PowerPoint Presentation Gender Similarities and Differences in Learning, Development, and Performanc

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NBLB No Boys Left BehindIASB/IASA/IASBO
Annual Conference
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Wilmette School District 39Community Review
Committee(mcgeem_at_wilmette39.org)
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High Impact Topic for Study

• Early Evidence
• State Level data has shown significant
  disparities for 5 years
• Benchmark Group (16 high achieving districts)
• District 39 ISATs and Iowas
• Aligned with Districts mission and CRC charge
• Newsweek cover (1/06) and popular press
• Mother McGees Book Club
• Enormous potential for improving teaching and
  learning in District 39
• We are parents

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Who, What and Why the CRC

• Mission and by-laws
• History
• Evolution of topics
• Dynamics
• Why it Works

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Key Questions

• Is there evidence of statistically significant
  differences in how girls and boys perform in the
  classrooms of D39?
• Academic Performance
• Standardized Test Performance
• Academic Placement
• Behavior/Skill Development
• Are there non-academic or other factors that
  could account/contribute to the differences?
• Developmental/Brain Based Differences
• Social/Cultural Differences

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More Key Questions

• Are there policies/practices in the District
  that, if changed, could remove barriers to
  success for one or both genders?
• What can we learn from similar school districts?

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Gender Study Process Tree
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Exploring the Brutal Facts

• Research Base from the Literature
• Learning from Educators
• Learning from Other Districts
• Compiling and Analyzing District Data

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Reviewing the Research

• Girls now nationally exceed boys in high school
  graduation, college enrollment, and college
  graduation rates.
• The gap between boys and girls in math has been
  effectively closed.
• The gender gap in language arts continues to
  grow, with boys lagging significantly in reading
  and writing
• Boys make up 70 of IEPs
• Boys make up the vast majority of reported
  discipline problems.

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Obtaining Educators Perceptions

• General perception was that boys are less
  organized, more likely to do the minimum, more
  tired and are greater behavioral challenges
• Most (85) teachers and many administrators do
  not report seeing a significant difference in
  academic performance or GPA across genders.
• Just 3 of 272 teachers opined girls were
  outperforming boys
• There was a district-wide perception that gender
  differences are not relevant.
• Conventional wisdom was that any disparities in
  performance are due to developmental issues

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Learning from Other Districts

• Benchmark Districts
• Gap in reading and writing exists across all high
  affluent, high achieving school districts yet
  achievement in math and science is not
  statistically different
• Most districts have not disaggregated data by
  gender thus boys suffer from benign neglect
• Two districts showed mild interest
• One district, Avoca 37, shared urgency and need
  for action
• Edina School District Study (Edina, MN)
• Boys lag girls in reading and writing from grades
  4-12
• The gap grows as students reach high school
• Most interventions targeted to HS
• A significant portion of the achievement gap
  between poor and non-poor students and between
  minority and white students is due to the
  underperformance of male students in reading and
  writing

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Analyzing District 39 DataClassroom Performance

• Boys in grades 5-8 lag behind girls in academic
  performance.
• 5th and 6th grade girls are 30-34 more likely to
  get As in academic subjects
• 5th and 6th grade boys are twice as likely to get
  Cs and Ds in academic subjects
• The gender gap grew over a four year period

Academic Performance Gap
Grades 7 8
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Analyzing More District 39 DataStandardized
Tests - ITBS ISAT

• Boys lag behind girls in Reading, Writing and
  Language Arts on ISAT and Iowa Test of Basic
  Skills and gap grows in upper grades
• Significant gaps as much as 8-14 percentiles
• IEP differences only account for 15-35 of the
  difference
• Girls lag behind boys in specific math concepts
  at the elementary level but catch up in later
  grades
• District 39 mirrors national trends
• 71 of students with IEPs are boys
• 80 of discipline referrals for misbehavior are
  boys

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CRC Recommendations

• Adopt a mission statement regarding gender
  differences in learning
• Build a data base that would be a single, multi
  year repository for information and performance
  tracking
• Review teacher hiring practices to ensure that
  there is no bias
• Provide professional development to aid teachers
  in working successfully with students of all
  genders

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More CRC Recommendations

• Collaborate with New Trier on a K-12 study (and
  other interested districts)
• Educate the community on gender differences and
  learning
• Explore innovative classroom arrangements to
  support student participation and learning

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Initial Response to CRC Report

• Changed interview process resulting in hiring of
  more male teachers
• Board established a district goal to identify
  and rectify disparities in performance and
  behavior based on gender (1 of 4 goals)
• Most School Improvement Plans contained a gender
  related goal
• Contracted with Michael Gurian for opening day
  keynote with Avoca 37
• Mixed staff response, but skepticism was
  widespread

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Eye Rolling to Urgency at WJHS

• Communicating Findings
• Professional Development
• Response to Michael Gurian
• Connectors and mavens spread the word
• Study groups and book clubs
• Fierce conversations
• Classroom Activities
• Impact of the Library Media Center

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K-6 Classroom Strategies that Work

• Literature circles by gender groups
• Selected single gender homeroom/advisory sessions
• Movement and competition
• Squeeze balls
• Pre-writing with pictures and charts
• Barbs books for boys
• Single gender applied mathematics

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Unanticipated Consequences

• Teacher conversations have changed
• Profound parent endorsement
• Media Coverage
• Parent questions from outside District
• Special visitors
• Collaboration with neighboring district
• Two (or more) potential BOE members

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Closing Observations

• Key Learnings
• Better education for boys AND girls
• Power of shared vision and cascading goals
• Macro data matters
• Staff conversations have changed and they are
  powerful
• Future Challenges and Next Steps
• Potential for political problems
• Differentiated instruction for all students
• Strengthening partnership with Avoca

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There is no ceiling on our childrens potential
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Recommended Readings

• Boys
• Michael Gurian, The Minds of Boys
• Dan Kindlon, Raising Cain
• Girls
• Rachel Simmons, Odd Girl Out
• Rosalind Wiseman, Queen Bees and Wannabees
• Both
• Leonard Sax, Why Gender Matters
• District 39 Full CRC Report (www.wilmette39.org)