Diversity & Inclusion

Programs to encourage greater diversity and inclusion, particularly in the leadership of educational institutions, are a central focus of NCRW’s work. We view affirmative action as an important component of efforts to level the playing field in all aspects of education – from access, to quality education, to teaching, tenure and administration. We have led important initiatives such as the Diversity in Higher Education Summit in 2006 and Ford Foundation-funded projects for diversifying the leadership of our member centers. Diversity and inclusion will continue to be overarching values that are central to our work and programs.

NATIONAL PARENTS' DAY FORUM: Reclaiming Diversity

Submitted by jonathan on Tue, 07/06/2010 - 1:08pm

July 27, 2009 posted by Kyla Bender-Baird

As I began collecting background research for National Parent’s Day and the vast diversity of families in the United States, I kept running across amazing articles and resources–too many to use for just one post. So here you are: a round-up of interesting programs, articles, and very cool maps–all in the interest of reclaiming National Parent’s Day.

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NATIONAL PARENTS' DAY FORUM: Pregnant in a recession

Submitted by jonathan on Tue, 07/06/2010 - 1:08pm

July 27, 2009 posted by Deborah Siegel*

Last weekend, my partner Marco and I took a childbirth class at the Manhattan hospital where I’ll be giving birth this fall. I found it very moving that of this random gathering of six couples, two of them were gay. Many of us were over 35 to boot, and we had all walked complex paths in order to be in that room.

As someone in the process of creating a new family, I think a lot about its definition these days. To me, family is wherever there is love, and the desire to hold and nurture another soul. To me, it’s as simple as that.

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NATIONAL PARENTS' DAY FORUM: Observing National Parents’ Day by Enabling All Families to Thrive

Submitted by jonathan on Tue, 07/06/2010 - 1:02pm

July 29, 2009 posted by Linda Basch
Last Sunday marked the 15^th annual observance of National Parents’ Day, a holiday established to “uplift ideal parental role models.” Originally introduced into Congress by Senator Trent Lott, in 1994, then-President Bill Clinton formally established the fourth Sunday of July as National Parents’ Day. Generally, this holiday is used to promote the image of two-parent, “traditional” families.

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In Pakistan, Islamic schools for women thrive

Teaser:

Seattle Times: The Al-Huda chain of Islamic schools across Pakistan is growing rapidly and gaining popularity among the many women who attend classes there. It was started by a woman and offers structured curriculum to its many students. However, critics complain that Al-Huda is silent on subjects such as violence against women, attacks on non-Muslims or Islamist terrorism wrecking the country.

Editorial:

"The Al-Huda chain of Islamic schools across Pakistan was founded by Farhat Hashmi in her home with a small group of students in the early 1990s. Now it caters to women and girls in Pakistan and in elsewhere, including the U.S. and Canada, where Hashmi now lives. Al-Huda is distinct in several ways from other groups in Pakistan offering classes on Islam.

It offers a structured curriculum and a range of programs, a strong brand name and administration, and it was conceived and run by women from the start, instead of being a branch of a male-dominated institution. At its main campus in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, women wearing uniforms of head scarves and long robes sit in rows and take notes as teachers lead lessons on the meaning of the Quran. Children scamper through the multistory facility. There's a library, concession stands, a range of pamphlets, books and audiotapes and even an 80-year-old member who acts as a therapist of sorts. Women can sign up for full-fledged diploma courses, taught in Urdu and English, or they can be "listeners," just stopping by now and then. Schedules are flexible to attract working women, housewives and the young. Students can live on campus, and a bigger facility is being built on the edge of Islamabad.

Source:

The Seattle Times

URL:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2012214291_apaspakistanislamforwomen.html?syndication=rss

Date:

June 26, 2010

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Left Behind? Actually, More Boys Take 'Gifted' Test

Teaser:

WeNews: "News stories abound about girls suddenly outperforming boys in the very early grades, obscuring the fact that increasingly more boys than girls are taking "gifted" tests. Either way, Rosalind C. Barnett and Caryl Rivers say kids are getting tested too young."

Editorial:

"It's a major recurring narrative in the news media: Girls are succeeding, boys are failing. Civilization as we know it is coming to an end. The most recent evidence is a May 31 New York Times story headlined "Gender Gap for the Gifted," reporting that young girls are outnumbering young boys in gifted programs in New York City.

What tends to get less noticed is a gender testing gap, in which more boys than girls at any age are being brought for testing by their parents, an inequity that the Gifted Development Center in Denver says is getting worse. It finds that between 1979 and 1989, 57 percent of the children brought for testing were male and 43 percent were female. In 2008, 68 percent were male and only 32 percent female.

Janet Hyde of the University of Wisconsin, a nationally known expert on children's math and verbal achievement, says it doesn't make sense to test kids as young as 5 or 6 for giftedness. Results of early testing, she has said, are so unstable as to be relatively meaningless for predicting the future."

Source:

Women's eNews

URL:

http://www.womensenews.org/story/education/100614/left-behind-actually-more-boys-take-gifted-test

Date:

June 16, 2010

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Associated Issues & Expertise:

National Security Strategy Vows to Support Rights of Women and Girls

Teaser:

From Ms. Magazine: The Obama administration recently released a report from the National Security Strategy that prioritized supporting the rights of women and girls. The document also states that it will support the "the human rights of all of Afghanistan's people," including women and girls and also plans to "invest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and career opportunities for women and girls as well as other underrepresented groups."

Source:

Ms. Magazine

URL:

http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=12421

Date:

May 31, 2010

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Associated Issues & Expertise:

Obama hails Height as humble force for equality

Submitted by jmumbey on Thu, 04/29/2010 - 4:36pm

By BRETT ZONGKER and JULIE PACE, Associated Press Writer Brett Zongker And Julie Pace, Associated Press Writer – Thu Apr 29, 12:24 pm ET

Civil Rights Legend Dorothy Height Passes

Submitted by jmumbey on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 10:25am

WASHINGTON (April 20) – Dorothy Irene Height, long-time civil rights activist, chair and president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and "godmother of the women's movement," died of natural causes 3:41 a.m. Tuesday, April 20, at Howard University Hospital, 27 days after her 98th birthday.

First Lady Michelle Obama to Serve as National Honorary Chair of Girls Inc. Board of Directors

Submitted by jmumbey on Tue, 04/20/2010 - 11:06am

Member Organization:

Ms. Foundation for Women

NEW YORK, NY (March 24, 2010) - Girls Incorporated, the nonprofit organization that inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold and the oldest girl-centered organization in the United States, is delighted to announce that First Lady Michelle Obama has agreed to serve as the organization's Honorary Board Chair.

In this role, Mrs. Obama will lend her support to the ongoing work of Girls Inc., particularly around creating opportunities and resources for girls to learn and grow, to navigate the unique challenges they face growing up, and to discover their potential as leaders with the courage and vision to change the world.

Computer Engineer Barbie and the Role of Women in Tech

Teaser:

Twenty years ago, women were awarded twice as many computer science degrees as they were in 2008. Of course, there are more fields open to women today. But that only explains part of the reason this well-paid, fast-growing field is losing women.

“Though we can’t be certain of the cause of the decline, research suggests several likely possibilities,” says Catherine Ashcraft, senior research scientist at the National Center for Women & Information Technology at the University of Colorado. “Many of these are related to the image of computer science and the lack of female role models and mentors. Girls get subtle messages from all sorts of places — the media, popular culture, parents, teachers, school counselors, other authority figures — that computer science isn’t really ’something girls do.’”

Source:

Wall Street Journal

URL:

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/04/09/computer-engineer-barbie-and-the-role-of-women-in-tech/?KEYWORDS=women

Date:

April 9, 2010

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Associated Issues & Expertise:

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What We Do

NCRW is a network of leading university and community based research, policy, and advocacy centers with a growing global reach dedicated to advancing rights and opportunities for women and girls. We also have a Corporate Circle comprised of senior diversity professionals from leading U.S. and global member companies and a Presidents Circle of college and university leaders who share our commitment. NCRW harnesses the collective power of its network to provide knowledge, analysis, and thought leadership on issues ranging from reducing women’s poverty to building a critical mass of women’s leadership across sectors.

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