Reversing underachievement in the classroom

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), July, 1996 by Mary Brown Bullock

A $375,000,000 ad campaign by the Women's College Coalition and the Advertising Council is designed to boost girls' self-esteem and put them on equal footing with boys in school.

THE ADVERTISING council has a memorable way of reminding Americans of their shortcomings. It created "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk" and "A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste." Now it has targeted parents and educators with a new slogan: "Expect the Best from a Girl. That's What You'll Get." Joining with the Women's College Coalition, this national public service campaign takes aim at the persistence of underachievement in girls, a condition often manifested throughout their lives.

American girls are privileged when compared with their peers in developing countries, and much progress has been made in providing equal opportunity for women. Yet, while India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Israel, Turkey, Canada, Ireland, and Great Britain all have elected women as president or prime minister, the U.S. has failed to elect a female president and only one woman has run for vice president. Is the American dream only for sons? What are the expectations for daughters?

Americans are beginning to understand that something happens during adolescence that sets many girls back. Their life expectations falter and their performance drops. We all know girls who fit this pattern and we've read articles, editorials, and books on the subject. Titles of some tell the story, such as Failing at Fairness: How Our Schools Cheat Girls and How Schools Shortchange Girls. Academic debate questions some of the methodology of these studies, but the supporting data is increasing and most of it is convincing.

Girls score higher than boys on standardized tests in elementary school, but lower during junior and senior high. Early aptitude in math often disappears, and interest in science appears to be discouraged. Teachers recognize boys more frequently in class than girls, even when the girls' hands are raised. The put-downs, subtle and unintended, begin in grade school and continue through college and graduate training. Too often overlooked in the classroom, girls are expected just to look good and behave nicely. As a result, their self-esteem falls. The results have implications for society as well as women's lives, including poverty, job segregation in lower-paying positions, and limited participation by women in such important fields as science, politics, international relations, the trades, and corporate leadership. The underachievement of girls can be helped by changing the expectations of those who are most influential--parents and educators.

The "Expect the Best from a Girl" ads hit these issues hard. Featuring real-life role models from the ranks of women's college graduates, they are aimed to show that choices made about education affect the future. Designed by a woman-led, New York-based advertising agency, Messner, Vetere, Berger, McNamee and Schmetterer, each ad is catchy and provocative. For instance, in a 30-second radio ad, Julie Willey announces to the scream of sirens that: "I help catch murderers, rapists, and thieves with a microscope. I'm Julie Willey, and I'm director of the Delaware State Police Crime Lab because, in high school, I didn't think it was uncool to take chemistry." Her pitch is to parents: "Do you have a daughter? Instead of a tea set, get her a chemistry set. Look at the boring job I got from being a science nerd. Expect the best from a girl. That's what you'll get."

In addition to emphasizing science and math, the campaign urges parents to recognize their daughter's leadership potential. A second ad features the soundtrack of a Jaguar, starting, driving, shifting gears. The voice-over states: "I'm Bibi Boerio, senior finance officer for Jaguar Cars here in Coventry, England. This beautiful car we're riding in came with the job. I'm also the first woman ever on Jaguar's board of directors. If you're good, you get noticed.

"The same was true for me in school. Was I afraid to be smart in front of boys in class? No way. My parents and my teachers never expected less from me because I was a girl.

"Do you have a daughter? Tell her it's cool to be smart in front of boys. Especially if they're in the board room. Expect the best from a girl. That's what you'll get."

Magazines, newspapers, television, and radio are donating time or space for the promotion. Some aspects may be controversial. As important as science and mathematics are in training girls as well as boys for the 21st century, girls should be encourage to excel in other fields as well. Emphasis should encompass motherhood in addition to the boardroom, the humanities as well as the sciences. Nonetheless, as I reflect on my own experience as an educator and as the parent of both a son and daughter, I personally can identify with their key recommendations.

* Urge your daughter to take risks, to be challenged. Don't always rescue her. Our daughter Ashley was in third grade when she was diagnosed with a learning disability. She began working with an after-school reading tutor and spent one period a day one-on-one in an out-of-the-classroom program. We initially were very protective, concerned that she would lose self-esteem with her classmates (be labeled a "dummy") and need even more reading work at home. Her counselor gave us the opposite advice: "She needs a challenge in which she can really excel as she goes through this catch-up learning period." Ashley always had wanted to swim competitively, and so--with grave doubts--we enrolled her on the local team. Long hours at the pool were added to the tutoring. My apprehensions ended at the first swim meet. In front of hundreds of screaming kids and parents, my eight-year-old daughter proudly won her first heat. By the sixth grade, Ashley's tutoring ended, she was elected vice president of the student body, and she made A's and B's in every subject. We are convinced that succeeding in swimming led to success in school.