Researching economist Thomas Dee for my article on his new No Child Left Behind study led me to a fascinating published piece by him a few years back on whether the gender of the teacher influences student performance. In his paper, he states, “My results indicate that learning from a teacher of the opposite gender has a detrimental effect on students’ academic progress and their engagement in school. My best estimate is that it lowers test scores for both boys and girls by approximately 4 percent of a standard deviation and has even larger effects on various measures of student engagement.”
I was particularly interested in Dee’s findings on boys and middle school since I am about to send my twins off to sixth grade. My son has never had a male teacher, and I think he would love it. I am not sure if he will have a male teacher in middle school as most of our teachers are women.
Please read the study for yourself, but I pulled some interesting passages from it:
-For three subject areas–science, social studies, and English-the overall effect of having a woman teacher instead of a man raises the achievement of girls by 4 percent of a standard deviation and lowers the achievement of boys by roughly the same amount, producing an overall gender gap of 8 percent of a standard deviation, no small matter if it can be assumed that this happened over the course of a single year.
-Test-score benefits for girls of having a female teacher are concentrated in social studies. I estimate that a female social-studies teacher increases a girl’s performance by 9 percent of a standard deviation. In contrast, the impact in English is not statistically significant. For boys, the largest effect appears in science.
-Regardless of the academic subject, boys are two to three times more likely than girls to be seen as disruptive, inattentive, and unlikely to complete their homework. However, how boys and girls view academic subjects varies across subjects in ways that parallel the gender gaps in subject test scores. For example, girls are more likely than boys to report that they are afraid to ask questions in math, science, and social studies. They are also less likely to look forward to these classes or to see them as useful for their future. Meanwhile, boys, as compared to girls, register more negative perceptions of English classes.
-Furthermore, when taught by a man, girls were more likely to report that they did not look forward to a subject, that it was not useful for their future, or that they were afraid to ask questions. This dynamic is strongest in science, where student reports indicate that female science teachers are far more effective in promoting girls’ engagement with this field of study. The estimated effects in the other two subjects pointed in the same direction but were statistically insignificant when examined separately.
Boys also had fewer positive reactions to their academic subject when taught by an opposite-gender teacher. In particular, when taught by a female teacher, boys were significantly more likely to report that they did not look forward to the subject. This effect appears to have been particularly pronounced when the female teacher was in history.
Results in math differ strikingly from those in the other subject areas, but I place little weight on the findings in this area for reasons that require explanation. My initial analysis showed that both boys and girls suffered if they had a woman teacher. Both girls and boys scored 7 percent and 8 percent of a standard deviation lower, respectively, than if they had a man. But before rushing to the conclusion that math is a subject uniquely suited for male instruction, one needs to take into account other possible explanations.
I can rule out some obvious candidates. There is no evidence, for example, that female math teachers were given larger classes or were less likely to hold the proper subject-specific qualifications, such as proper state certification or a subject-specific degree at either the undergraduate or graduate level.
But I was concerned about the likelihood that women teachers are assigned the less-promising math students. Administrators may think that women are better equipped to handle more difficult students or that men are better able to challenge the bright ones. If so, then it could appear that students benefit less from women teachers simply because they are given the lower-achieving ones in the first place.
To check this out, I estimated the effect of having a female math teacher on students’ science scores. This can be ascertained because students were tested in all four subjects, although only two of their teachers were surveyed. The reasoning behind this admittedly indirect test is that the gender of a student’s math teacher should have relatively small effects on performance in science class taught by another teacher, especially in 8th grade, when science instruction usually does not have a significant mathematical component. If a student with a female math teacher also scores poorly in science, that would be a sign of a lower-performing student overall, not evidence that the gender of the teacher in the math class is having a negative impact.
And that is precisely what I found. The apparent impact of having a female math teacher on a girl’s performance in science was a negative 4 percent of a standard deviation, a fairly large effect (though one that was only weakly significant from a statistical point of view). In fact, the apparent impact on science performance was two-thirds the size of the effect on math performance. That suggests that any estimates of the effect of teacher gender on girls’ math achievement may well be biased by the fact that women are more likely to be assigned to lower-performing math students.
–Adverse gender effects have an impact on both boys and girls, but that effect falls more heavily on the male half of the population in middle school, simply because most middle-school teachers are female. My estimates suggest that, if half of the English teachers in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades were male and their effects on learning were additive, the achievement gap in reading would fall by approximately a third by the end of middle school. Similarly, these results suggest that part of boys’ relative propensity to be seen as disruptive in these grades is due to the gender interactions resulting from the preponderance of female teachers.
–Unfortunately, in a coeducational setting, some of this gap closing would take place at the expense of the opposite gender, an outcome few would embrace. No one wants to see girls do worse in reading, or boys fare worse in science.
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71 comments Add your comment
Quint
May 20th, 2010
1:05 pm
What about female coaches? Did you have a point?
Sunny Daze
May 20th, 2010
1:10 pm
Not so much any more. When I was a kid I dreaded having male teachers because they could paddle harder. You don’t hear of paddling much anymore so it’s a wash.
Proud Black Man
May 20th, 2010
1:12 pm
Not only does gender matter but race does as well. For too long I have seen white teachers start out in our, title 1, district only to leave for “whiter’ schools once they have built up a couple of years teaching. Only the teachers of color stick with it because they can relate to the kids and vice versa. Tony Brown IS right:
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Lies-White-Truth-According/dp/0688151310
sees the future
May 20th, 2010
1:19 pm
Quint:
I agree. They OUGHT to be, but for the most part, in my experience, they are not. All the coaches at my kids highschool (and now that I think of it, at mine years ago) are big fat lazy slobs who guffaw and strut around and slap kids on the back and do nothing in the classroom but waste time. Because THEY ARE NOT THERE TO TEACH. Anytime one of my kids tells me their teacher in a new semester is Coach Somebody, I know its just going to be a big waste of time.
OUGHT TO BE–what a laugh!
Dan
May 20th, 2010
1:24 pm
Clearly there are different answers depending on the grade. In elementary I don’t think it makes much difference indeed I believe as a rule women are more empathetic with children and therefore may be better suited, as you move from middle to high school things may change, however part of learning is dealing with different people whether it be race gender background. learning to do that means you are better prepared to enter the real world
Teacher
May 20th, 2010
1:33 pm
You may as well prepare to hear “my teacher is coach such in such” more frequently since that is the only type of teacher schools can afford to hire anymore. If you aren’t willing to do more than teach, you aren’t hired.
Analyst
May 20th, 2010
1:33 pm
Gender does not make a difference what so ever. However, religious orientation does appear to have a big factor with teacher/student relationships.
Brian in Athens
May 20th, 2010
1:37 pm
This is all very interesting but imagine the outcome if taken to the full completion. School A has decided to group all boys with male teachers and girls with female teachers, no problem there. Would remove a lot of distractions, especially in middle school. However, a teacher retires and there is now an opening. The principal is now interviewing for a “male” teacher position. So that they can fill the spot. How many different laws does that break?
Observer
May 20th, 2010
1:49 pm
What about preparing students for life beyond school? They’re not going to get to choose the gender of their boss. Bottom line, students need to learn how to be successful regardless of the gender, race, intelligence (or lack thereof), etc. of the person who is teaching/supervising them.
sees the future
May 20th, 2010
2:01 pm
“You may as well prepare to hear “my teacher is coach such in such” more frequently since that is the only type of teacher schools can afford to hire anymore. If you aren’t willing to do more than teach, you aren’t hired.”
Sadly, that is true. And that is just one more example of how the education system we have created has little connection to the outcomes parents are seeking. I want my children to have excellent teachers who want to teach their subject area (I’m talking middle and high school). I don’t need or want my child’s math teacher to be willing to coach. In fact, I don’t want him or her to coach. I want his focus to be on teaching math–I want his planning time to be spent planning math–not planning the rides for the evenings sports activity, or painting the stripes on the field, or having a meeting with the other coaches about anything to do with sports.
Sadly, what I am going to get is the last few people willing to work in a profession that pays little, expects too much, and gets no respect from above or below. Everybody loses.
I’m sorry for that. I’ve seen the schools in California where the budgets have been cut in to the bone for years now. Trust me on this, GA hasn’t even begun to make the budget cuts that are possible in a public school. Imagine a middle school with no cafeteria, no counselors, no nurses, no media specialists, no teacher assistants, no sports, no art, no music, no band, and not even grass on the fields or in the front because there is no money to pay to have it cut–just dirt is all that was in the budget.
The people willing to teach in that environment are also paid so little they qualify for welfare and food stamps. That’s the future of Georgia and you can view it today in the East Bay of San Francisco.
The Business
May 20th, 2010
2:08 pm
If the same income bracket, same race, and same sex was elected then an incumbent was elected.
Over It
May 20th, 2010
2:11 pm
The worst is actually when schools use the available special ed spots to hire coaches for the big sports like football, baseball and basketball. The “co-teachers” sit in the back of the room and plan the evenings practice, booster meeting agenda or game plan rather than effectively collaborating to help our special needs students succeed. This is a bad situation for all involved because it ends up making the “real” teacher’s job harder and frustrates the kids in the room.
ChristieS.
May 20th, 2010
2:34 pm
Morrus, for the love of G*d, PLEASE stop spamming every thread with this exact comment. We get it, we should throw all the bums out.
ChristieS.
May 20th, 2010
2:40 pm
V, got a website for your possible run?
I’d be interested in hearing your ideas. I’ve long thought public service positions needed to be non-partisan and non-ideological.
V for Vendetta
May 20th, 2010
2:46 pm
Analyst,
Religious orientation? How do you figure? As an atheist, I could care less about my students’ respective religions. In fact, I would argue that it makes them even MORE equal in my eyes. Their beliefs are their beliefs, and I leave it up to them to make decisions in that area. I came to my viewpoint without the assistance of anyone else; I respect their right to do the same. I rarely mention religion at all unless it is the focus of what we’re studying. (Example: In world literature, students study stories from the Bible, Torah, and Koran.)
However, though I don’t engage in theological discussions in class, I do put a stop to ignorance and hatred whenever I hear it. (Example: In a discussion about racism, a student once told me that hating people based on color was unacceptable; however, hating people based on sexual orientation was alright. I told him it was not. He responded that that was what he had learned at church. When I said it was wrong, he asked if I was saying his pastor was wrong. I told him I was and that his pastor sounded like an ignorant fool who had no problem encouraging his “flock” to hate people for no reason. Perhaps a bit harsh, but it is a topic that burns me up inside.)
V for Vendetta
May 20th, 2010
2:48 pm
Christie S,
Alas, I think the deadline has passed, hasn’t it? But I agree, I think we nee more independents who are non-party and non-ideology.
AJC truth checker
May 20th, 2010
3:11 pm
“I told him I was and that his pastor sounded like an ignorant fool who had no problem encouraging his “flock” to hate people for no reason.”
And you still have a job? My our cojones get big on the internet don’t they?
Old School
May 21st, 2010
6:17 am
At the end of my first year teaching Industrial Arts (shop class to those who don’t remember), I asked my classes what they thought about having a female shop teacher. One boy pondered that a moment and then answered, “I guess that would be alright.”
I think how a girl or boy react to any teacher or subject area depends a great deal on the passion, enthusiasm, depth of understanding, and teaching skill the teacher or instructor brings to the classroom. I have had maybe a handful of students who totally refused to make an effort to learn in my classes. Most of those who pretty much dared me to teach them anything found themselves drawn in by the enthusiasm of the majority.
We have to have the freedom and the imagination to abruptly change directions and seize those proverbial “teachable moments.” Take the time a few years back that I used an ancient projector and filmstrips from 1956 to introduce orthographic projection. Even my advanced students were participating. Or the games my students created many years ago that we still play: The Orthographic Game and The Pro-Am Estimation Game. All spur of the moment and all hugely successful time and time again. There’s Beatcher Teacher where the students challenge me to a race to complete a drawing of their choice. I sometimes lose.
I know it is my time to retire and I do so knowing I gave my very best and demanded the very best and GOT the very best from my students and still managed to cover most of the QCCs and/or Standards. Did I do it in the party line/scripted/lockstep research based methods forced on me? Not hardly. It’s not in my nature. Regrets? Only that I still never quite reached those few who were determined to rebuff my efforts and make no effort themselves.
H.S teacher
May 22nd, 2010
12:20 am
I find that the women teachers (at least the ones I work with) have more discipline problems because they are too emotional, get angry too fast BUT support the children more in a maternal sense which some kids need. Men teachers are more strict but not liked as much as female teachers because men can be mean. Just my 2 cents.
H.S teacher
May 22nd, 2010
12:29 am
Maureen,
I want to thank you for all the work you put into these wonderful articles and blogs, and providing us a voice on here. I am thankful to have this forum to vent, learn from others (whether I agree or not) , and to communicate with the community.
Bloggers: Please continue to be blunt, always tell us what is on your mind and do not be afraid of political correctness. Not everyone will agree with each other and that is wonderful! I do not want to live in a world where we all agree on one thing. (but a balance would be nice)
Educators: Support each other. Some are tired and frustrated, and some are content and happy. If you see someone in your building having a bad day, take the time to talk to them and hugs (as corny as this sounds) can have a positive impact.
In my own little corner of the world, I am starting to see “survival of the fittest” and “every man for himself” especially in this dark economy. We are all fragile and need to have hope for the future. Everything will be ok and you are appreciated!
H.S. teacher
May 22nd, 2010
2:13 am
Correction: I thought more carefully and realized that both men and women teachers can be equally strict, but biologically men tend to be larger than women and students would be more intimidated by a large male rather than a frail looking female. It sounds like a generalization of the genders but please tell me what you think?