Metropolitan Life, Public Education Network, LAEP Promote Public Conversation about Gender Equity

CONTRARY TO COMMONLY HELD BELIEFS that boys have an advantage over girls in school, a recent Metropolitan Life survey examining gender issues in public schools finds girls doing as well if not better than boys in many key educational areas.

According to the survey, girls appear to have an advantage in terms of stronger future plans, higher teacher expectations and in everyday experiences and interactions in the classroom. Teachers nationwide also view girls as higher achievers and more likely to suceed than boys.

These and other key findings are examined in the Metropolitan Life Survey of The American Teacher: Examining Gender issues in Public Schools, which was conducted by Lou Harris and Associates in 1997.

Recognizing the role and impact that gender plays in education, The Los Angeles Educational Partnership is working with the Public Education Network and other local education funds across the country to dissiminate these findings and to promote community conversations about gender issues in public education. Those conversations will help to shape action plans for improving educational opportunities for young women in communities participating in the project.

As a part of this conversation we encourage the readers of the Learning Exchange to review the Executive Summary of the Metlife Survey. Key Findings of the survey are also available online. A complete copy of the survey is available to download at the MetLife Web site or by contacting Nicole Elliott at the Los Angeles Educational Partnership, (213) 622-5237.