State Employment and Training Commission Members

INTRODUCTION

The success of our educational system and the success of our economy are interdependent. As the marketplace becomes increasingly competitive, it is incumbent upon the educational system to respond by preparing students to excel in all areas of learning, especially those involving higher technical skills. For America to prepare a skilled workforce demanded by the "global economy," it must develop an educational system that provides both female and male students with the skills and knowledge to effectively participate and succeed in that workforce.

In a post-industrial, knowledge-based economy, great importance must be placed on ensuring a match between the needs of the economy and the skills of the workforce. This issue has only recently received the attention it merits from both those who create and implement policies affecting education and employment and those who are seeking to be educated and employed. In order to adequately design an education and training system which meets this challenge, it is essential for policy makers to reexamine past understandings and assumptions about the labor market.

Background

In an effort to address the complexities of creating a unified, high-quality workforce readiness system, the New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission (SETC) has issued A Unified State Plan for New Jersey's Workforce Readiness System. This plan guides the direction for all New Jersey's education, employment and training programs. A fundamental principle of the Unified State Plan is that there must be "full utilization of all potential workers" in the workforce. To help ensure that New Jersey upholds that principle, the SETC created a Gender Equity Task Force to look specifically at issues related to women's participation in the labor force.

In October 1994, Governor Whitman accepted Leveling the Playing Field, the first report from the Gender Equity Task Force. This report analyzed barriers to women's participation in the workforce readiness system and made a series of recommendations to remove those barriers. Leveling the Playing Field broke new ground in the policy discussions of how employment and training programs can best serve women.

However, early in the work of the Task Force, members agreed that educational experiences, both formal and informal, play a critical role in shaping career opportunities and choices for women and girls. The Task Force recognized that until issues of equity within the educational process are fully addressed, the workforce readiness system will not enable the full utilization of all potential workers. Any program to improve the educational system and to prepare students for the future workforce that does not deal directly with gender equity issues, may well be doomed to failure.

The Task Force concluded that because gender inequities are so pervasive, solutions must be confronted by policy makers as they address both employment and training programs as well as the primary, secondary and higher education system. The purpose of this document is to examine current trends, identify barriers and make recommendations to integrate gender equity into every facet of the classroom and school of the educational system.

I. RATIONALE

There is little dispute that our society is currently in a period of great change, especially as it relates to the economy and the workforce. Debate over how to respond to these changes invariably focuses on the problems in the educational system. However, the specific problem of gender inequities in our schools is rarely addressed in any systemic fashion. What is encouraging is that the language of educational reform has begun to acknowledge that a successful educational system requires that "all students" must participate at the highest possible levels of achievement.

The Core Curriculum Content Standards, adopted by the New Jersey Department of Education, supports this change in attitude and includes the following statement of purpose:

To compete in a global, information-based economy, the students we prepare must be able to solve real problems, reason effectively, and make logical Connections. The world of work they enter will feature products and factories that are designed by mathematical models and computer simulations, computers that control production processes and plants, and robots. Our State and country need people with the skills to develop and manage these new technologies. The first step in preparing individuals for the workplace, for further learning, and for daily living is to set internationally competitive standards which define educational excellence for all students.

The recognition that all students must be given the opportunities and encouragement to participate in the full range of educational possibilities opens the door for a close look at how gender plays a role in shaping choices for both girls and boys.

Linking Education and Economic Potential

Career opportunities and economic self-sufficiency are usually dependent on educational opportunities. This has been demonstrated by numerous studies issued over the past several years. For example, the United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Adult Literacy Survey reported a direct relationship between literacy levels and both weekly wages and weeks worked. Not surprisingly, this study showed that lower literacy levels yielded lower weekly wages and fewer weeks worked. Wages and weeks worked increased as literacy levels rose. ¹ The United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census also reported that median income among full-time workers increased with educational attainment.

Unfortunately, educational attainment does not address all problems for all workers. For women, the wage gap persists despite their level of education. The United States Women's Bureau reported in September 1996 that the median income among year-round, full-time workers based on education varied widely between women and men. For high school graduates, women earned $20,373 and men earned $28,037. Women with associate's degrees earned $25,940, whereas men with associate's degrees earned $35,794. And, finally, women with bachelor's degrees or higher earned $35,378 compared with men who earned $49,228. In New Jersey, for 1990, the ratio of women's to men's full-time, full-year median annual earnings was 65.7 percent.²

Pay inequity is explained in two ways. First, even when they occupy the same type of job, women tend to earn less than men. Second, the jobs which are more traditional for women, such as teacher, child care worker or nurse, pay less than the jobs traditionally held by men such as engineer, technician or auto mechanic. Jobs traditionally held by men frequently fall into the category of higher-skill occupations. The problem this poses for women is magnified in light of labor force projections that state that high-paying jobs will increasingly be in high-skill areas.

The New Jersey Department of Labor reported that skilled workers will comprise 65 percent of the workforce by the year 2000. Citing information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it was reported that the number of computer engineers and systems analysts alone is expected to grow more than 90 percent by the year 2005.³ There is growth in the number of technical specialty occupations in manufacturing, health, and other industries which are related to the development of new technologies. Yet, women are not prepared to enter these fields at the same rate as their male counterparts.

While some positive changes have been made in the number of women obtaining professional degrees in areas such as law and medicine, there is much less progress in technical fields generally. In Failing at Fairness, Myra and David Sadker cite a 1991 survey by the Council of Chief School Officers which "reported that in first-year physics 60 percent of the students are male. Male enrollment is 70 percent in second-year physics."⁴ The United States Department of Education's National Center for Educational Studies reported that in 1992&endash;93, while more than 60,000 bachelor's degrees in engineering were awarded to men, less than 12,000 were awarded to women. And, women received fewer than 11 percent of the doctoral degrees in engineering awarded in 1992&endash;93. ⁵

The development of new technologies will challenge all members of the workforce to learn and adapt as job duties change in response to these advances. Since this is the course the economy will continue to take, women will be at a great disadvantage. The current low level of interest and participation of females in these technical areas does not bode well for women. Recent studies have established that women were slower to utilize the Internet and slower to become involved in the development of new software and computer systems. The economy of the future will be based on these technological advances and demand a workforce capable of mastering them.

Math, Science and Socialization

As already indicated, projections suggest that a strong background in mathematics, science, and technology will be very important to the future labor force. Girls in school are not obtaining the education in these subject areas they will need to move into the higher-skill jobs of the future. All too frequently they limit themselves to making choices which will lead them into traditionally female dominated occupational areas. Those occupational areas, so much a part of the fabric of the old economy, may not lead to the same level of self-sufficiency as is enjoyed in today's economy.

New Jersey's Statewide Systemic Initiative for Achieving Excellence in Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education (SSI) further recognized that "young women are still underachieving and under involved in these disciplines, as compared to young men." The New Jersey SSI defines equity as "equitable access to high-quality science, mathematics, and technology education and equitable treatment in the classrooms, schools, and post-secondary education institutions for every student." The initiative proposes measuring equity in terms of access to classes in mathematics, science, and technology, participation/enrollment in those classes, and performance.⁶

The Task Force examined the status of women in the workforce as well as their participation in training programs and services. This assessment led to the conclusion that there is a clear relationship between the socialization process of boys and girls, their pursuit of different educational opportunities and the career choices these children would make as they become adults. It is hardly surprising that girls who do not enroll in high school science classes usually do not enroll in college-level science classes or begin careers in science-related fields.

The stereotypic image of "men's work" and "women's work" continues to influence the culture. These images are constantly reinforced by toys, games, computer software, as well as by the media. The pilot project, Family Tools and Technology run by the Center for Family Involvement at Rutgers University, demonstrated the impact of socialization on academic choices. They found in pre-test analysis that boys entering the project reported doing twice as many science activities in school as girls reported.

The role of females and males in society is instilled by the socialization process. That process tends to support the status quo. This phenomenon has been widely discussed by scholars in recent works such as School Girls: Young Women, Self-Esteem, and the Confidence Gap by Peggy Orenstein and Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher. Schools are a major institutional mechanism in the socialization process that defines and maintains behavioral norms. Therefore, schools become a key to real change in society. As schools change so too will the pattern of students' behavior and values. To effectuate such a change will require a clear direction and the presentation of compelling evidence that such a change is desirable.

There is strong evidence that if intervention strategies are pursued, girls can be persuaded to participate in a wide variety of academic subject areas. Such strategies are desirable for reasons of equity and basic fairness, but for three additional reasons as well. First, the economy demands highly skilled workers. Second, it is in the interest of business to have employees with a range of skills. Third, this is a propitious time to raise the gender equity issue as the educational system attempts to reinvent itself to meet the challenge of the next century.

The Role of Public Policy

Given the projections for the workforce of the future, policy makers have begun to see the necessity in joining educational reform to workforce development initiatives. The Task Force sees this trend as necessary to foster a well-trained labor force. But, a skilled, competitive workforce is dependent on the full participation of all potential workers. With educational reform high on the agenda of state and federal policy makers, it is an opportune time to address all issues which affect the learning process. According to Girls in the Middle, the latest report from the American Association of University Women on girls in school:

The overlap between school reform and gender equity is considerable. However, the danger remains that educational reform will continue to paper over issues of gender equity. Rather, gender and other equity issues must be made visible in order for school reform to achieve its ends. Each school's reform agenda must encompass the people, policies, and programs that create equitable educational opportunities and offer the public space to disseminate and debate these.

⁷

To the extent that factors are present in today's classrooms which inhibit some students from pursuing higher level math and science classes, those factors must be eliminated. The attainment of fundamental skills for all students, along with critical thinking and problem-solving skills, is dependent on gender equity as well as equity in other areas. The Gender Equity Task Force attempted to answer three core questions:

* How do we actively ensure excellence for all students?
* How do we act to remove past biases from schools and classrooms?
* How do we instill confidence in teachers and in students about young women's abilities to achieve in mathematics, science, and technology?

Two recent reports also pinpoint the need for technology literacy for all students, emphasizing that each child needs to be "guaranteed participation in an articulated, comprehensive technology education program."⁸ In addition, technology facilities need to be "gender friendly and provide a feeling of comfort and pleasantness to both girls and boys."⁹

Many schools have taken steps to make aspects of education more equitable for girls. Today in New Jersey, a few individual schools and school districts have sent teachers and counselors to training programs such as the nationally recognized Gender/Ethnic Expectations and Student Achievement. They have participated in the National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Project on Inclusive Curriculum and in other positive initiatives.

Despite these efforts, there is still a need for systematic change to make gender equity an integral part of the curriculum and policy in all schools. It is not enough to relegate change to demonstration projects and teacher training efforts that end when an individual leaves the school. These efforts, by definition, are incapable of reaching all New Jersey's teachers, counselors and students with a reform agenda that calls for an equitable education for both girls and boys. Movement on the national and state levels have given many reason to hope for such success.

Gender Equity in National Educational Policies

The United States Department of Education re-issued its mission and goals in 1996, with the second goal being "ensure equity." Objective 6 in that goal states:

Promote federal, state and local efforts that bring about excellence and equity in educational opportunities for all students, to enable them to achieve at higher levels.

This basic approach to educational equity has been followed and reinforced by the appointment of two "expert panels": The Gender Equity Expert Panel, and the Math, Science and Technology Panel. The goal of these panels is to recommend to the Secretary of Education promising and exemplary programs in each field. The panels will compile a list of model working programs to distribute nationally to all schools.

Gender equity was also the topic of one of the department's town meetings, which was broadcast via satellite across the country in December of 1996. The department used this opportunity to show support for gender equity and the importance of equal opportunity and access in the academic achievement of girls.

Gender Equity in New Jersey's Educational Policies

New Jersey's law and code created a mandate to provide a "thorough and efficient" education to all students. It is clearly set forth in New Jersey Administrative Code 6:4-1.1 that the State "guarantee each child in the public schools equal educational opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sex, ancestry, national origin, or social or economic status." New Jersey's process to assure compliance includes requiring school districts to develop a multi-year equity plan which incorporates educational equity, including gender equity, through a self-assessment in school and classroom practices, employment/contract practices, and desegregation issues.

Efforts to fully infuse gender equity into a system as complex as public education may appear overwhelming, yet current reform efforts, such as School-to-Work Opportunities, offer hope that it can be accomplished during the implementation of new initiatives. It is anticipated that initiatives such as School-to-Work, which is supported by the New Jersey Department of Education's Core Curriculum Content Standards and Strategic Plan for Systemic Improvement, will have a dramatic impact on the content and method of education in the future.

According to the Strategic Plan for Systemic Improvement, the purpose of the plan is to serve as a blueprint for the reform of educational policy at the State level and as a baseline for the State improvement plan in accordance with Goals 2000/Educate America Act. A primary goal of the Strategic Plan is to "define student academic achievement through the development of Core Curriculum Content Standards and assessments of what all students, regardless of background or disability, should know and be able to do."¹⁰ Since the initial issuance of the Strategic Plan in June, 1995, Core Curriculum Content Standards have been adopted by the State Board of Education.

The Core Curriculum Content Standards establish five cross-content workplace readiness standards which are to be applied to the seven subject specific standards. The intent of the standards is that all students should be prepared to either enter the workforce or continue their education past high school. It is specifically stated that:

As a pilot state for the federal 'School-to-Work' initiative, New Jersey emphasizes the importance of every student linking school-based learning with a career major and of having both school-based and work-based learning experiences.¹¹

There are several points within both the Strategic Plan and the Core Curriculum Content Standards which highlight the need for gender equity within schools, to wit:

The term 'all students' includes students who are college-bound, career-bound, academically talented, those whose native language is not English, those with disabilities, students with learning deficits, and students from diverse socioeconomic (disadvantaged or advantaged) backgrounds. It conveys a commitment that female and male students will achieve at comparable levels across all areas.¹²

This commitment is fortified through the gender equity provisions of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act as well as the State's winning proposal to the federal government for a School-to-Work implementation grant.

Most of today's laws, regulations, special initiatives and other policy documents provide some opportunity for schools to move in the direction of offering more gender equitable environments. In New Jersey, both the Strategic Plan and the Core Curriculum Content Standards allow for the infusion of gender equity. But, problems have persisted in the face of more enlightened policy making. Although New Jersey has taken steps to put in place requirements and safeguards to insure gender equity, significant barriers remain.

The Gender Equity Task Force acknowledged that, given the difficulties of creating change, clear examples and recommendations were needed in order to better illustrate how change might happen. The Task Force identified a series of barriers to gender equity that still exist and made recommendations for eliminating those barriers. Every barrier faced by girls simply because they are females can be eliminated from schools. All vehicles to remove these barriers should be used to the fullest. Initiatives such as School-to-Work are timely examples of where to begin. The Task Force identified current and potential barriers and recommendations for overcoming those barriers.

II. BARRIERS

Invisibility

Gender, as an important factor in educational achievement, is invisible to most who work to reform and restructure the educational system. As advances are made by some girls and women, the issue becomes lost in the successes of the few. This often causes the need for broad changes in the system to be quickly forgotten as anecdotes become substitutes for systemic reform. Gender equity is too often reduced to a peripheral issue, outside of debates about the "real" problems in education. Current policy documents such as the Core Curriculum Content Standards and the federal School-to-Work Act help to correct this situation by stressing the centrality of success for "all students." The attainment of this goal will require clear, consistent and visible strategies that prevent gender equity from becoming lost in a sea of priorities facing individual schools and districts.¹³

Curriculum

Materials used in classrooms communicate subtle messages to the readers. For instance, if a girl in school is learning about career opportunities or looking at a pamphlet of a new program and she sees pictures which include boys performing skilled tasks -- computer design, carpentry, laboratory work -- while the few pictures of girls portray them as bakers, or seated in a classroom, dressed in uniforms, with a crib in the background, that girl will be delivered a message about her real opportunities.

Both instructional materials and pedagogical practices are subject to bias. While research on instructional materials has shown that efforts have been made by publishers to provide a more balanced view across race and gender in textbooks, the need for further improvement remains. In addition, toys, games and hands-on activities which are used extensively in the elementary classroom, and can be a forerunner to later interests, are frequently marketed according to sex role stereotypes. For instance, in the recent past, children have been presented the opportunity to own Barbie dolls which proclaimed math to be tough. Fortunately, Mattel, the manufacturer of the doll, has responded to public concern by altering that toy. However, forethought and understanding of the messages sent to boys and girls will improve the chances that children will make choices based on interest and ability rather than on sex-role stereotyping.

Classroom Instruction

The research on pedagogical practices shows that teachers respond to boys in the classroom, both in the number of interactions and in the length of time spent during these interactions, which leads to higher order questioning and probing. It has also shown that certain strategies and techniques, such as group work, cooperative learning, and experiential learning benefit both boys and girls. In addition, teacher awareness can significantly change the classroom environment to provide a better balance of attention and instruction between boys and girls.

Since the publication of How Schools Shortchange Girls, a report from the American Association of University Women released in 1992, much attention has been given to the discrepancies of experiences between boys and girls in the classroom. Additional studies have been published by researchers Myra and David Sadker and Peggy Orenstein. Given the heightened attention by the media, this barrier may be one of the better recognized, but that has not necessarily led to widespread action to remedy the problem.

Professional Development

Repeatedly through discussions, public testimony, and research, the Task Force was confronted with the barrier of biased attitudes among those adults who come in contact with students. Staff, counselors, instructors, and others who deal directly with students need training on gender equity, especially in the area of non-traditional career options. The training should extend to issues of pedagogy and its impact on male and female students. As new occupational programs are developed under School-to-Work initiatives and other reform efforts, it is critical that these programs are open to and draw in both boys and girls. If the programs are likely to be seen as associated with "men's work," it becomes even more important that educators and employers are aware of how to diminish such a barrier for young women.

Traditional classroom and counseling practices do not expose or encourage girls to explore non-traditional career options. Girls will often self-select traditional programs for fear of peer pressure, lack of family support, sexual harassment, or already formed beliefs that dictate the limits of their choices. Awareness, accurate knowledge, use of role models and encouragement are key to expanding career options for girls.

Lack of Accurate Data

Documentation and data collection on programs must allow for the detailed analysis of their impact on students. All too often, information is not being collected in a clear systematic manner to allow for adequate monitoring and evaluation. Without proper data, it becomes difficult, if not impossible to truly hold service providers accountable for performance.

Currently, information is not collected in a standard format by all departments and programs. Most agencies collect basic demographic information which includes data on sex, but few analyze the data for equity in program performance or require activities which pertain to gender equity as a condition for funding a given program.

Enforcement

Numerous laws ranging from Title IX of the federal Educational Amendments of 1972 and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act to the state education code require gender equity in the educational process. They also require monitoring and corrective action, or provide remedies if institutions fail to meet the law. However, enforcement of gender equity provisions remains a low priority. Even when laws and regulations are explicit in requiring action by state and local education and training institutions, they are often ignored, or excuses are offered in the face of noncompliance. Understaffing, lack of resources and lack of attention have made the enforcement of gender equity laws and policies almost impossible.

Support Services

There cannot be good programmatic intent or operation in the absence of quality, affordable child care and access to transportation. While many initiatives such as Youth Transitions-to-Work and School-to-Work require local partners to address these issues, the requirements are not often enforced, or even screened as pre-requisites to obtain funding.

As New Jersey implements its strategy in response to welfare reform at the federal level, policy makers will contend with the dilemma of teen parents. And, if School-to-Work is truly to serve all students, the issue of teen parents must be addressed in that realm as well. A sound strategy from both reform initiatives would be to link together to serve this population and give those students the best opportunity possible to overcome the challenges they face and obtain a good education. The provision of child care and transportation will be key to enabling these students to succeed.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment has been a source of controversy in schools as of late. While an understanding of the problem may be growing as the public becomes more aware of its prevalence, sexual harassment continues to diminish the confidence of girls and discourage their participation in school, especially in non-traditional areas where they may be one of only a few females in a class.

Through support from the AAUW, four researchers in New Jersey conducted a survey of 707 students in grades 8 through 12. Their results were surprising and confirmed those found in an earlier AAUW report, Hostile Hallways. The researchers found that 79 percent of those surveyed had experienced sexual harassment at least once -- 87 percent of girls and 77 percent of boys.¹⁴ The study also documented that girls were more likely to be affected by the harassment than boys. They reported that one out of three girls experienced a lowering of her self-confidence as a result of the harassment directed toward her.

Emotional consequences are not the only way that students are affected by sexual harassment, their behavior is altered as well. Students may try to avoid the person who harassed them or stay away from particular places in the school, change seats or stop attending an activity or sport. Girls find the experience intimidating and may retreat from circumstances where harassment is more likely to occur. Unfortunately, those circumstances may arise in the very environments where girls most need to be found, classes which may be better attended by boys.

The consequences of sexual harassment are clear. Not only are girls discouraged from pursuing non-traditional career options, but both boys and girls learn the power dynamics inherent in those situations. Those dynamics inhibit the ability of boys and girls from productively working together in groups and/or teams. The effect goes beyond boys being more vocal or dominant in those situations, but extends to the active suppression of girls' involvement.

At a time when employers are placing more and more value on cooperation and team-building in the workplace, sexual harassment is a barrier to achieving that kind of cooperative environment. Women and men must be able to work in an environment which is free from harassment.

Lack of Funding

Funding for all education and job training programs is currently subject to heated debate in the halls of Congress and in statehouses across the country. Previous emphasis on special programs for populations in need has become, for the most part, passé. However, this trend may be as a result of decreasing resources rather than from a demonstration that the need to serve these "special populations" has been eliminated. In this climate, policy makers focus great attention on channeling the maximum amount of resources into "mainstream" programs and away from other activities which may be considered outside of the fundamentals.

In New Jersey, gender equity programs have enjoyed support from the Department of Education. Even in these times of uncertain funding, the department has pledged to continue supporting programs for single parents, displaced homemakers and gender equity in schools. This support is critical to continue raising awareness of gender equity and the need for equitable policies and programs for success in New Jersey's school reform efforts.

In addition, however, local School-to-Work Partnerships and schools need to build activities into their initiatives in order to ensure that girls and boys will both fully participate. These partnerships are responsible for addressing program components which include those related to non-traditional opportunities for females. They also have the flexibility to use funds for support services, including child care and transportation.

III. RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPROVEMENT MEASURES

The following recommendations correspond to the barriers listed above. The recommendations are directed to State level, county and local agencies that play a role in gender equity as it pertains to the elimination of sex bias and stereotyping, creation of an equitable environment so that all students can achieve and increased access to courses and programs which provide career opportunities in high-wage, high-skill areas.

The implementation of these recommendations at the State level will be coordinated through the Public Sector Planning Committee.

Recommendation #1
Barrier: Invisibility

Invisibility is eliminated when deliberate action is taken to bring about awareness and education of all those involved from policy makers to parents, community members and most importantly to students from early childhood to adults. Through education, awareness and collaborative policy making, current and future school- and work-based learning experiences can be equitable for boys and girls. Students, educators and policy makers should all understand the ramifications of sex-role stereotyping for individuals as well as for the economy at large. The Task Force recommends that:

1.1	The Department of Education, and the Statewide Systemic Initiative (SSI) share their model strategies for increasing the participation, performance, and retention of females in math, science, technology and other non- traditional areas with the Department of Labor, Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) and local School-to-Work Partnerships (including schools, businesses and community based-organizations).
1.2	Local Youth Transitions-to-Work and School-to-Work Partnerships engage in specific activities to encourage the participation of female students, especially in new occupational or apprenticeship areas.
1.3	Curriculum for occupational programs include topics such as how gender role stereotyping has contributed to occupational segregation and wage inequities in the labor market, and the benefits of careers in higher-skilled occupations, including those in the fields of math, science and technology.
1.4	Occupational programs emphasize the benefits of non-traditional employment for women in recruitment materials.
1.5	Occupational programs should identify skills and interests that females possess that are transferrable to non-traditional employment.
1.6	School-to-Work Partnerships utilize existing gender equity programs and resources to assist them in evaluating curriculum materials.
1.7	Workforce Investment Boards review occupational training programs for the inclusion of activities which encourage gender equity.
1.8	WIB membership requirements be changed to include a representative from a local displaced homemaker center or women's employment center funded through PL 1979 c. 125, PL 1985 c. 189, or PL 1987 c. 378 on either the full WIB or a WIB subcommittee.

Recommendation #2
Barrier: Curriculum and Classroom Instruction

Materials presented to students must be free from any bias that may "steer" them into some career paths over others. In addition, materials can be used to overcome past practices of sex-segregated occupational stereotyping by depicting appropriate role models, especially in non-traditional areas. The Task Force recommends that schools and educational initiatives such as School-to-Work, the Statewide Systemic Initiative, and Goals 2000, employ the following strategies:

2.1	Use both female and male non-traditional role models in person and through printed materials and audio-visuals.
2.2	Utilize trainers, service providers and other experts in educational equity to participate as curriculum is developed for new courses and career majors.
2.3	Utilize model programs and initiatives that promote equity to assist students, counselors, teachers, and others to understand the dimensions and necessity of gender equity.
2.4	Incorporate procedures so that future curricula materials and instructional activities are gender fair and that current materials and activities are supplemented to make them more gender fair.
2.5	Review existing curricula, materials and audio-visuals for gender bias and stereotyping.

Recommendation #3
Barrier: Professional Development and Classroom Instruction

Professional development which incorporates an understanding of gender equity, sex role stereotyping, and the ramifications of sexual harassment is essential. Equity awareness should be raised among all those who work directly with students in either school- or work-based settings. The teacher certification codes are scheduled for revision in the near future. The Task Force recommends that the New Jersey Department of Education, during the revision of code, incorporate the following:

3.1	That all administrators and educators in the New Jersey public education system be knowledgeable about gender equity issues including establishing an equitable school climate, practicing gender-fair instructional methods, implementing gender equity laws, infusing gender equity standards into the curriculum, teaching/facilitating for varied learning styles, presenting information about career areas non-traditional for a student's gender, and ensuring access to all educational programs.
The Task Force further recommends that:
3.2	A strategy be developed to assure that coordinators and instructors are encouraged and have the opportunity to attend seminars or workshops on gender equity. A plan should be issued by the Spring of 1998 that will address the use of grants to local areas for this purpose as well as the incorporation of gender equity in interagency training plans including, but not limited to, WIBs, One-Stop, and School-to-Work.
3.3	The Department of Education require that a portion of the set aside of funds for professional development in local school funding be used for teacher in-service programs including sessions on gender equity and the workforce.

Recommendation #4
Barrier: Data Collection

Adequate data collection and accountability are necessary to measure achievement, properly enforce existing laws and regulations, and to provide meaningful technical assistance to those programs which lack the information or expertise to make gender equity a fundamental part of all courses and programs including School-to-Work. The Task Force recommends that:

4.1	Data be collected and reported to the SETC by the departments of Education and Labor and other relevant agencies for all occupational programs involving youth where a Request for Proposals is issued using a format which will provide gender, and gender by age, race, ethnicity, disability, and parental status.
4.2	The New Jersey Department of Education's school report card for the State as well as for each district include:
	4.2a	A statistical breakdown by gender and gender by race and ethnicity for each category reported.
	4.2b	A section on advanced placement courses showing enrollments, retention, and achievement by gender.
4.3	Each Workforce Investment Board, as part of its evaluation function, study the impact of occupational programs on participants according to gender. WIBs should gather information on local occupational training programs, analyze the data for disparities in the participation and training of girls and boys and recommend corrective action to be taken by the school or district.
4.4	The Department of Education monitor local School-to-Work programs for compliance with the federal School-to-Work Act with regard to the provisions for gender equity.
4.5	A statewide work group be formed to monitor implementation of these recommendations and those contained in Leveling the Playing Field as well as other gender equity activities in education, employment and training. This may require legislation and state funding. Results and recommendations for action developed by this work group should be reported to the State Employment and Training Commission, the New Jersey Division on Women, and the departments of Education and Labor.

Recommendation #5
Barrier: Enforcement

Current laws and regulations which mandate gender equity must be enforced by those at the State and local levels. Without enforcement, coupled with the provision of information and resources, there is no incentive for change. The Task Force recommends that gender equity requirements in the following laws be enforced and monitored by the departments of Education and Labor and reported to the State Employment and Training Commission:

5.1	Sex equity provisions in the School-to-Work Opportunities Act.
	The provisions in the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act, P.L. 101-392.
	N.J.A.C. 6:4, Equality in Education.
	Goals 2000.
	Technical Training for Minorities and Women Act.
	Eisenhower Professional Development Act.

It is further recommended that:

5.2	The departments of Education and Labor establish a monitoring schedule for those schools and agencies which have low enrollments in courses and programs which are non-traditional for females and provide technical assistance where necessary.

Recommendation #6
Barrier: Support Services

It is imperative that girls at risk for dropping out of school due to teen parenthood are given every opportunity to pursue occupational/career programs to assist them in moving into the workforce. Provision of supportive services must be an essential part of the strategy to keep these young women in school and on track to move on to further education or into the workforce. The Task Force recommends that:

6.1	The departments of Education, Human Services and Labor develop a strategy to enable teen parents to obtain training in high-skill areas. Training sessions should include provision of child care and transportation.
6.2	The Department of Education encourage local partnerships to utilize grant money for child care and supportive services for teen parents.
6.3	As part of their planning process, especially with regard to welfare-to-work, Workforce Investment Boards must develop an overall strategy to keep teen parents in school or assist them in obtaining employment.
6.4	The Department of Human Services' award-winning School-Based Youth Services program must be expanded to provide the social and other support services young women need while in school.

Recommendation #7
Barrier: Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment has no place in school or work settings. The consequences are far too costly for the current and future workforce. All learning environments should be free from harassment and promote respect. The Task Force recommends that:

7.1	All schools provide information and training for teachers, counselors and students on preventing sexual harassment.
7.2	Schools develop, publish and distribute sexual harassment policies.

Recommendation #8
Barrier: Lack of Funding

Programs and activities to ensure gender equity in education and training must be supported with resources. The Task Force recommends that:

8.1	Existing resources be used to promote gender equity training and technical assistance in districts and among partnerships.
8.2	Through current funding sources or in the event of federal block grants or new federal vocational education legislation, New Jersey should allocate a percentage of its grants to be used for gender equity programs. These funds should be used to support the following kinds of initiatives: * Single parent and displaced homemaker survival skills and high-wage, high-skill non-traditional training programs; * Establish statewide career equity assistance centers focusing on training, marketing and evaluation connected to One-Stop Career Center; * Administer pilot gender equity non-traditional occupational education programs for Work First recipients; and, * Administer pilot gender equity non-traditional career education programs for at-risk youth.

FOOTNOTES

¹ Educational Testing Service, Adult Literacy in America, 1993.

²Institute for Women's Policy Research, The Status of Women in New Jersey, 1996, p. 11.

³USA TODAY, "Tech-No-Women: Why Aren't There More Women in Technology? Problem Begins in School," June 26, 1996, p. D-1.

⁴Sadker, Myra, and David, Failing at Fairness, 1994, pp. 123&endash;124.

⁵ Women: Education and Outcomes, National Center for Educational Studies, US Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, September 1996, pp. 11&endash;19.

⁶ New Jersey Statewide Systemic Initiative: Achieving Excellence in Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education, Equity Indicators - Thrust II, March 1996.

⁷ AAUW Education Foundation, Girls in the Middle: Working to Succeed in School, researched by Research for Action, Inc., 1996, p. 96.

⁸ International Technology Education Association, Technology for All Americans: A Rationale and Structure for the Study of Technology, 1996, p. 13. (As envisioned by the Core Curriculum Content Standards).

⁹ Technology Educators Association of New Jersey, A Framework for the Study of Technology in New Jersey, 1996, p. 40.

¹⁰ New Jersey Department of Education, Strategic Plan for Systemic Improvement of Education in New Jersey, June 1995, p. 2.

¹¹ New Jersey Department of Education, Core Curriculum Content Standards, February 1996, p. iii.

¹² Core Curriculum Content Standards, p. iv.

¹³ The American Association of University Women (AAUW) study, Girls in the Middle, found that while suburban middle schools approached gender issues through explicit policies and programs, urban schools tended to rely on the commitment of individuals to reach out to girls, and rural schools seldom made gender issues explicit through their middle school reforms. The study also pointed out that even conducting research on the issue of gender was enough to prompt discussion within school on gender stereotyping and the cost to students and society at large.

¹⁴ Trigg, Mary, Rebecca Davis, Debra Kirschner, Maria Marolis, Kim Wittenstrom, Sexual Harassment in Schools, NJEA Review, March 1995.

IV. RESOURCES

This report has made reference in several places to the use of existing resources by local schools, School-to-Work Partnerships, Workforce Investment Boards and others in their efforts to promote gender equity. The following list includes several sources for information and training on a wide range of topics.

I. NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:
Ms. Iliana Okum, Director
Office of Bilingual Education and Equity Issues
CN 500
Trenton, NJ 08625-0500
(609) 292-8777 Fax (609) 292-1211

Dr. Patricia A. Mitchell, Gender Equity Coordinator
Office of Bilingual Education and Equity Issues
CN 500
Trenton, NJ 08625-0500
(609) 984-5909 Fax (609) 292-1211

Career Equity Assistance Center for Training
Mary Switzer, Director
The College of New Jersey
Hillwood Lakes CN 4700
Trenton, NJ 08650-4700
(609) 771-2816 Fax (609) 771-3152

Career Equity Assistance Center for Research and Evaluation
Melissa Fallon, Coordinator
Life Skills Center
Montclair State University
Upper Montclair, NJ 07043
(201) 655-7389 Fax (201)655-7085

Career Equity Assistance Center for Marketing & Resources
Dawn Lystad, Coordinator
Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools
618 New Brunswick Avenue
Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
(908) 293-0510 Fax (908) 442-0891

COUNTY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION OFFICERS:

Atlantic County Office
Mr. Allan Moore
6260 Old Harding Highway
Mays Landing, NJ 08330-1599
(609) 625-0004 Fax (609) 625-6539

Bergen County Office
Mr. Angelo Castellano
327 East Ridgewood Avenue
Paramus, NJ 07652
(201) 599-6256 Fax (201) 599-6255

Burlington County Office
Mr. Michael F. Baltish
3 Union Street
P.O. Box 6000
Mount Holly, NJ 08060
(609) 265-5060 Fax (609) 265-5932

Camden County Office
Dr. Leonard H. Berman
6981 North Park Drive, West Bldg.
Pennsauken, NJ 08109
(609) 756-5714 Fax (609) 486-0177

Cape May County Office
Ms. Marsanne M. Reid
Crest Haven Compl.
4 Moore Road

Cape May Court House, NJ 08210-1601
(609) 465-1281 Fax (609) 465-2094

Cumberland County Office
Mr. James L. Shelton
19 Landis Avenue
Bridgeton, NJ 08302
(609) 451-0211 Fax (609) 455-9523

Essex County Office
Ms. Linda Cannady-Balom
155 Fairview Avenue
Cedar Grove, NJ 07009-1398
(201) 857-5700 Fax (201) 239-3492

Gloucester County Office
Ms. Cynthia Johnson
1492 Tanyard Road
Sewell, NJ 08080-4222
(609) 468-6500 Fax (609) 468-9115

Hudson County Office
Ms. Monica M. Tone
595 County Avenue, Bldg. 3
Secaucus, NJ 07094
(201) 319-3850 Fax (201) 319-3650

Hunterdon County Office
Dr. Anthony Dellaira
Library and Administrative Building
Route 12
Flemington, NJ 08822
(908) 788-1414 Fax (908) 788-1457

Mercer County Office
Mr. Edmund Markman
1075 Old Trenton Road
Trenton, NJ 08690
(609) 588-5877 Fax (908) 588-5849

Middlesex County Office
Mr. Robert Manzo
200 Old Matawan Road
Old Bridge, NJ 08857
(908) 390-6013 Fax (908) 390-1688

Monmouth County Office
Ms. Marie Gdula
3435 Highway 9
P.O. Box 1264
Freehold, NJ 07728-1264
(908) 431-7813 Fax (908) 577-0679

Morris County Office
Ms. Doris O. Smith
P.O. Box 900
Morristown, NJ 07963-0900
(201) 285-8320 Fax (201) 285-8341

Ocean County Office
Mr. Barry Ward
212 Washington Street
Toms River, NJ 08753
(908) 929-2078 Fax (908) 244-8242

Passaic County Office
Mr. Leonard Willens
810 Belmont Avenue
North Haledon, NJ 07508
(201) 304-6035 Fax (201) 304-0149

Salem County Office
Mr. Michael R. Elwell
Rd#2, Box 344
Woodstown, NJ 08098
(609) 769-2700 Fax (609) 769-0782

Somerset County Office
Ms. Juanita Faulkner
P.O. Box 3000
Somerville, NJ 08876-1262
(908) 231-7171 Fax (908) 722-6902

Sussex County Office
Ms. Diane Pittenger
18 Church Street
Newton, NJ 07860
(201) 579-6996 Fax (201) 579-6476

Union County Office
Ms. F. Dawn Ciccone
300 North Avenue
Westfield, NJ 07090
(908) 654-9860 Fax (908) 654-9869

Warren County Office
Ms. Maryjane Tanner
537 Oxford Street
Belvidere, NJ 07823
(908) 475-6326 Fax (908) 475-3541

II. INFORMATION RESOURCES

Alice Paul Centennial Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 472
Moorestown, NJ 08057-0472
(609) 231-1885 Fax (609) 231-4223

Attention: Barbara IrvineAmerican Association of University Women-NJ
12 Whittier Drive
Mount Holly, NJ 08060
(609) 261-0255 Fax (609) 267-1888
Attention: Dianne Mills McKay, President

American Council of Education, National Identification Project (ACENIP)
Graduate Studies Office, Memorial Hall
Rowan College of New Jersey
201 Mullica Hill Road
Glassboro, NJ 08028
(609) 863-6213
Attention: Dory Gilchrist, State Coordinator

ASPIRA, Inc., of New Jersey
390 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07104
(201) 484-7554
Attention: Robert Del Rio, Executive Director

Association for Women in Science-NJ
173 Gates Avenue
Gillette, NJ 07933
(201) 898-3452
Attention: Dr. Sheila Pfafflin, President

Center for Family Involvement
Rutgers University, Livingston 4090
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
(908) 445-2071 Fax (908) 445-0027
Attention: Arlene S. Chasek, Director

Center for Women and Work
Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations
Ryders Lane
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
(908) 932-1744
Attention: Dr. Sue Cobble, Director

Center for Women's Global Leadership
27 Clifton Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
(908) 932-8782 Fax (908) 932-8877
Attention: Charlotte Bunch, Director

Consortium for Educational Equity
Rutgers University, Livingston 4090
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
(908) 445-2071 Fax (908) 445-0027
Attention: Rebecca Lubetkin, Executive Director

Douglass Project on Rutgers Women in Math, Science and Engineering
Douglass College
Chemistry Building, 114
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
(908) 932-9197/8975 Fax (908) 932-8877
Attention: Dr. Ellen Mappen, Director

Education Law Center
155 Washington Street
Newark, NJ 07102
(201) 624-1815
Attention: David Sciarra Esq., Executive Director

Equality In Testing Project
79 Telegraph Hill Road
Holmdel, NJ 07733
(908) 264-2230
Attention: Phyllis Rosser

Equity Assistance Center, Resource Center
Rutgers University, Livingston 4090
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
(908) 445-2071 Fax (908) 445-0027
Attention: Marylin A. Hulme, Senior Project Associate

Girl Scout Council for Delaware/Raritan
108 Church Lane
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
(908) 821-9090
Attention: Dianne Donnelly, Executive Director

Institute for Research on Women, Douglass College
27 Clifton Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
(908) 932-9072 Fax (908) 932-1180
Attention: Dr. Marianne De Koven, Director

Institute for Women's Leadership, Douglass College
Woodlawn Carriage House
86 Clifton Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(908) 932-1463 Fax (908) 932-4739
Attention: Dr. Mary Hartman, Director

International Women's Day Celebration
131 Woodbridge Avenue
Metuchen, NJ 08840-2030
(908) 549-5781
Attention: Shelly Jacobs Mintz

National Coalition for Sex Equity in Education (NCSEE)
One Redwood Drive
Clinton, NJ 08809
(908) 735-5045 Fax (908) 735-9674
Attention: Theodora Martin, Business Manager

New Jersey Coalition for Equity in Education and Training
31 Woodland Avenue, Box 123
Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046
(201) 316-0360, (609) 627-1888
Attention: Chris Bennett, Chair

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
Division On Women
101 South Broad Street, CN 801
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 292-8840 Fax (609) 633-6821
Attention: Linda Bowker, Director

New Jersey Division on Civil Rights
383 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08618
(609) 292-4605 1-800-DCR-LAWS

New Jersey Education Association
Women in Education Committee
180 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08607
(609) 599-4561 ext. 2254 Fax (609) 278-0688
Attention: Dr. Mary Lou Armiger, Chair

New Jersey Network for Family Life Education
Rutgers University, 4087 Livingston
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
(908) 932-7929
Attention: Susan Wilson, Executive Coordinator

New Jersey Project on Inclusive Scholarship, Curriculum, and Teaching
William Paterson College
300 Pompton Road
Wayne, NJ 07470
(201) 595-2296 Fax (201) 595-2974
Attention: Dr. Paula Rothenberg, Director

New Jersey State Systemic Initiative for Mathematics and Science Education Reform (NJ/SSI)
Rutgers University, 3870 Busch Campus
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
(908) 445-2241 Fax (908) 445-2848
Attention: Dr. Deborah Cook, Director, or Dr. Gerald Goldin, Principal Investigator

North East Coalition for Educational Leadership (NECEL)
c/o Riverdale Board of Education
52 Newark-Pompton Turnpike
Riverdale, NJ 07457
(201) 839-1304
Attention: Dr. Irene Benfatti

Project RAP (Relationships And Power)
New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women
2620 Whitehorse-Hamilton Square Road
Trenton, NJ 08690
(609) 584-8107 Fax (609) 584-9750
Attention: Barbara Price, Director

U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
75 Park Place, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10007
(212) 637-6330
Attention: Agnes Northern

U.S. Department of Labor
Women's Bureau
201 Varick Street, Room 601
New York City, NY 10014
(212) 337-2389 Fax (212) 337-2390
Attention: Florence Falk-Dickler

WEEA Resource Center
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02158
(800) 225-3088 Fax (617) 332-4318
Attention: Katharine Hanson

Women's Rights Litigation Clinic
Rutgers University, School of Law
15 Washington Street
Newark, NJ 07102
(201) 648-5637
Attention: Dr. Nadine Taub, Director

APPENDICES

A copy of the Appendices for Balancing the Equation, A Report on Gender Equity in Education may be obtained by calling 609-633-0605 or by fax 609-633-1359.