Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j1DCL4C00076; Sun, 13 Feb 2005 07:21:05 -0500 (EST) Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2005 07:21:05 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <474EB335-7DB9-11D9-A0AA-000393ABE4D2@litwomen.org> Errors-To: listowner@nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "mev@litwomen.org" <mev@litwomen.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:3132] illuminating gender studies X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.553) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Status: O Content-Length: 2286 Lines: 54 This article came to me from another list, but I thought folks here might find it interesting. Mev WE LEARN www.litwomen.org/welearn.html ------------- washingtonpost.com The Real Reasons Why Johnny Won't Read Saturday, February 12, 2005; Page A17 Mark Bauerlein and Sandra Stotsky ["Why Johnny Won't Read," op-ed, Jan. 25] try to breathe new life into the tired idea that boys' reading problems are due to a lack of exciting male characters, and two culprits stand accused: diversity and feminism. But history tells a different story. A major study done in 1974 found that male characters outnumbered females in children's picture books by an astonishing 95 to 1. A 1975 study of 134 elementary school readers found three male characters for every female, four male-centered fairy tales for every female one, and six male biographies for each female biography. And guess what? Despite this world populated by white male characters, boys' reading scores lagged behind girls. The problem was made worse because these biased books taught girls and students of color that their contributions and experiences were not worth reading. Studies today confirm that whites and males still dominate books, although thankfully no longer at a 95 to 1 ratio. So before we return to those "good old days," perhaps we should look elsewhere to solve this problem. Let's be honest about the racism and classism at work: Reading scores of poor Latino and African American boys attending under-resourced schools are horrific. Sexist stereotypes and homophobia continue to dominate schools, teaching males to shun anything seen as feminine, including reading. Let's investigate the pressure culture of the No Child Left Behind Act, and the impact of high-stakes testing on the joy of reading. Perhaps 400 cable channels and endless video games, many of them violent and targeted to males, have distracted boys from reading. There is a great deal to study to help us tackle the problem, but attacking girls and diversity is not where I would invest limited educational resources. -- David Sadker Washington The writer is a professor at American University and the co-author of "Failing at Fairness: How America's Schools Cheat Girls." © 2005 The Washington Post Company
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