Petition New York State to set an example and teach about more women in high school!

The Problem: New York State's High School history curricula, like most around the nation, includes little to no information about women. As of the 2017/2018 school year, there are a total of 10 references to women and gender in New York State’s High School Social Studies Curriculum:

In eight out of these 10 cases “women” appears on a list with other groups following phrases like “diverse groups” and “such as” or “including.” Here are all the references to women for the entire four years:

1. Once in the 9th Grade Global History Sequence (“Shifting roles of men and women” in the Neolithic Revolution)
2. Twice in 10th Grade Global History Sequence (part of lists during the study of the Enlightenment and, later, imperialism)
3. Seven times in the 11th Grade US History sequence (Role in Revolutionary War, Early 19th C, Reconstruction, World War I, the 1920’s, World War II, and finally the Second Wave Feminist movement). But, as of 2017, only 1% of the questions on the US History Regents Examination address women at all.
4. Zero times in the 12 Grade courses on Participation in Government and Civics and Economics, the Enterprise System, and Finance

The Solution: Teach about women by putting women on the curriculum and making resources for teaching about women and gender readily available.

1. Re-write the NYS Social Studies Standards, grades 9-12 to include rich material that addresses women’s experience, the accomplishments of individual women and questions of gender throughout the year.
2. Add a criterion under Social Studies Practices, grades 9-12 – Civic Practices that includes “developing awareness of gender equity and its complex history.”
3. Add “Read for underlying gender, racial or other biases” to the NYS Common Core Standards for English Language Arts, grades 6-12 under “Key Ideas and Details.”
4. Hold workshops and build an online database to give teachers the tools and skills they need to use gender-inclusive materials and practices with their students.  

About Teach About Women

Our Mission: To bring intersectional feminist and gender-inclusive practices and resources into K-12 classrooms

We  harness the passion of educators and supporters to fight to

Change Policy: Petition for change and rewrite educational policy and learning standards to include rich and intersectional material on women and gender.

Change Classrooms: Build online databases, offer workshops, and form working groups to give educators the resources and practices they need to teach about women and the complex, intersectional history of gender roles.

Build Communities: Cultivate supportive networks through strategic partnerships, social media, and events that encourage collaboration to make classrooms equitable and empowering places for all students.

To learn more, contact Georgina Emerson at georgina@teachaboutwomen.org

Instagram: @TeachAboutWomen

Hashtag: #teachaboutwomen 

Website: www.TeachAboutWomen.org