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Helping Girls as They Grow

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Helping Girls as They Grow
Siham
11/14/05 at 09:33:55
Helping Girls as They Grow

It's a well-known fact that girls start out doing better in school than boys. They talk earlier, read easier, get higher grades, and are more likely to be identified as gifted than their male counterparts.

Yet, somewhere between the fifth and ninth grades, girls' progress often comes to a screeching halt. They lose interest in school, take less rigorous classes and espouse lower expectations for themselves and their futures.

Why be alarmed by this trend? Consider these statistics:

* Women are nine times more likely than men to be single parents
* Most families in poverty are headed by women with inadequate education

In a recent study, 95 percent of women who were college graduates reported their lives were going at least fairly well, compared with only 3 percent of the women who did not complete high school

Fortunately parents can play an important role in shaping their daughter's choices. Research shows that girls' achievements have more to do with family and cultural experiences and expectations than with innate, intellectual capacity.

To steer girls toward success, here are suggestions from the Women's College Coalition in Washington, D.C.:

*Avoid rescuing: Allow girls to wrestle with problems and arrive at their own solutions

*Praise competence and skill above appearance: Neatness and attractiveness, beauty should take a back seat to intelligence and drive

*Support effort over outcome

*Boost technological mastery: Provide access to tools, machinery or computers.

*Promote participation in school activities

*Seek involvement in girls-only groups: Research demonstrates that young women excel in the absence of males

*Stress the importance of math, science and technical classes: Such courses teach girls the skills they will need to get high-paying jobs while instructing them in problem-solving.

*Provide role models: Introduce girls to dynamic, successful women.  
11/14/05 at 19:34:50
Siham


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