ERIC ED500773: Research & Action Report. Volume 24, Number 2, Spring/Summer 2003

28 Pages·2003·1.5 MB·English

by  ERIC

Research & Action Report
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Featuring:
Add Drama, Multiply
Interest: A New Way to
Teach Math
Uncovering Links
Between Childhood Abuse
and Delinquency
in Girls
Nigerian Activists
Focus on Gender and
Sexuality
Spring/Summer 2003
Volume 24 • Number 2
Contents
2–3
Short Takes
4–5
Add Drama, Multiply
Interest: A New Way to
Teach Math 14–15
Spotlight on New
6–7
Funding
Uncovering Links
Between Childhood 16–17
Abuse and Delinquency Students at the
in Girls Centers: A Win-Win
Strategy for All
8–11
Global Connections 18–19
Commentary by
12–13
Research & Action Reportis published Maureen Walker
Interview with
in the spring and fall by
Suzanne Klein 20–21
the Wellesley Centers for Women
Publications
Wellesley College
22–25
106 Central Street
Happenings
Wellesley, MA 02481-8203
781-283-2500
Visit us online at www.wcwonline.org
Executive Director: Susan McGee Bailey
Editor: Jan Putnam
Writer: Meenal Pandya
Copyeditor: Susan Miller
Design: kor group, Boston, MA
More Than One Copy?
If you are receiving duplicate
copies of Research & Action Report,
please let us know. E-mail us at
[email protected]
or call us at 781-283-2484.
Thank you!
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B
e In the geography class we learned as children how to bound the
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country in which we live. By the map we were taught to orientate
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c ourselves nationally . . . It seems now that we must forthwith
M
go to school again and learn about boundaries in a wholly different
n kind of way, namely, that they do not represent the end of the
a good citizen’s responsibility but also a beginning. Boundaries are
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u contacts as well as limits.
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r The Honorable Jeannette Rankin, 1932
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v This past February WCW and the Boston
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t Research Center for the 21st Century
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co-sponsored the Jeannette Rankin Lecture
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e on World Peace. In her address to a crowd
x hungry for hope, Representative Barbara Lee
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(D-CA) called on us to use our creativity

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and energy to seek alternatives to war. Despite
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t the decision of the U.S. government to Susan McGee Bailey
m invade Iraq, I am more convinced than ever that
as we move forward in this new century we
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r must continue to explore and pursue peaceful
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solutions to conflicts around the globe. Re- This issue of Research & Actionreports on
envisioning what it means to be a citizen is efforts here at WCW that address cultural and
a critical component in this endeavor. gender differences within the U.S. It also
details ways in which we are building connec-
In a world where people move from country
tionsand learning from women in other
to country seeking new opportunities and,
parts of the world. Next spring the Centers
far too often, fleeing oppression or armed con-
will hold the first in a series of international
flict,old notions of bounded nations with
research and action conferences. The initial
homogeneous cultures and shared definitions
conference will focus on violence against
of citizenship are increasingly problematic.
women and will draw on the work of research-
Furthermore, most definitions of citizenship
ers and grassroots activists around the globe.
are grounded, as they have been for cen-
By building bridges and exploring alternative
turies, in a patriarchal sense of male privilege,
methodologies, we can more effectively
which has never served women well.
address the violence that is a major barrier to
Although women everywhere are struggling women’s equal participation in decision
to confront violence, protect children, and build making—whether within the family, the com-
communities in which women, men, and munityor the world. Until women can
children can live in harmony, the vast majority control our own bodies, lives, and actions,
of this work never connects with governmental the world will be neither truly free nor
decision making. Efforts that can enhance safe for anyone.
communications and connections across bound-
aries—whether fostered by gender, geography,
race, religion, culture, or class—are all parts of
the alternatives puzzle that we must put
together piece by tiny piece. In the process of
doing this we will also be fostering a broader
definition of citizenship that goes beyond politi-
calboundaries, acknowledges the interde-
pendent nature of life on Earth, and provides
equal space for the concerns and contribu-
tions of ALL women and men.
www.wcwonline.org| WCW Research & Action ReportSpring/Summer 2003 |1|
The Women’s Review of Battered Mothers Speak Out
Books Turns 20
On November 25, 2002, the Women’s Rights
s
TheWomen’s Review of Bookscelebrated its Network held a press conference to announce
20th anniversary at a gala reception on the release of Battered Mothers Speak Out:
e April 3, 2003, at the Wellesley College Club. A Human Rights Report on Domestic Violence
The only U.S. publication to focus exclusively and Child Custody in the Massachusetts
on books by and about women, the Women’s Family Courts.November 25 was selected as
Reviewwas founded in the spring of 1983 the release date because it is International
k
to cover the increasing volume of innovative Day Against Violence Against Women and
writing by women. With a monthly reader- because it marked the start of an annual global
ship of 25,000, the Women’s Reviewmakes women’s human rights campaign, the “16 Days
a a unique and vitally important contribution of Activism Against Gender Violence.”
to the world of letters.
The first report of its kind in the U.S., Battered
The anniversary also afforded an opportunity Mothers Speak Outanalyzes six categories
T
to acknowledge and publicly thank Linda of human rights violations committed in the
Gardiner, founding publisher and editor in chief, Massachusetts family court system in selected
who leaves the Women’s Reviewthis spring domestic-violence and child-custody cases. These
after 20 years at the helm. Broadly recognized violations were identified through extensive
for her leadership in the field of feminist interviews with battered mothers, advocates for

publishing, in 1993 Linda received the Hilda A. battered women and children, and officials
Davis Award for Distinguished Service from who work in the Massachusetts family court
t
the editorial collective of Sage: A Scholarly system, including judges. The report con-
Journal on Black Women.In 2001, Women in cludes with a series of practical recommen-
r
Periodical Publishing presented her with dations for reforming the family court system.
the Exceptional Woman in Periodical Publish-
Endorsed by the Women’s Rights Program of
ingAward.
o Amnesty International USA, NOW Legal
Executive director Susan McGee Bailey Defense and Education Fund, and the Family
introduced the new editor of the Women’s Violence Prevention Fund, Battered Mothers
Review,Amy Hoffman, welcoming her to Speak Outhas received considerable print and
h
the WCW community. Hoffman brings a depth radio coverage throughout Massachusetts.
of experience and vision to her position, The Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence
assuring the continuing vigor of The Women’s is replicating the project and plans to publish
Review of Books. its human rights report on the Arizona family
S
courts in the summer of 2003. Battered
women’s organizations in Minnesota, California,
For more information, visit and Hawaii have also expressed interest
TheWomen’s Review of Booksat in replication.
www.wellesley.edu/WomensReview.
For more information,
visit www.wcwonline.org/wrn.
New Home Study Program: Women’s Growth in Connection
The Jean Baker Miller Training Institute was recently approved by the American
Psychological Association to offer a home study program based on the book
Women’s Growth in Connection: Writings from the Stone Center.This program
allows psychologists working in distant locations to earn professional continuing-
education credits while studying the founding concepts of Relational-Cultural Theory.
For more information, call 781-283-3800.
| 2| Spring/Summer 2003 WCW Research & Action Report| www.wcwonline.org
CALL FOR PAPERS qualitative methods (e.g., narratives) or
different forms of documentation and expres-
Voices from the Margins:
sion (e.g., storytelling or mapping).
Alternative Research on Violence
Against Women This peer-reviewed issue will be guest-edited by
Linda M. Williams, Ph.D., Victoria L. Banyard,
This special issue of Violence Against Women:
Ph.D., and Nada Aoudeh, MPH and M.Ed.
An International and Interdisciplinary Journal
(www.sagepub.co.uk/journals/details/j0062.html) Submission deadline: July 31, 2003
will feature papers that increase our under-
standing of violence against women through Papers should be no more than 35 double-
the use of alternative methodologies or focus spaced pages and in APA format. Please
on research in commonly marginalized commu- submit three copies (two of which contain no
nities. Papers may be on any aspect of author-identifying information) to:
violence against women including interpersonal, A
Linda M. Williams, Director of Research
family, political, and racial violence. Alexandra “Sandy” Kaplan
Stone Center, Wellesley Centers for Women
We seek papers describing the results and/or Wellesley College, 106 Central Street Psychologist Alexandra G. Kaplan died February
approach of research that has focused on mar- Wellesley, MA 02481 USA 6, 2003 at the Newton-Wellesley Alzheimer’s
P
ginalized or understudied populations globally. Center in Wellesley, MA. Widely recognized for
For more information, e-mail WCW-
Submissions in the English language from all her contribution to the development of the
[email protected].
countries are welcome. Research may have Stone Center for Developmental Services and
P
employed alternative methodologies or adapted Studies, Kaplan was a former director of the
traditional methods in new ways for work Counseling Service at Wellesley College.
in different cultural contexts. We are particularly Although she left her position in the early 1990s
R
interested in research that places the voices due to her illness, her commitment lives
of survivors at the center and on methods on in the groundbreaking work of the Stone
that find new ways to increase cultural and con- Center and the Jean Baker Miller Training
textual relevance. Research maybe defined Institute.
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in traditional academic terms or may be more
“Dr. Kaplan was extremely dedicated to the
community- or practitioner-driven.Papers
work of the Stone Center,” recalls Jean
may include innovative quantitative approaches,
CBaker Miller, director of the Jean Baker Miller
Training Institute. “Indeed, she chose to
leave a tenure-track position at the University
of Massachusetts to devote herself to building
Inew theory and practice at the Stone Center.”
She exemplified the vision and energy
A
of those who collaborated during the Stone
Center’s early years.
Kaplan was an active member of the Society
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for the Psychology of Women, Division 35 of
the American Psychological Association where
she concentrated on teaching, research, and
clinical practice. A feminist and peace activist,
I
she was committed to social justice and change.
OAlexandra Kaplan leaves behind a rich legacy
of scholarship and caring that serves as a model
and an inspiration to those who follow in
her footsteps.
Lecture on World Peace Draws Overflow Crowd N
WCW executive director Susan McGee Bailey, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Virginia
Straus, executive director of the Boston Research Center for the 21st Century (BRC) pose for
the camera at the reception preceding the Jeannette Rankin Lecture on World Peace on January
26, 2003, at Wellesley. Part of the Women’s Lecture Series on Human Values co-sponsored by
WCW and the BRC, Rep. Lee’s talk, “Forging Alternatives to War,” was enthusiastically received
by an overflow crowd of more than 400 friends of the two centers.
www.wcwonline.org| WCW Research & Action ReportSpring/Summer 2003 |3|
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Add Drama,
X
Multiply Interest:
A New Way to Teach Math
MAKING MATHEMATICS INTERESTINGto young children THE ANSWER MAY LIE INthe ancient art of
has been an ongoing challenge faced by parents, teachers, and storytelling. Experts have begun to realize that in
other education professionals for years. The problem is order to place mathematics in a meaningful
that children are asked to do abstract mathematical activities context, the material should be rich in such dramatic
that have little intrinsic meaning for them. As a result, elements as character development, plot, surprise,
children often remain disengaged. Even the attempts to bring conflict, and suspense. This is where storytelling
in “relevant” or “real world” examples—such as how many comes in.
cookies each child will get or how long would you have to
wait in line—are still not compelling enough to engage WCW researcher Sumru Erkut heads a team eval-
a young mind. uating innovative supplementary mathematics
materials that were developed by Beth Casey and
colleagues in the Lynch School of Education at
Boston College. These materials, which combine
oral storytelling with the teaching of math, had
their origins in a study group on gender equity in
| 4| Spring/Summer 2003 WCW Research & Action Report| www.wcwonline.org
math and science that met at the Wellesley
Centers for Women when Casey was a WCW vis-
iting research scholar. The study group’s interest
Casey and her team of scholars and
in equity in math and science education was coupled
elementary-school teachers developed
with Casey’s Boston College colleague Michael
the six-book series ‘Round the
Schiro’s experience in storytelling in early math educa-
Rug Math: Adventures in Problem
tionto produce a successful grant application to Solving,published in 2002 by
the National Science Foundation. Wright Group/McGraw-Hill.
WITH SUPPORT FROM THE GRANT,Casey
and her team of scholars and elementary-school
teachers developed the six-book series ‘Round
the Rug Math: Adventures in Problem Solving,pub-
THE EVALUATION TEAM IS ASSESSING
lishedin 2002 by Wright Group/McGraw-Hill.
the effect of the ‘Round the Rug Mathprogram on
The ‘Round the Rug Mathprogram introduces math-
children’s math skills and on their interest in math.
ematical thinking through storytelling and puppetry.
They are conducting a field experiment in 16 kinder-
Children are encouraged to help the characters in
garten classrooms in urban and suburban school
the story solve problems that confront them during
systems that have large minority populations. Class-
their adventures. “When the reason for solving a
roomsare randomly assigned to either control
mathematical problem is intertwined with young
or implementation conditions. Teachers in the imple-
children’s fascination with fantasy as well as their
mentationclassrooms supplement their regular
love of being playful, then they will put all their
math curriculum with “Tan and the Shape Changer”
energies into solving the mathematical problem,”
from the ‘Round the Rug Mathseries; teachers
says Casey.
in the control classrooms teach only the regular math
curriculum. Pre- and post-test assessment tools
Different stories in the series teach different
include the triangles subtest of the Kaufman ABC
skills. For example, “Froglets Do the Measuring”helps
battery and a measure to gauge interest in math
develop estimation skills and the concept of length.
by choice of activity during free-play time in class.
“Sneeze Builds a Castle”fosters an understanding
Erkut, the principal investigator for the evaluation,
of spatial relations through block building. The
says: “Our hypothesis is that kindergartners who
mathbecomes more complex as the stories evolve.
have participated in the implementation class-
Throughout, children are active learners as they help
rooms will not only show greater gains in geometry,
characters solve their problems. In addition, the
they will select “shapes” for free play more often
stories draw on themes from many cultures, making
in the post-test than will kindergartners in the
them meaningful and accessible to all.
control classrooms.”
SO FAR 230 KINDERGARTNERSfrom varying
cultural and economic backgrounds have been
interviewed. The evaluation will continue until the
end of July 2003 to assess the persistence of
skills and preferences over time. In the end, combin-
ing age-old storytelling and teaching mathematical
concepts may be one of the answers for which edu-
catorsand parents have been searching.
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Uncovering
Links Between Childhood
Abuse and
Delinquency in Girls
ACCORDING TO NATIONAL ESTIMATES,every year more
than 700,000 adolescent girls are arrested and brought into
the juvenile-justice system.In fact, today, adolescent
girls comprise about 28% of all juvenile arrests. Have girls
become increasingly more violent in recent years? Is the
violent behavior of girls different from that of boys? Do girls
need different criminal-justice-system responses to help
them cope with the problems they face?And, since many of
these girls have experienced abuse in childhood, is there
a link between childhood abuse and adolescent delinquency?
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Linda Williams and Veronica Herrera,both
researchers at WCW’s Stone Center, address such questions
in their ongoing research on pathways to delinquency. They find
strong evidence to suggest a link between childhood abuse “Adolescence is one of the most
and juvenile delinquency. “It is important to note, however, that
crucial periods in the lives of girls,
the majority of the victims of childhood abuse do not go
on to lives of crime and delinquency,” says Williams, who has and problems of childhood
been working for over 30 years in the field of child abuse
often intensify as the challenges of
and family violence. “On the other hand, we do find that up
to 73% of the girls that are brought to the juvenile-justice adolescence are encountered.”
system report childhood physical and/or sexual abuse.”
Williams and Herrera’s research has focused on the impact
of exposure to family violence over the lifetime, with specific
emphasis on how such violence affects the lives of girls Herrera suggests that, while the published literature on
and women. Williams and Herrera have worked separately and victimization often focuses on girls’ inward reactions to abuse,
collaboratively on several longitudinal research projects such as depression, there is mounting evidence that many
in which participants have been followed and interviewed at victimized girls also display outward behaviors such as aggression
intervals over the course of five, ten, and, in some cases, and delinquency. Some argue that the strategies girls adopt
30 years. “We take a life-course perspective in our research,” in order to cope with and survive their abuse represent a key link
says Herrera, “meaning that we want to understand how between childhood victimization and female delinquency.
the experience of physical and sexual abuse in childhood affects For example, girls frequently come into contact with the juvenile-
behaviors such as delinquency or other outcomes such as justice system when they run away from home. Many of
depression in adolescence and adulthood.” They follow families these girls are fleeing profound victimization, yet get drawn
with histories of violence and families without such histories into a system that labels their escape as delinquent.
and compare the differences and similarities between these groups.
Their research reveals that a history of childhood abuse is “Much of girls’ violent offending can also be described as
correlated with teenage delinquency, alcohol and drug abuse, acts of rebellion against their victimizers,” says Herrera.
and other social problems, especially in adolescent girls. The targets of violent offenses for which girls are arrested are
often people with whom they have close relationships.
“Adolescence is one of the most crucial periods in the lives Examinations of girls’ assault charges find that most are a result
of girls, and problems of childhood often intensify as the chal- of nonserious, mutual combat situations with parents in
lenges of adolescence are encountered,” says Williams. “Although which the aggression, in many cases, was initiated by the adults.
researchers and practitioners devote a lot of attention to very “We feel that the girls are being victimized twice, first by
young children who experience physical and/or sexual abuse, the family and then by the judicial system,” says Williams.
little attention is paid to these girls in adolescence. Their
experience of child abuse has faded into the past and our atten- Williams and Herrera are working together to develop a
tionis drawn to their ‘bad behaviors.’” Resilient behaviors research agenda that will help untangle the complex pathways
and strengths are overlooked and behaviors labeled as disruptive that lead to girls’ delinquency. In addition to their ongoing
and violent get society’s attention. Once the girls reach the longitudinal studies, they plan to seek funding for research that
juvenile-justice system, the roots of their behaviors are forgotten will document the untold stories of girls in the criminal-justice
or ignored. system. “We want our research to be instrumental in bringing
to light the mechanisms that place girls at risk for delinquency,”
says Herrera. She continues, “Even more importantly, we want
our work to contribute to policy changes that will result in
appropriate treatment of the girls who end up in the juvenile-
justice system.”
www.wcwonline.org| WCW Research & Action ReportSpring/Summer 2003 |7|
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lo Nepalese Activist Meets with Spring Luncheon Seminar Series
i WCW Researchers Opens with Focus on Reproductive
t
ac Rights in China
e
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n Anuradha Koirala,the founder of Maiti Nepal, visited
bo WCW in March, meeting with executive director Susan
C Bailey and several members of the research staff to talk
about her work on the trafficking of young girls in Nepal.
Koirala founded Maiti Nepal in 1993 to address the grow-
o ing problems confronting young women and girls lured
to India and other bordering countries by promises of
work and a better life, only to find themselves in sexual
slavery. Maiti Nepal provides shelter, rehabilitation, and
l advocacy for these young women and for girls and
boys who are destitute and in danger of being trafficked.
G As part of the rehabilitation program, Maiti Nepal
Joan Kaufman
has set up border-station teams of young women who
have returned from India and are able to recognize
trafficking situations. They intervene by challenging the
traffickers and telling their own stories of being forced Joan Kaufmanopened the WCW spring luncheon
into sexual slavery to the young women and girls being seminar series with “Bringing Cairo to Beijing:
taken across the border. This approach has proven to The Global Women‘s Movement, Reproductive Rights
be effective in preventing at least some traffickers from and the Chinese Family-Planning Program.” Formerly
crossing into India with young women and it has pro- the Ford Foundation program officer for the Gender
vided important work for the abused young women who and Reproductive Health Program in China,
have returned to Nepal. After years of working at the Kaufman is currently a special consultant on global
grassroots level, Koirala has recently been appointed to issues at WCW. Focusing on the recent history
the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Welfare in of China’s emerging women’s movement, Kaufman
Nepal where she will be better able to shape govern- highlighted the influence of two major interna-
ment policy. tional conferences, the 1994 International Conference
on Population and Development in Cairo and
the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in
Beijing, on the rethinking and reform of China’s
population and family-planning policy. Both confer-
encesaddressed the tension between national
population-control programs and the reproductive
rights of individuals, and both espoused a position
affirming the primacy of rights protection and
women’s social and economic empowerment. The
Fourth World Conference on Women was a catalytic
event for many women in China who were exposed
to the international women’s movement for
the first time and, as a result, began to address the
negative impacts on women of China’s population
program.
From left: Linda Williams, Jo Kim, Susan McGee Bailey,
Anuradha Koirala, Sumru Erkut and Brigitte Cazalis Collins.
| 8| Spring/Summer 2003 WCW Research & Action Report| www.wcwonline.org