is our system of elementary education gender biased?

Answer 1

No. It's income biased. Those whose parents have a higher income tend to go to better school. That's a fact. I grew up in the projects so I know. This also shouldn't be an excuse. You can get a good education in these areas too. You just have to want it badly.

Answer 2

The vast majority of elementary school teachers, administration, and staff are women, which means a lack of male perspective.

As any parent or grandparent of both genders will tell you, there are deep and fundamental differences between boys and girls. These differences are much deeper than the differences between white and black and brown students, or wealthy and poor kids, or even smart kids and dumb kids. Yet, compared to these difference, boy vs. girl gets little to no emphasis in teacher training.

To be successful in school, one should "act like a girl". Behavior standards are based on conflict avoidance, and de-emphasize competition. Group acheivment is emphasized over individual acheivment. The best students are valued for sitting still, following directions, and producing neat and organized work that matches the lesson. All these qualities have been proven time and time again to be advantages for girls and disadvantages for boys.

Early childhood education is completely biased against boys.

Answer 3

I would say probably not. Read the quotes from two academic papers below. In the second article, the differences are merely "perceived" by the female students themselves (as the information was gained through interviews with the students, not from objective analysis of classroom behaviour). I never felt that my education was biased, but I did feel that my middle school encouraged an atmosphere that allowed sexual harassment.

"In the controversy about whether the schools shortchange girls, the most obvious and crucial point is passed over: females, not males, receive higher grades, hold higher class rank, and receive most academic honors and scholarships. Indeed, the problem that requires explanation is why male students do not receive their fair share of the school's rewards. The most likely explanation is that the schools "shortchange" the more active and rowdy males, who find it more difficult to conform to the school's institutional demands for quiet, :orderly behavior, neat homework, and compliance with rules."

-Why Smart People Believe that Schools Shortchange Girls: What You See when You Live in a Tail , By: Kleinfeld, Judith, Gender Issues, 1098092X, Winter/Spring98, Vol. 16, Issue 1/2

"David and Myra Sadker researched gender equity in the classroom for over twenty years, and in a 1989 investigation with Lynette Long they explored the progress of gender equity in classrooms since the passage of Title IX. In a follow-up book, Failing at Fairness: How America's Schools Cheat Girls (1995), the Sadkers, drawing on numerous interviews with students and teachers, found that micro-inequities occur daily in classroom interactions. Included in their study, which investigated verbal interaction patterns in elementary, secondary, and college classrooms in a variety of settings and subject areas, are the findings that girls receive fewer academic contacts, are asked lower level questions, and are provided less constructive feedback and encouragement than boys -- all of which translates into reduced preparation for independent effort."

-GENDER ISSUES IN THE CLASSROOM , By: Marshall, Carol Sue, Reinhartz, Judy, Clearing House, 00098655, Jul/Aug97, Vol. 70, Issue 6

Answer 4

In some ways. The real question is who the school feels needs the most attention, and that's the one that will get it. If all the girls raised thier hands to answer a question, but the boys didn't - the teacher will call on the one that needs the most help, the boys. Girls (in this example) will stop raising thier hand to answer because they do not get the proper amount of attention for raising thier hand. Also the gender stigmas of "girls are bad at math" also discourages girls from trying. The gender stigma of "boys will be boys" also harms boys from learning the correct behavior patterns and thusly affects in school performances.

Answer 5

In elementary school, things are actually relatively balanced. BUT, when you encounter the real world (i.e. working place) as well as college, women are technically a minority, so they are unfairly biased against. Generally, I see that girls do better in elementary than males anyway, since they seem to be more organized and focused.

Answer 6

I would say yes, it is gender biased.
Often times, subtle messages are sent to girls and boys about expectations for their behaviors, attitudes, perceptions and other aspects in their lives. It is important to note that this is not always the case nor is it necessarily intentional.
Ex: Like only girls go to home science classes and boys for workshop.
Girls participation in math and science is lesser than boys.
Technologies should be equally accessible to male and female students. Yet, as girls enter adolescence, large numbers of them tend to lose interest in science, math, and computer science.
It all starts at elementary school and goes all through life.

Answer 7

Yes, in the elementary education system they seem to reinforce gender roles.

Answer 8

If it is biased it would be focused on males. Only because they develop mentally later than girls. They might dumb down classes for them. This changes around grade 6 or 7 and then the girls become the challenged ones.

Answer 9

When a child draws a picture of a teacher, does he or she draw a male or female? When a teacher thinks about most improved or brightest, boy or girl? It would depend on the students and or the teachers to answer this question in order to decide yay or nay.

Answer 10

Yes but only in that Men were the primary writer's of history...(remember women at one point in time were no more than a man's property). As women were excluded from a large portion of history, there is no fair representation (in any culture I would wager) of women as pertains to world events.