And then there are the pencils.
“One of my favorite things was before the
PSAT, they gave us these pencils,” says
Laurel junior and Shaker resident Mara
Cohen. “The pencils say ‘Gators’ on them,
which is the Laurel mascot. The pencils
were also wrapped with a little paper
where each letter in the word ‘GATORS’
began a sentence that told a fact about
how well Laurel girls do on standardized
tests” – for example, G is for “Grades –
girls get higher grades than boys.”
Of course, these are not just ordinary
pencils. They’re a way to remind Laurel
students what they’ve learned from CRG
about “stereotype threat.” That’s where
members of a negatively stereotyped
group can develop anxiety in a situation
where they believe their performance may
confirm that negative stereotype. This is
not a conscious process. No girl is sitting
in the math ACT thinking, “I’m worried
that my performance will confirm the
negative and false stereotype that girls are
not as good at math as boys,” but there’s
ample evidence to show that at least some
part of that girl’s anxiety over the test is
for that reason.
At Laurel, students are trained in
stereotype threat in ninth grade. “The
research shows that if you educate girls
about the phenomenon, you can protect
them from it,” says Damour. “The research
also shows you can shield girls from stereotype
threat if you give them alternate
positive stereotypes.” The pencils provide
those positive stereotypes, just moments
before a major test like the PSAT or SAT.
“So our girls go into those tests actually
thinking, ‘Watch out,’” says Damour.
Teaching Resilience Pencils and magnets, even tinkering
stations, are just three examples of the
broader curriculum developed by CRG.
The curriculum doesn’t have much to
do with Shakespeare or algebra or any
other academic subject. Rather, it’s
about developing the many non-academic
skills that the research shows
help girls to be successful.
60 SHAKERONLINE.COM | SPRING 2014
“So our girls go into those tests
actually thinking,
‘Watch out.’”
Third graders Elizabeth Axelrod, Natalie Crowley, and Ava Namrow
work at a tinkering station. The same girls are in the middle photo.
You haven’t gotten it
License plate art, by Kool Platez, hangs in Ann Klotz’s office.