Is Your School Doing A Good Job of Fighting Sex Discrimination?
Discussion Questions
Do teachers call equally on girls and boys in the classroom? Do
they give them equal attention and feedback to encourage learning? An example
of what you don't want to see is teachers telling boys they can learn to
solve problems themselves, while telling the girls how to solve the problems.
Do school staff show zero tolerance for sexual harassment and gender-based
teasing? Do they actively work to prevent such behavior and always confront
it when it arises?
Are all academic, athletic, science, and extracurricular activities
coed unless there is a valid reason for separating girls and boys? Examples
of valid exceptions may include bathrooms and contact sports - - but not
math and mentoring projects. Teams should never pit girls against boys.
Do materials - such as posters, books, and films - in all subject
and extracurricular activities represent women and men equally?
Do materials represent men and women as equally strong and weak,
dependent and independent, powerful and subordinate, etc.? Watch for materials
that show girls as consistently smaller, younger, weaker, more prone to
injury and illness, more likely to be victims, and so on.
Are women and girls represented in all projections of the future,
as well as in all historical or past events?
Do girls and boys have equal access to and control over the same
quality and quantity of science classroom space and equipment, including
laboratory equipment? Do they have equal access to computers? (Sign-ups
can equalize access.)
Are girls and boys treated as equally strong and competent?
Are girls and boys disciplined equally? Are girls "let off"
for flirting or acting demure? Are school rules sometimes broken to keep
male or female students on athletic teams or science lab projects? Both
types of discrimination are wrong and violate Title IX.
Are girls' appearance and clothing commented on more frequently
than boys'?
Do girls and boys share equally in all resources available, for
example, federal and state subsidies, or funds supplied by parents and booster
clubs?
Are school staff, at all levels of authority, proportionally male
and female, so they serve as role models?
Have all school staff received training in how to handle and correct
sex discrimination and harassment? Have students and parents been offered
similar workshops? Does the whole community recognize the provisions of
Title IX?
Does the school have, distribute, and follow a policy defining
sexual harassment and specifiying consequences and remedies for staff and
students? Is this policy given to parents, students, and staff at the beginning
of every school year, and again if they report any incidents?
Is there an active, ongoing effort to inform the community and
media about sex equity in the schools? Does the community understand the
concepts of sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, and their ethical
and legal consequences?
Do teachers call equally on girls and boys in the classroom? Do they give them equal attention and feedback to encourage learning? An example of what you don't want to see is teachers telling boys they can learn to solve problems themselves, while telling the girls how to solve the problems.
