Comments on: For the Ladies (All 105 of Them) http://www.showmedaily.org/2008/07/for-the-ladies.html Advancing liberty with responsibility by promoting market solutions for Missouri public policy Tue, 22 May 2012 19:02:29 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Audrey Spalding http://www.showmedaily.org/2008/07/for-the-ladies.html/comment-page-1#comment-462 Audrey Spalding Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:34:29 +0000 http://www.showmedaily.org/?p=1120#comment-462 Susan, thanks for the insight. Believe it or not, you're not the first person to bring up that question -- that male superintendents seem to be former coaches or somehow involved in athletics. Definitely interesting if it's true. This paper explored some of the pay differences between male and female superintendents: http://teep.tamu.edu/reports/report012.pdf Specifically: when a new superintendent replaces an old one, he or she is paid about 2.63 percent less than the previous one. When a male is hired to replace a female superintendent, salary remains about the same. When a female is hired to replace a male superintendent, salary drops about 7.5 percent. (all of these numbers are on page 12 of the paper) Susan, thanks for the insight.

Believe it or not, you’re not the first person to bring up that question — that male superintendents seem to be former coaches or somehow involved in athletics. Definitely interesting if it’s true.

This paper explored some of the pay differences between male and female superintendents:
http://teep.tamu.edu/reports/report012.pdf

Specifically: when a new superintendent replaces an old one, he or she is paid about 2.63 percent less than the previous one.

When a male is hired to replace a female superintendent, salary remains about the same.

When a female is hired to replace a male superintendent, salary drops about 7.5 percent. (all of these numbers are on page 12 of the paper)

]]> By: susan http://www.showmedaily.org/2008/07/for-the-ladies.html/comment-page-1#comment-460 susan Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:14:24 +0000 http://www.showmedaily.org/?p=1120#comment-460 You might also check which career track the superintendents followed to get to the position of superintendent.It seems as if most of the male superintendents were coaches or involved in athletics. [I recently ran across an e-mail written by a rural superintendent to a parent that was shocking in its illiteracy. Surely educators, even coaches, must be held to some standard in the written word before they are awarded an ed.D.] You might also check which career track the superintendents followed to get to the position of superintendent.It seems as if most of the male superintendents were coaches or involved in athletics.
[I recently ran across an e-mail written by a rural superintendent to a parent that was shocking in its illiteracy. Surely educators, even coaches, must be held to some standard in the written word before they are awarded an ed.D.]

]]> By: Audrey Spalding http://www.showmedaily.org/2008/07/for-the-ladies.html/comment-page-1#comment-429 Audrey Spalding Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:25:41 +0000 http://www.showmedaily.org/?p=1120#comment-429 Jim, Thank you for your comment. Your point, that there are few male teachers, is well taken. However, I don't see the lack of men in the teaching profession as evidence of across-the-board discrimination. Sure, sometimes there are suspicions of men as potential predators. And yes, there should be greater encouragement of men to enter teaching. But is it discrimination, or are men just choosing better-paying jobs? As you stated, there are so many women in a field that draws on teachers for superintendents that it just makes it more surprising that there are fewer female ones. Jim,

Thank you for your comment. Your point, that there are few male teachers, is well taken.

However, I don’t see the lack of men in the teaching profession as evidence of across-the-board discrimination. Sure, sometimes there are suspicions of men as potential predators. And yes, there should be greater encouragement of men to enter teaching. But is it discrimination, or are men just choosing better-paying jobs?

As you stated, there are so many women in a field that draws on teachers for superintendents that it just makes it more surprising that there are fewer female ones.

]]> By: Jim Durbin http://www.showmedaily.org/2008/07/for-the-ladies.html/comment-page-1#comment-425 Jim Durbin Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:19:44 +0000 http://www.showmedaily.org/?p=1120#comment-425 Audrey, "An NEA survey shows that the number of male public school teachers now stands at a 40-year low. After two decades of decline, just 21 percent of the nation's 3 million teachers are men. Male elementary school teachers are even more scarce. According to NEA’s research report, Status of the American Public School Teacher, the percentage of male elementary teachers has fallen from an all-time high of 18 percent in 1981 to an all-time low of 9 percent today. And while men represented half of secondary teachers in 1986, today they make up 35 percent." Clearly, the problem is not enough female superintendents. An educational system that treats male teachers as potential predators and fails to educate young men at the same level as young women definitely needs some work on it discriminatory attitudes and policies - but are you tilting at the right windmill? Audrey,

“An NEA survey shows that the number of male public school teachers now stands at a 40-year low. After two decades of decline, just 21 percent of the nation’s 3 million teachers are men. Male elementary school teachers are even more scarce. According to NEA’s research report, Status of the American Public School Teacher, the percentage of male elementary teachers has fallen from an all-time high of 18 percent in 1981 to an all-time low of 9 percent today. And while men represented half of secondary teachers in 1986, today they make up 35 percent.”

Clearly, the problem is not enough female superintendents. An educational system that treats male teachers as potential predators and fails to educate young men at the same level as young women definitely needs some work on it discriminatory attitudes and policies – but are you tilting at the right windmill?

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