Gender & Diversity Issues
Articles in this section examine differences among various subgroups of students, i.e., boys, girls, students of color.
« Return to topic list
Teaching Writing to Diverse Student Populations
Writing is a complex operation requiring knowledge of text structure, syntax, vocabulary, and topic, and sensitivity to audience needs; so it is not surprising that many teens find writing challenging. This article identifies the qualities of strong writing instruction, and offers advice to teachers for incorporating writing instruction into their practice, using tools like notebooks and journals, and sharing strategies that reinforce the importance of pre-writing and revision.
Recommendations for Research to Improve Reading Achievement for African American Students
This article includes research recommendations in the areas of standardized testing, teacher quality, after-school programs, parent involvement, reading and study skills, and computer games and simulations.
African-American Students and U.S. High Schools
This fact sheet, prepared by the Alliance for Excellent Education, looks at statistics related to the graduation rates and college readiness of African-American students, as well as the quality of the teachers and schools that serve them.
Demography as Destiny: How America Can Build a Better Future
Barely 50% of minority students graduate from high school on time. If this trend continues and the minority student populations increase as projected, the economic strength of the U.S. will be undermined. But if 78% of all student populations graduate on time by 2020, the U.S. can realize stunning potential benefits: conservatively, more than $310 billion would be added to the national economy.
The Evidence Suggests Otherwise: The Truth About Boys and Girls
The media has latched on to the story that American boys are falling behind girls academically and are increasingly outnumbered in college. But what do the numbers show? Referencing more than 30 years of test scores and current research, the author debunks the notion of a gender gap and demonstrates that gaps in educational achievement and attainment are less a function of gender than of racial and economic inequities.
Literacy as a Leisure Activity: Free-Time Preferences of Older Children and Young Adolescents
Despite the importance of reading for lexical development, little is known about the pleasure reading habits of today's youth. This investigation examines the preferences of older children and young adolescents with respect to reading as a leisure-time activity and its relationship to other free-time options likely to compete for their attention, the amount of time that young people spend reading for pleasure each day, and the types of materials they most enjoy reading. The study also attempts to determine if preferences for free-time activities and reading materials would evince age- and gender-related differences. The findings could serve as a reference point for understanding what is reasonable to expect of students at this age.
Blending Multiple Genres in Theme Baskets
The theme-basket concept of literature instruction combines several approaches known to work with marginalized readers, students with learning disabilities, and ELLs: 1) a thematic approach to teaching literature, 2) the use of children’s books in secondary classrooms, 3) the coupling of young adult books with the classics, and 4) capitalizing on young adults’ background knowledge, interests, and skills in reading multiple genres. This article includes a sample theme basket with The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck as its centerpiece.
