuring Equity and Excellence in Science This site is full of useful information and links to help ensure gender equity in science.