Equity Begins with Recognizing Diversity

Equity Begins with Recognizing Diversity Chris Stephenson University of Toronto

Defining the Terms Fairness • I get what I want/need. Justice • Good people get rewarded and bad people get punished Equity • Everyone gets what they need to achieve their full potential

Chris’ List of Scary Words • Class/ Socioeconomic status • Ethnicity/Race • Gender • Physical abilities/attributes • Religion/Faith/Culture

Chris’ Key Concepts Privilege • perks we take for granted Prejudice • lies we are taught to believe Preconceptions • programs we run in our heads which may have no connection to reality

What I Will Cover Today Ideas I’ve collected over 16 years of research on technological equity as it relates to: • disability • race/ethnicity • class/socioeconomic status • gender

The Science Problem “ If you are going to be a woman scientist, you either have to change how you see science or how you see yourself” Suzanne K. Damarin The Ohio State University

The Media Message • All scientists are crazy, or weird, or both: • the Unabomber • Rain Man • Dr. Frankenstein • Its in the genes. • Its about torturing small animals.

Defining the Problem “ We are witnessing the fracturing of the democratic institutions that hold us together. The possibility for an information underclass is growing.” The Benton Foundation Report

The Costs of Inequity The creation of groups of technological have’s and have not’s will have enormous negative ramifications. • Economic • Social • Moral

People Without Jobs • 60% of all jobs..require technology skills • 75% of all transactions between individuals and government ..take place electronically. People without technology skills or access to electronic communication will be at considerable disadvantage.” Goslee, 1998

Jobs Without People IT employs more people and creates more jobs than traditional industries combined. • 71% of large and mid-sized companies report that demands exceed skilled workers • 1 job waiting to be filled for every 10 • computer programming is expected to grow by 21 to 35% over the next 10 years

The Underrepresented • 81% are white • 10% are Asian American • 6% are African American • 3% are Hispanic • <1% are Native North American 720,000 women work in the IT industry. They represent 30% of its labour force.

Emotional Cost Inequities of access and use among segments of the population lead to: • disenfranchisement • disillusion • disintegration of the social fabric

Examining the Inequities

Consider the “ability” and Not the ‘dis’ “ I don’t want to be viewed as ‘normal,’, but, rather as gifted and unique. Everyone lacks some ability. We are all gifted and unique in our own way.” DO • IT News Vol. 8, No.2

Defining Disability The term “disability” itself is problematic. • educational • medical/rehabilitative • social • cultural

Disability vs Culture Many Deaf people reject the entire idea of disability in favour of self-defining as part of Deaf Culture. • a common history • a visual orientation to the world • a unique language (ASL)

Disability in Education Traditional views of disability are expanding in education to include auditory, visual, and behavioral learning disabilities. • Greater likelihood that students will be integrated into regular classrooms. • Schools are providing new levels of assisted learning.

Disability in Education Students with disabilities take fewer science and math courses. Overall they: • have lower grade and achievement scores, • are underrepresented among those with degrees, • are underrepresented in the workplace.

Breaking the Pattern “If we can provide all students with true equity of access, we can break that cycle of the haves and the have nots. The cycle of welfare..is not an entrenched society but a pervasive society. If we can break that pervasive society, we’ve got it made.” Sharon McCoy Bell

Race/Ethnicity Factors • 32.9% of African American students own a home computer compared to 73% of white students • 9% of African Americans are likely to use the Web at home compared to 14% of white Americans • 2.8% of African Americans are likely to purchase a home computer compared to 10% of white Americans

High School Computing In 1999 11,793 students took the AP Computer Science “AB” exam • 9% women compared to 91% men • 65% were white • 22% were Asian American • 5% were African American • 5% were Hispanic • 3% were “other”

Socioeconomic Factors • 20% of students from households earning less than $30,000 per year have a home computer compared to 80% in homes with incomes higher than $75,000 • 43.5% of families on public assistance do not have telephones • 50% of female-headed households living in poverty do not have phones

It is Where You Come From Students in areas with a large portion of poor and minority students are much less likely to have technology access.

Gender Factors “ Women working in science and technology are doubly marked, doubly silenced, and doubly denied.” Suzanne K. Damarin The Ohio State University

The Generation Between High school girls are a generation caught in the middle: • more career options and expectations, • more access to technology, • still subject to enormous peer and social pressure concerning difference, • less comfortable with technology than elementary students.

Lies We Tell Our Daughters • Girls are different. • Girls aren’t different. • Science is neutral. • Its okay to be smart and a girl. • Life is fair. • There are no limitations. • Having a career doesn’t mean sacrificing your personal life.

What They Ask Themselves • How come I feel different? • Why is science/technology boring? • If they know I’m smart will they like me? • Are there going to be any jobs left for me? • How come my Mom still does most of the housework as well as her full time job?

What We Know For Sure Virtually every study on gender equity and technology in education concludes that male and female students are treated differently: • males receive more attention, • males receive more praise, • males have greater access to resources, • males are encouraged to pursue a greater variety of careers.

What Really Works The only thing that seems to guarantee gender equity and success in science and technology is single-sex education where girls do not have to compete for: • resources, • attention, • encouragement.

Thanks for Nothing! Given that the majority of young people are in heterogeneous, multiracial, multiethnic, integrated, coeducational academic settings, what can we do???

Finding Solutions Reality checks and attitude adjustments.

Start by Admitting There is a Difference • Encourage young people in computing to express and explore ways in which they feel different. • Organize around difference to make it easier for them to own it. • Encourage them to begin building support groups that will help support and sustain them.

Never Expect Less Of your students • encourage high expectations • give them tools, not excuses Of yourself • always be aware of your own programs • don’t forget, you can’t fix everything but every day you make a BIG difference

Specific Suggestions • Group specific activities/access • Role models • Support groups • Management skills • Resources

Role Models • Model equity in your classroom. • On-line mentoring programs. • Classroom speakers. Try to avoid token over-achievers who scare young people into thinking they could never be the perfect rocket scientist, spouse, parent....

Just for Us • Classes • Project groups • Lab time • Mentoring • Career Counseling

Celebrating Your Inner Nerd • Technology clubs • Pocket protector day • Don’t comb your hair day • Short pants day

Skills Training • Time management • Presentation skills • Stress management • Resume/interview preparation

Resources • Get the Guidance people on track. • Explore mass media. • Get a good guide to careers in computing. • Novels like Microserfs and 82 Desire. • Find good technology websites.

Why You Are So Important • Ask any child who their heroes are. • Now ask any successful adult. “L’education nous faisait ce que nous sommes” Helvetius

Equity Begins with Recognizing Diversity