Earlier this year, a proposal of mine was accepted into the National Association for Professional Development Schools 2020 Conference along with a presentation at the International Committee of School of Education at Monmouth University.
Maybe it’s my social issue filmmaking background, but I’ve become highly interested in how different sectors respond to and service peoples of various backgrounds. One area of interest I’ve focused my research in is gender equity in American education. My findings were alarming. Many citizens in the United States might believe they live in the most innovative and forward-thinking country in the world. To their dismay, this is untrue. According to the World Economic Forum (2015-2016 as cited in Shutts et al., 2017), Sweden continuously holds a top five spot for overall gender equality in a society. Meanwhile, the United States has ranked as low as 45th place in the last few years (World Economic Forum 2015-2016 as cited in cited in Shutts et al., 2017). Such a standing demonstrates the United States still has plenty of room to grow for its understanding and acceptance of gender.
I believe I’ve touched only the tip of the iceberg, as this topic is part of a much larger conversation that numerous Americans are currently having. Many are only now seeing the disparities among people of color, women, and those in the LGBTQ+ community. I aim to keep this conversation going whether it be in my creative or academic pursuits.
References:
Shutts, K., Kenward, B., Falk, H., Ivegran, A., & Fawcett, C. (2017). Early preschool environments and gender: Effects of gender pedagogy in Sweden. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 162, 1-17. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.04.014