As you are reading about Title IX
in Chapter 8 of your textbook, think back to your experiences through your
educational life of gender and sex discrimination in the school system.
Title IX ensures that “no person in
the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation
in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any
education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance”.
Title IX:
• Governs all educational practices regardless of grade level.
• Promises all students the right to an education free of
bullying, sexual harassment, and any other forms of violence.
• The goal is for the United States to be more inclusive to gender
and also race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, and sexual orientation.
• Research shows that the law has made improvements in this
subject area with sports/ extracurriculars, and student conduct.
• Has shown a role in the cultural shift to more flexible and
fluid gender roles where there are more socially accepted options.
When reading the supplemental
reading, keep in mind the following:
• Teachers fail to see discrimination
based upon sex, it becomes “natural”
• Gender/sex bias may be difficult to identify in the school
system
• No Child Left Behind Act encourages single-sexed schools and
classes where children are separated on the basis of gender
• What teachers/principals can do to implement gender equity
Based off these concepts, review
the following questions:
1. Why do you think that discrimination in the
school system has become so naturalized/accepted?
2. Do
you think that the No Child Left Behind Act is beneficial towards our society?
Can you see any positive/negative outcomes of this act?
3. Do
you think that teachers can make changes in their school systems? Is it easy,
difficult, etc.
***Update on 11/14/2016***
Many of you contributed personal experiences of sex and gender discrimination; some key points that we spoke about were in middle school when boys would play activities such as basketball and girls would hoola-hoop, separate gym activities for boys and girls, and different types of classes for different genders. Students on sports teams spoke about the difference between women's sports and men's sports and how there are different expectations regarding uniforms for these two genders. I figured that some people were familiar with Title IX through SUNY New Paltz; however, I was surprised that there were a couple of students that had never heard of Title IX. A key point that I took away from our discussion was how Title IX was portrayed in previous school administrations. There were some people who said that there school system did a good job of incorporating and making students aware of Title IX. One student brought up how because his school was big on sports, Title IX was a phrase very well known to all of the students because it had to be. Oppositely, there were some individuals who had not experienced Title IX in their high schools, middle school, or even college. Another key point was when we spoke about the shift of thought regarding gender due to Title IX. Students spoke about how because Title IX encompasses the idea of inclusion and equity, that it makes sense that different genders other than the traditional binary would be more accepted because of this law.
With all that has been accomplished with Title IX, there are still aspects that slip through the cracks and that are hard to identify as discrimination. The fact that we see sex and gender discrimination in the schools, evident from the classes personal experiences, shows that Title IX isn't reaching it's full potential. A different way to promote gender equity that we discussed is to lay out all of the information to a student, leaving nothing out. In this way, it is up to the students what they deem as important or relevant to their life, not the administrators.
As a whole, we spoke about how we do not think that the No Child Left Behind Act would be beneficial. This act encourages single sex schools and classrooms. In general, we said how this would only promote the different types of classes/values encouraged for the different genders, not benefit them. Also, teachers usually only teach what is required and what is going to appear on tests, and ignore the other material. This is not worthwhile to any student because the ignored material will still be important.
Some more questions to think about as we progress further are:
1. Furthering our discussion on what teachers can do to promote gender equity, do you think it would be difficult or easy for teachers to make changes in their schools systems?
2. How do you feel, overall, about Title IX? What are the benefits, and what are some areas that still need to be worked on?
3. Do you think there is a way to actually ensure that Title IX is doing what is says it is doing in the education system?
A scholar that can further guide our conversation is the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. They state "Girls are more likely than boys to want to learn co-operatively and collaboratively. Boys tend to be more competitive and to get something good from being competitive", in regards to why single-gendered schools could be beneficial to focus on the different way that these genders learn. Here's the link:
http://www.ourkids.net/school/together-or-apart
Thanks for a great discussion! Feel free to answer the questions from the initial post as well :)
Hey Jaclyn,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I believe schools should educate all their students on Title IX and its benefits because I wasn't made aware of it until this semester. It happens to be helping out a friend of mine on campus who feels harassed by a fellow student. This law provides her safety and comfort for her to get to class and do what she needs to do. But before that, I wasn't really aware of Title IX. When I think about high school and the athletic world, I do see the gender discrimination happening in the schools. As usual, the guys played football and the girls cheered for them. In my high school, football was sort of like fame, or a money maker and it definitely was presumed better than the rest of the sports. I, being the cheerleader, saw the discrimination at hand. Since we weren't considered a sport, we were left with the worst times to use the gym, crappy equipment, and lack of respect. As a cheerleader, we also had to raise all of our own money while the football team had many financial perks and investments. Hardly anything was given to us by the school, even after winning a championship. So in regards to your question, "How do you feel, overall, about Title IX?", well I never knew about it in high school when I guess it was effecting me most. I hope my high school has been given fair treatment since I left, and allow for the equal opportunities for all the students, sports, and activities. I do think that to help everyone out, this law should be known to all and everyone should be made aware of its purposes. I think it's great in providing more scholarships to female students in the same sports areas as males. I do think for Title IX to fulfill its potential, everyone as in students, parents, teachers and administration should be educated on it so the schools can prosper from it. Change is hard to make in the schools because especially for teachers who have been teaching in the schools for a while, it's hard to adjust what and how you've been teaching. As long as teachers see the students as equals, there should be no discriminating because females have already proved they can do just as good as males in all the subjects.
April,
DeleteI actually never thought about a good point that you bought up. In my high school I was also a cheerleader as well. I was given the worst practicing times, we used old uniforms, and we didn't get new pompoms until senior year. The football team received the best equipment, always had their choice of field to play on, had new football apparel every semester. It is interesting to see the huge difference in how genders were treated at the high school level. What also infuriates me is that people allow this to happen. I agree with you that this change is going to be hard to make in the schools. Everyone would have to be on board.
Although I agree that Title IX has helped us recognize that there is sexual or gender discrimination in the school system, I don’t think we can necessarily argue that it has positively changed the way gender is normally perceived. By focusing on the way gender is normally perceived, recent research has shown that gender discrimination is still prominent in schools, and has become viewed as ‘natural’. An example of this notion is dividing individuals up based on their biological sex, and not seeing an issue with this type of division, yet if we were to divide people up depending on their race/culture/ethnicity, it is seen as discrimination. The cultural and social construction of gender that is still requiring people to separate male/female has been the norm since as long as we can remember which emphasizes that it isn’t seen as much of an issue. The problems with seeing this separation as ‘natural’ is that we are creating this stereotype threat that limits people based on their sex/gender. Furthermore, given the stereotype threat, students internalize negative gender stereotypes about their ability to learn a subject, and their performance suffers. For example, the separation of men and women in gym class based on their assumed physical capabilities. By doing this, it makes females think they are less physically capable than males because females are portrayed as weak and not athletic. Although Title IX has accomplished some positive changes in this view when it comes to viewing male/female sports as equally important, there are still issues prominent that show inequality based on sex. For example, I play softball for SUNY New Paltz, and our field doesn’t have lights, but the men’s baseball team does. Also, their spring break allowed them to afford a plane for Spring Break, as opposed t our women’s team who was only offered enough money to afford a bus. The status of men in all aspects of life are continuously viewed as above women, and we still need to find better ways to resolve this issue.
DeleteWell said, Fallon.
DeleteUnfortunately a lot of the discrimination that does occur is what is supposedly "natural". The human species has created a lot of these stereotypes. Therefore, we are the ones who need to fix this problem.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt could be, unfortunately, extremely difficult for teachers to make changes in their school’s systems. As we discussed in class, teachers are given guidelines by their school of what to cover in their classes. Because of No Child Left Behind, if students do not score well on tests, the school could lose funding. In light of this, it is no wonder that some teachers only want to “teach the test.” It is important for them to make sure that their students score well, or else the school as a whole could suffer the consequences of their actions.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, it would take lots of effort on the part of one teacher to make large-scale changes. Things like No Child Left Behind and Common Core are decided at a federal level (http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2013/12/who_decides_what_is_taught_in_.html). A teacher on their own could make small changes, such as including extra content that they find important (if there is time). However, in order to make large-scale changes, such as discouraging the prevalence of same-sex classrooms, the U.S. Department of Education would need to be involved in the decision-making process.
I completely agree with what you are saying. It seems unfair that large-scale changes cannot be made unless the U.S. Department of Education is on board (which might be hard to do). It also seems unfair that students aren't receiving the proper education needed because of this act. From what I have been seeing, No Child Left Behind does more harm than good.
DeleteWhile it would be difficult for teachers to change the school system since they are given guidelines, something as simple as making students aware of Title IX could help. I personally was not aware of Title IX until this class. Moreover, teaching young students that all genders are equal will help them grow into more accepting people. Overall, Title IX is quite beneficial. It’s important to promote equality especially in sports since women aren’t often taken seriously. However, if it isn’t taught and promoted, it can’t possibly help much.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, the schools I went to were inclusive when it came to sports. Throughout elementary and middle school, each student was required to take the same gym class. Once in high school, aquatics class was a requirement for all freshmen but aside from that, we were able to pick. While there was an option called “project adventure,” where students learned about trust building, the girls weren’t forced to take it. When I took team sports instead of project adventure, my teachers were supportive of all the girls in the class and made sure the guys included us in every game. In elementary school, however, when me and other girls would try to play soccer with the boys and they weren’t being very inclusive, teachers wouldn’t say much. Also, in PE, when we had different stations to rotate through and boys would tell me that I couldn’t beat them in 1v1 hockey simply because i'm a girl, the teachers always seemed to brush it off.
Hi Marie,
DeleteSo for your project adventure class, you mentioned that the girls weren't forced to take it. Was it mandatory for the boys to take it? I had the same type of class in my high school and I would say it was an even number of boys and girls who took the class. However, in my school we were able to choose what gym classes we wanted our junior and senior years. Freshman and sophomore year had mandatory gym classes already chosen for you (basketball, field hockey, etc.) That is so interesting that there are some schools that never were informed about Title IX. My high school, which was very big on sports, was not informed of it either. It should have been, without a doubt.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMaking Title IX more noticed is the first step in helping teachers to change their school system, although it would be hard to do that by just making it aware. Teachers follow certain guidelines, and in a way it might be easy for them to promote gender equality in their individual classroom, but it would be hard to change the entire school system. Title Ix has many benefits as far as promising an education free from bullying and sexual harassment, and also being diverse. Although these ideas sound awesome, a few things that could be worked on is keeping these promises. It is so often seen that bullying occurs in schools and there is little to nothing done about it, as well as being acceptable to diversity. Having ways to promote the ideas that Title IX provides us, would be a way to better it in general. There really is no way to ensure that the ideas are being put into place properly, but being able to be educated on it earlier than college would be a start for students to be able to abide by it and look back onto it in times of need.
ReplyDeleteMandi,
DeleteI 100% agree. I like the fact that you brought up bullying because that aspect hasn't been of focus for my Title IX presentation. Also, if teachers were to promote gender equality, they risk parents becoming angered at what is being taught unfortunately. This can lead to someone losing their job. That is why tons of teachers are scared to teach certain aspects.
In some cases it would be difficult for teachers to promote gender equality in the actual school system because they only have a certain amount of say. It would be very beneficial to make note of what they can do in their classrooms. Teachers should encourage all students to fulfill their lives doing what they want and believe they should do. Personally I don’t feel that I was ever encouraged by my school to pursue a certain field. I also have never heard of Title XI until this presentation. It’s important for teachers and schools to discuss this to students and explain to them why it is in place. “Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance” (http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/tix_dis.html) Title XI does not ensure that people are not being discriminated by. Title XI does it’s job in ensuring that the different genders can be part of the same sports teams, clubs or organizations, however there is still a lot of bullying and harassment that takes place in these organizations.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra,
DeleteThere definitely is still a lot of bullying and harassment in organizations. Title IX should be reinforced in the education systems. I know that Title IX just makes people aware of this issue and hopefully to make the right decision. However, as you have proven with never hearing about Title IX, it apparently isn't even doing its job in making people aware. In order for it to ensure that this discrimination does not happen, it has to first complete "step 1" and make people aware.
Hi, your presentation was very interesting!
ReplyDelete1. I have experience of being bullied when I was in the middle school. One day I went to school, no one would talk to me, and I heard that they say something about me behind my back. It lasted till we graduate, and during that time, teachers did nothing for me even though they knew that I was bullied. Sometimes bullying gets harder when teachers try to stop them, but I do think that teachers must do something because they have power to handle students and most likely students obey what teachers say to get a better grade. Therefore, for gender equality, I think they can easily do something also. Teachers control the school, so they can create the system.
2. I think Title XI is good to have because in all groups or organizations, discrimination is easily occurred and people need to have some ways to protect themselves. Children are too young to live by themselves and need to learn a lot to advance to the society, so they cannot change their social classes and they should not be judged by their life conditions. That is why the government set Title XI, I think. I now think that is enough to get enough education and students have education happily.
3. Although Title XI says that all students should be free from bullying, there are a lot of cases of bullying unfortunately. I think teachers and government ensure Title XI for that. Therefore, teachers might have to have a class of people's feeling so that students are able to learn how others feel when they intimate or discriminate others. Also, they have to provide time of discussion with all other classmates. If people have communication enough, they understand each other deeply and maybe it could stop bullying. Therefore, those two are good to have in the education.
I think you’re posing some really important questions. Promoting gender equality is essential for teachers and professors. I think it’s also important for teachers to inform their students how to be self-aware and critical. Recognizing institutionalized racism, sexism and classism, at least at the high school level, should be prioritized. If we want gender equality we need to teach students how to recognize where equality is lacking. The first step to alleviating any problem is by realizing there is a problem! It’s the same idea behind telling white people that white privilege exists (that many still deny). I love the idea behind Title IX, however it’s difficult to enforce its ideology. Like I previously stated, the only way I believe we can insure that laws like Title IX materialize in schools is by making students aware why it exists. I researched racism and white privilege professional development lesson plans. According to PBS, their lesson plans emphasizes on understanding the history of hate groups, defining what privilege is and making students understand how/where privilege affects their lives. Here is the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pbs.org/pov/twotownsofjasper/lesson-plan-2/
I believe education is the best way to start ensuring laws like Title IX are enforced. The article your posted about single-gendered schools is very interesting. After listening to our class’ antidotes about their experiences, single-gendered schools seems like a good idea. Bullying still existed in these schools, but vast elements of sexism would be eliminated. Girls would be equally encouraged to pursue the sciences, as boys would be encouraged into the arts. There could be equal emphasis on all curriculums for boys and girls. However, the article brings up an important point by reminding the reader that the world is co-ed, filled with several genders. Sheltering children from the realities of the world can also be damaging. I also don’t agree that, “boys and girls learn differently” I believe they’re taught to behave differently, but they are not inherently, intellectually different. The textbook does not dwell on Title IX much, but I believe that is because there hasn’t been enough evidence to prove Title IX has been overwhelmingly evident in schools.