international network for gender equity

KatherinH (KatherinH@edc.org)
Thu, 10 Oct 1996 18:46:10 -0400


An Invitation to Join the Women's Educational Equity Action Network

For the past twenty years, the Women's Educational Equity Act (WEEA) Reso=
urce
Center has provied materials and resources on gender equity for educators=

throughout the United States. The center is located at Education Developm=
ent
Center, Inc. (EDC), an international education research and development
organization. With the Beijing challenge in front of us, this as the perf=
ect
time to move to a new phase of gender equity-an international action netw=
ork
that supports gender equity in education and that enables schools, commun=
ities,
departments of education, and others to move to action. =

This is a moment of opportunity for us all--a chance to build on the reso=
urces
of the WEEA Equity Center to link US-based gender equity efforts with
initiatives in other countries in a global effort to improve the educatio=
n of
women and girls. Our vision of gender equity is inclusive; it explores th=
e
gender equity issues for females and males, it links to the other equity
concerns such as race, class, disability, religion. It links theory and
practice and is focused on action and outcomes.

We are seeking partners in the US and in countries throughout the world w=
ho
would be interested in building an international network to support gende=
r
equity in education. We anticipate that the action network will involve =
teams
from each of the participating countries that represent the various level=
s of
education. The network will focus on K-adult education and will:

=95 promote education as a means for social and economic justice for all =
people

=95 make explicit the links between gender equity and other equity issues=

including race, class, ethnicity, language, disability, and religion =3D

=95 link gender equity programs from around the world to create a global
infrastructure that works to increase educational opportunities for women=
and
girls

=95 organize annual information sharing/action planning conferences that =
bring
together individuals and organizations from participating countries

=95 support on-line discussions, world-wide web site, and data bases that=

electronically link partners in peer mentoring, problem solving, and tech=
nical
assistance; and that provide accessible resources that can be downloaded =
and
shared with others

=95 build an international database on promising and exemplary programs a=
nd
materials for gender equity in education

=95 develop an international dissemination system that provides resources=
and
materials to participating countries

=95 provide documentation and evaluation of the ongoing work of the netwo=
rk

=95 foster further research on the education of women and girls

EDC is in the early stages of development of this project and invites you=
r
participation! Help us to define the scope of this project and to design=
it to
meet the needs of the global gender equity community. As a first step, we=
are
collecting information on the need and interest within different countrie=
s for
such a project and we'd like your help. Can you take a bit of time and r=
espond
to the following questions, either sending it back to me via e-mail or by=

regular post. (We are posting this query on a number of listservs and enc=
ourage
you to share it with others.)

I. Contact information: Your name, organization, addresses, phone, e=
-mail
II. Description of your program/work, including audience, grade level=
s, etc.
III. Gender Equity Issues =

1. What are the gender equity in education issues you face? How are=

they defined?
2. How can this project help meet your needs? What would benefit yo=
u and
your constituency the most?
3. What are some of the current examples of important gender equity =
work in =

policy, practice, public awareness, etc. that you know about.
4. How do the various education arenas relate/interact (e.g. public
education, private education, community-based education, ministri=
es of =

education, other government agencies)?
5. Who else should we be talking to?
IV. As we design this project, what special considerations need to be=
made, =

what logistical problems need to be addressed, etc.

V. How would you personally or as a representative of your organization =
like
to participate in this project? What are the financial, academic, o=
r other =

supports for gender equity in education that can support such a proje=
ct?

If you have examples of policy, curriculum, bibliographies, research, or
other information that you can share with us please send it either via e-=
mail or
through the regular mail. We will share these with others via our world-=
wide
web site or through our resource center.

Thank you for helping us to frame this project. We will continue to keep=
you
informed of our progress. =

Please respond to my query by mail or to my e-mail address listed below=
and
remember to provide your contact information so that we can get back to y=
ou. If
you would like more information on EDC or the WEEA Equity Resource Center=
,check
out our web site (http://www.edc.org/ceec/weea.hmtl) or let me know and I=
can
mail it to you. Thank you again.

Katherine Hanson
Education Development Center, Inc.
55 Chapel St.
Newton, MA USA 02158
katherinh@edc.org
617-969-7100


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