Washington Ed.Net Briefs: March 16, 1998
SINGLE-SEX SCHOOLING PROVIDES NO SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE
Small classes, good teaching and a focused curriculum foster
achievement in girls, regardless of whether they are in single-sex
schools, according to a report released March 12 by the American
Association of University Women (AAUW). A 1992 report by the AAUW led
many researchers and educators to conclude that single-sex schools and
classes were the best way to educate girls. That report found that
girls in elementary and secondary schools were not receiving the same
quantity or quality of education as boys. However, in its latest
report, "Separated by Sex: A critical look at single-sex education for
girls," the AAUW found that, in general, there is no research that
shows that single-sex education is better. "Overall, we have found
that good education is what helps girls and boys succeed," said Janice
Weinman, executive director of the AAUW. "Separating by sex is not
necessarily the solution to gender equity." The AAUW included studies
of independent and Catholic single-sex schools in the United States,
as well as single-sex schools and classes in Australia, Ireland and
Britain.
Nicole L. Gill, Gannett News Service "Women's group says
single-sex schooling provides no particular advantage for girls"
as published in The Seattle Times, March 12, 1998, A8
EDUCATION-RELATED TECHNOLOGY NEWS
LESS COMPUTER USE AND EDUCATION FOR GIRLS
Girls interested in computers encounter subtle messages -- home
computers in their brothers' rooms, video games with violent and
sports themes aimed at boys -- that act as a barrier to technology.
The gap is clear: (1) In 1994-95, 28 percent of the college graduates
in computer science were women, according to the National Center for
Education Statistics. The number had been steadily rising since
1970-71, when women accounted for 14 percent of the graduates with
computer science degrees, but has dropped from the early 80s, when the
level reached 37 percent; (2) Girls spend more time on the home
computer than boys until age 11, according to a 1997 study by
Find/SVP, a research and consulting firm in New York City. By age 13,
the trend is reversed, with boys spending at least three more hours a
week on the computer; (3) The marketing research company NPD Group,
Inc., says that in 1996 75 percent of video games were bought for
boys. Girl Tech, a San Rafael, California-based company that
specializes in computer and technology products for girls, did a
survey of 100 video arcade games and found that 92 percent did not
have any female roles; (4) Of the 11,000 high school juniors and
seniors who took Advanced Placement tests for computer science,
between 16-17 percent were females. According to Girl Tech's founder,
Janese Swanson, young girls get discouraged because their teachers and
parents assume boys are more interested in technology. They go to the
store and see software and games aimed at their male counterparts and
they have few role models in the world of technology.
Glenn O'Neal, "Girls often dropped from computer equation" USA Today,
March 10, 1998, D4
WOMEN ACCOUNT FOR ALMOST HALF OF U.S. INTERNET USERS
Women account for almost half, about 45 percent, of the more than 50
million U.S. regular Internet users. On America Online, women now
outnumber men 52 percent to 48 percent, overtaking them in the last
six months. AOL's female focus includes a women's area, Electra. Web
sites now court women, and "women are going online faster," says
Candice Carpenter (www.ivillage.com).
Mike Snider, "Gender gap in cyberspace has virtually disappeared" Published
in the Lifeline column, USA Today, March 9, 1998, D1