Priorities for the Future: Achieving Equity in Education

Achieving Equity in Education

Educational equity has not been fully realized.

• Fourth-grade girls and boys equally enjoy and succeed in science, but by eighth grade, girls’ interest and participation drops significantly¹. 
• Children of color—and those from low-income families—have notably higher dropout rates than their peers².
• A traditional pathway for leadership development is participation in organized sports. Girls continue to be at an “opportunity disadvantage” in this regard in both high school and college³.

The Wellesley Centers for Women has always led in examining the complex issues of educational equity. We pioneered work on white privilege and deeply rooted gender and racial bias in the curriculum of schools and colleges; we examined gender and literacy; we studied the impact of sex roles and media on our children; we exposed the educational consequences of sexual harassment in schools; and since our founding we have maintained a steady focus on the under-representation of girls and women in scientific fields. There is much more to do.

What your support for the 35th Anniversary Fund will do:

Scholars at the Wellesley Centers for Women will have the flexibility to take quick, considered action on important educational-equity issues. As we move forward, areas of interest include taking a closer look at how…

… sustained encouragement can lead to greater success in the sciences for girls and for boys of color.

… participation in sports enhances both girls’ and boys’ achievements.
… to adapt both curricula and programming to address academic progress and emotional health in the education of at-risk children in urban schools.

… best to prepare students for a life of active and informed citizenship.

1 Sheryl A. Tucker, Deborah L. Hanuscin, and Constance J. Bearnes, “THE PIPELINE : Igniting Girls’ Interest in Science,” Science, Vol. 319, No. 5870 (March 21, 2008), pp.1621-1622.
2 J. Laird, E.F. Cataldi, A. KewalRamani, and C. Chapman, Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2006 (NCES 2008-053), National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (Washington: 2008) . Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008053.
3 Women’s Sports Foundation, 2008 Statistics – Gender Equity in High School and College Athletics: Most Recent Participation & Budget Statistics. Retrieved from http://www. womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Articles/Issues/General/123/2008-Statistics--Gender Equity-in-High-School-and-College-Athletics-Most-Recent-Participation--Budge.aspx.