Opinion
Education Letter to the Editor

Stereotypical Photo Sent Wrong Message to Girls

November 15, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

A picture speaks a thousand words.

First we had to combat Lawrence Summers, Harvard University’s president, and now we have to combat Education Week. The photo captioned “Science Lesson” in your Oct. 26, 2005, issue perpetuates a very unfortunate stereotype: When faced with a science experiment, girls say, “Eek! Yuck!” What kind of message does that photo send?

Girls do science experiments every day in classrooms all across the nation. Readers seeking the most recent research and ideas for encouraging girls in science, technology, engineering, and math should visit two Web sites: www.gemsclub.org and www.aauw.org.

Photos matter!

Elizabeth Vandenburg

Laura Reasoner Jones

Co-Directors

Tech Savvy Girls Video Project

American Association of

University Women

Reston-Herndon Area Branch

Reston, Va.

Related Tags:

Events

Jobs Regional K-12 Virtual Career Fair: DMV
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Cardiac Emergency Response Plans: What Schools Need Now
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen at school. Learn why CERPs matter, what’srequired, and how districts can prepare to save lives.
Content provided by American Heart Association
Teaching Profession Webinar Effective Strategies to Lift and Sustain Teacher Morale: Lessons from Texas
Learn about the state of teacher morale in Texas and strategies that could lift educators' satisfaction there and around the country.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Opinion The Opinions EdWeek Readers Care About: The Year’s 10 Most-Read
The opinion content readers visited most in 2025.
2 min read
Collage of the illustrations form the top 4 most read opinion essays of 2025.
Education Week + Getty Images
Education Quiz Did You Follow This Week’s Education News? Take This Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Did the SNAP Lapse Affect Schools? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz New Data on School Cellphone Bans: How Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read