The power of culture to shape gender identities becomes particularly crucial for adolescents as they make the transition from child to adult. Yet as adults we offer little coherent, direct instruction in such matters. The author advocates supporting girls as they explore complex and empowering literacy practices, particularly online.

Improving communication among and between men and women is an important part of leadership which entails understanding cultural stereotypes related to masculinity and femininity and understanding that all individuals possess a combination of masculine and feminine traits. Leaders should strive to create a new culture where feminine values are…

Dubbed the "decade of the Hispanic," the 1980s was instead a period of retrenchment for Chicanos and Chicanas as they continued to confront many issues of earlier years in a more conservative political environment. This book assesses the most significant developments in the conditions and experiences of Chicanas and Chicanos since the…

This is a qualitative inquiry based on reciprocal and interactive relationships. Seven associate deans or former associate deans were engaged in conversations about their roles in colleges of education. All are women from five public and two private universities. Through analysis of the conversations, five themes emerged: the role of associate…

These papers examine concerns about design and technology teaching. There are 14 papers in four parts. Part 1, "Issues of Definition," includes (1) "The Challenge for Design and Technology Education" (Jim Morley); (2) "How Can We Meet the Challenges Posed by a New Model of Practical Scholarship?" (Jim Morley); (3)…

The studies compiled in this book analyze the effects of gender on the well-being of individuals and households in Mexico. Analyses examine gender issues over the life cycle, including education and child labor, adult urban and rural labor participation, and the situation of elderly Mexican men and women. Following an introduction by Elizabeth…

The purpose of this study was to examine the psycho-social factors (attitudes, identity, and perceptions) affecting pre-service teacher education majors in a cross-cultural pedagogical environment (African American professors and white students). The two main objectives that was explored in this study consisted of; (1) student learning and factors…

This paper presents the results of efforts focusing on equitable practices in education in three states. The paper has three objectives: (1) to provide an overview of the implementation of equitable instructional strategies designed to increase student achievement and close identified performance gaps between and within traditional underserved…

This paper presents results of a study that examined the current climate for female community college faculty. Two decades ago, Hall and Sandler coined the phrase "chilly climate" symbolically to embody a pervasive and negative climate reported by girls and women in their educational surroundings. Research literature continues to report on the…

Over the next ten years, the United States will need to train an additional 1.9 million workers in the sciences. Increased participation of women and minorities is essential in meeting the projected need for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering (SME) workers. Women, who received 56% of B.A.'s overall, comprised 37% of the SME bachelor degrees…

A supportive father as well as a supportive mother may foster offspring's healthy development. But what the behavior of a supportive parent looks like may in part depend upon whether the parent is a mother or a father. From the beginnings of empirical research on fathers, the father's role in traditional western families has been conceptualized as…

Noting that the research literature about father involvement is expanding at an exponential rate, this paper explores seminal ideas about father involvement in families. The paper is presented in three parts. The first part provides an overview of the emerging research on social fatherhood. This part traces the changes in the concept of fatherhood…

This study considered the sociocultural nature of learning for students in a multicultural classroom setting, specifically investigating student-student and student-teacher relationships in a junior high classroom using a "community of practice" perspective. This framework was chosen to determine what contribution a community of practice…

This final report provides findings of a qualitative study of characteristics of Latina high school students with learning disabilities in the context of use of single sex environments to encourage school continuance for this population. Specifically, the study examined whether there are measurable differences in classroom behaviors, school…

This paper describes issues, experiences, and strategies used in developing successful multisectoral partnerships to advance girls' education, using Guinea and Morocco as examples. Chapter 1 introduces the issue, discussing barriers to girls' education and describing the multisectoral response to interrelated barriers. Chapter 2 defines the…