Classrooms in 2050

In 2050, after many battles with publishers, textbooks finally contain equal information about both men and women. In the 1970’s publishers “vowed to reform” and they issued “guidelines for equity”, but when textbooks were examined years later, women were still not mentioned much. (Kimmel 226) In fact, both middle and high school history books were found to contain about 2 percent of information about women, while the science textbooks in five secondary schools “not a single female scientist was depicted.” (Kimmel 223) While some publishers have tried to amend their information, others have gone backwards. If you are to look at the Norton Anthology of English Literature, “there was greater representation of women in the first edition of the anthology in 1962 then in the fifth edition published in 1986.” (Kimmel 224) Kimmel, Michael S., Amy Aronson. (2004). The Gendered Society Reader Second Edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.While there are still some co-educational classrooms in 2050, same-sex classes are more popular then ever. Looking back at the late 1990’s and the early 2000’s boys and girls were having many problems in the classroom that some people decided to try an experiment. This experiment was same-sex classrooms, and they worked very well. One example of this is in an elementary school in Owensboro, KY. The principal grew desperate after the school had the worst test scores in the country, so he decided to segregate the first and second grades by gender. The boys, who are more likely to fidget had their desks removed and given “short exercise periods throughout the day”, while the girls were given a “carpeted area where they sit and discuss their feelings.” (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9285515/site/newsweek) It is also a known fact that “teachers call on boys more often and spend more time with them.” (Kimmel 162) Same-sex classrooms tend to put an end to this, if there are only girls in the class, then they receive much more attention from the teachers.

“The classroom setting reproduces gender inequality” (Kimmel 162)

Although there are more same-sex schools, we still have many co-ed schools where gender inequality is produced. From elementary school throughout higher education, female students receive less active instruction.(Kimmel 162) This is being prohibited because in 2050, there is more integration than ever in the classroom between both sexes, and students of very different backgrounds. Many students are learning more from one another. A quarter of the population is Hispanic. In the ealry 90's all students were required to learn a second language in high school, this has now been changed Non-Hispanic students are now speaking Spanish fluently and are now learning it as young as pre-school. The Hispanic teacher population is one of the highest adding diversity and helping close the gap between staff ethnicity and the diverse service population.

The schools also incorporate more social activities to prevent backsliding in the children's social skills and gender recognition and differences. Unlike in the early 2000's, when "physical education and sports programs had been cut and recess was a distant memory", school officials push for more extra curricular involvement by putting it in the daily schedules (Tyre 2). It allows the children to participate in a variety of activities (changing programs on bi-quarterly basis) while interacting with both genders since lacking in the classrooms. The fine arts are also available and children are able to gain the benefits of same sex classrooms through arts and other activities where their confidence won't be on the chopping block.


Good article about same sex classrooms: http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/elementary/default.aspx?article=samesexschools

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10965522/site/newsweek/print/1/displaymode/1098/

http://www.newsoffuture.com/quarter_of_us_population_hispanic_future_population.html

Kimmel, Michael S. (2002). The Gendered Society Second Edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9285515/site/newsweek