charter schools

Gender check: 6/2/11 – Midwest

Jasmine R. LinabaryLeave a comment

*Gender Checks are quick examinations of gender representation in individual news articles for the purpose of discovering trends over time. Click here to read more.

Website: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (stltoday.com)

On Stltoday.com, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 1:45 p.m. (PST) Thursday, June 2, was titled “Nixon: Missouri economy is gaining momentum.” Its subject was the governor speaking on the economy.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, governor

2. Female, state budget director (reported)

Notes/analysis: The article was mostly about the governor’s statements along with statistics.


Website: St. Louis Beacon

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 1:45 p.m. (PST) Thursday, June 2, was titled “Are charter schools illegal in St. Louis? The law works in mysterious ways.” Its subject was the legality of charter schools being questioned after the population dips below a threshold.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, school board member (via email)

2. Male, general counsel from state department

3. Male, spokesman (unnamed, for the attorney general’s office)

Notes/analysis: The article also cites from different laws and codes applicable to the situation.

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Gender Check 4/6/11 – Northeast

Joy BaconLeave a comment
*Gender Checks are quick examinations of gender representation in individual news articles for the purpose of discovering trends over time. Click here to read more.

Website: The New York Times

On The New York Times, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 10 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 6 was titled “Obama Meeting Leaders From Congress on Stalemate.” Its subject was the pending shut down of the federal government over budget conflicts.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – President of the United States

2. Male – Speaker of the House

3. Male – U.S. senator

4. Male – U.S. senator

Notes/analysis: This story is lead news across several news organizations this week. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was the first female speaker of the house, and women currently hold 17 Senate seats and 76 seats in the House of Representatives.

Website: ProPublica

On ProPublica, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 10 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 6 was titled “Charter Schools Outsource Education to Management Firms, With Mixed Results.” Its subject was a lawsuit in progress against a private education firm running various charter schools.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – company board member

2. Male – attorney

3. Male – education professor

4. Male – attorney

5. Male – education consultant

6. Male – education professor

7. Male – charter school board member

8. Male – attorney

Notes/Analysis: While women make up over 60 percent of the teaching force in the United States, they hold only 30 percent of administrator positions and still fewer school board seats, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.