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"Gender equity does not exist in business, in academics, or athletics. One other place it does not exist is in children's literature. In part, the inequity in the literature is one of invisibility-fewer female than male protagonists are represented in books written for children. Additionally, few of those young female protagonists are strong enough of mind, body, or will to serve as positive role models for girls both in and out of our classrooms. Another facet of the inequity in literature is that many characters are not shown as multi-dimensional human beings with strengths as well as weaknesses. Instead, both males and females display behavior and traits which reflect stereotypical roles, responsibilities, and expectations. Although there may be segments of our society which are redefining gender roles, the female and male characters children read about are often locked into traditional jobs and behaviors. As teachers and adults who work with children, we advocate wide reading of good literature as one way for children to have vicarious experiences in which they can identify with strong characters across a wide range of human experiences which cross traditional gender boundaries. But . . . if children's books and the characters in them remain gender-bound, the ideas which might cause children to develop expectations for the future, responses to life's events, and stances on issues may also remain stereotypically gender-bound. We must all search for books which will initiate conversations and questions about gender roles and the perceptions of appropriate behavior and activities. Through these conversations and questions, teachers and other caring adults can be instrumental in helping the students reflect on gender expectations, reflection that can lead to appreciation and implementation of gender fairness and equity. Although we need to share books which validate the present experiences of the readers' lives, we also need to challenge those experiences by show

A place for educators to find thought-provoking news, conversation and support for those who care about diversity, equal opportunity and respect for differences in schools.

In the United States, where technological progress is portrayed as humanistic progress, computer technologies often are hailed as the great equalizers. Even within progressive education movements, such as multicultural education, the conversation about instructional technology tends to center more on this or that wonderful Web site or piece of software than on equitable access to these technologies. In this article, the author challenges people working at the intersections of multicultural and instructional technology, insisting that our first concern must be the elimination of digital inequities. It is only when we reframe the dominant

Inequity in education has many causes and correlates, but one important element is often left out. Racism is hard to discuss and its devastating effects hard to understand, but there are ways to begin the conversation and start the healing.

Talking about what appear to be racial issues with respect to student interactions, student-teacher interactions or interactions among members of the school staff is uncommon. Race is a "hot button" issue in our country, and it may feel that discussing potential misunderstandings or conflicts would make things worse. Moreover, many worry about being seen as insensitive or preoccupied with race. No doubt some issues that could be race-related are not actually related to race. But, this cannot be known without bringing up the issue. The country has made great progress in reducing racial prejudice and discrimination, but negative stereotypes, concerns about fairness, and the absence of comfort in interracial relationships persist. For racial issues to be openly dealt with, school leaders must make clear that it is important to be candid and to trust one another while ensuring that action is taken when problems are identified.