| Releases
& Statements
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 20, 2008
Contact: Gia Storms
(212) 669-4813; (917) 626-6757
Release #: 004-2008
PA Gotbaum: DOE Short-Changing Female Students at CTE High Schools
New report finds that DOE fails to prepare girls for career opportunities in high-growth fields
Gotbaum: “The days when boys become engineers and girls become housewives have long since passed.”
MANHATTAN – The City’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) high schools are leaving female students behind, especially in programs that prepare students for higher-paying jobs, according to a new assessment by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. The new report found that female students represent only 41 percent of the student body at 18 CTE high schools – a ten point difference compared to the overall female enrollment in city high schools. Of the six schools with the greatest gender imbalance, five favored male enrollment, including programs related to the high-growth industries of aviation and automotive maintenance.
Gotbaum, joined by Sandra Wilkin, President of Women Builders Council, Jennifer Weidenbaum, Associate Executive Director of Girls Inc., Francoise Jacobsohn, Project Manager for Equality Works of Legal Momentum, and Fruma Narov, a leading female engineer and the First Vice President of Women Builders Council, cited gender stereotypes associated with CTE programs, perpetuated by the Department of Education’s failure to provide adequate information to middle schools girls and provide adequate opportunities for females to take advanced placement courses in science and math, as part of the problem.
Addressing gender imbalance at CTE programs has become more pressing now that Mayor Bloomberg, in his 2008 State of the City Speech, promised to expand CTE programs.
Public Advocate Gotbaum said, “The days when boys become engineers and girls become housewives have long since passed. There are not enough opportunities for female students in high growth industries like nursing and technology. This failure allows false stereotypes to fester. It’s time to eliminate these inequities, and give female students the experiences and skills to reach their career goals.”
SCHOOL MALE FEMALE
Overall Enrollment at CTE High Schools 59% 41%
Automotive High School 95% 5%
Alfred E. Smith CTE High School 88% 12%
Aviation High School 85% 15%
Transit Technology High School 80% 20%
The report also found that CTE high schools with more female than male students have fewer AP courses, with three of five predominantly female CTE schools failing to offer AP courses in Math and Science.
Gotbaum recommends that the DOE provide all middle school girls and their parents with complete information on CTE programs, with an emphasis on dispelling gender stereotypes associated with particular careers. Gotbaum also called for more math and science AP classes in predominantly female schools, and for the DOE to make sure it is meeting and exceeding Title IX requirements in relation to its CTE programs.
Sandra Wilkin, President of Women Builders Council, said, “The great challenge that confronts women in the construction industry is to break the concrete ceiling which continues to deny women their full role in the field. Giving young women the very best education resources in math and the sciences to compete in an international market is essential.”
Jennifer Weidenbaum, Associate Executive Director of Girls Inc., said, “Economic independence is a paramount concern among young girls today. We know that through innovative education, girls who are labeled “at risk” can overcome gender stereotypes and find work in interesting, financially rewarding trades that for generations have been set aside for their male counterparts. We are willing to work with the DOE and help them do a better job providing opportunities and experiences to female students.”
Francoise Jacobsohn, Project Manager for Equality Works, Legal Momentum, said "CTE schools have a responsibility to ensure that girls learn about and have access to classes in non-traditional occupations. Non-traditional occupations generally offer higher entry-level wages, a career ladder and $20-30 more per hour. One of the biggest barriers women face is the lack of access to information about these great career opportunities. CTE schools must work with parents, guidance counselors and middle school students in order to support more girls in well paid jobs."
Fruma Narov, a leading female engineer, said, “As a women engineer, I fully understand the challenges that young women face when considering the construction industry as their vocation. We must provide them with the motivation, the role models and educational tools for them to succeed.”
CTE programs provide students with technical and work-based skills while also promoting academic achievement and are designed to help students avoid the limitations of low-wage jobs.
Read the report
###
|
