The Gender Equation in Schools

Reading The Gender Equation in Schools is like wearing new glasses after years of nearsightedness. Teachers, administrators, and parents will see - with stunning clarity - themselves, their schools, and their students in this book that probes how our attitudes about gender get in the way of teaching and learning. With thoughtfulness and provocative questioning, Ablin expertly demonstrates how generations-old habits of mind and practice can hold children back. He challenges us to dislodge these, sending us off with the resources and motivation to make it happen, and now. -Anne Lutz Fernandez, author of Schooled: Ordinary, Extraordinary Teaching in an Age of Change Jason Ablin brings a rare wealth of experience to his new book, The Gender Equation in Schools. The chapters are well researched, yes, stocked with the latest scientific findings from our classrooms and laboratories. In that sense it feels like reading an academic text. But the pages also teem with real life--specifically the decades Jason has spent in schools both as a teacher and a principal. All the science is grounded in actual children, teenagers we come to know and care for as Jason guides us through their time together. As a math teacher of middle school students as well as a father of a girl and three boys, I found the book irresistible. Jason not only peeks into the engine, but throws open the hood on gender dynamics in our classroom. This book invites the reader to engage with the ways we force gender onto our children--and the ways we too often let their chosen gender determine educational outcomes. It is a must read for educators and parents alike. -Jay Wamsted (@JayWamsted) is an education writer, middle school math teacher, and TEDx speaker ( Eating the Elephant: Ending Racism & the Magic of Trust ) Teachers and instructional leaders who are eager to recognize and break down some of the stereotypes about boys and girls in the classroom will benefit from Jason Ablin's journey, a weaving of educational research with decades of expertise in schools. Ablin's own reflective voice will validate and motivate teachers as they rethink some of their own assumptions and design their own pedagogy for the 21st century. Especially valuable are the cases of speaking with parents as well as observational tools to improve one's craft, with learner success as the ultimate outcome. -Professor Miriam Heller Stern, PhD, Vice Provost for Educational Strategy at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and Director of the School of Education