Catherine Ashcraft’s research while affiliated with University of Colorado and other places

Thomas Friedman's recent book, Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations, traces how the technology revolution, fueled by the acceleration predicted in Moore's law, has transformed our lives [1]. Friedman celebrates the remarkable advances that have occurred over the past several decades and describes, in layman's terms, the ways in which the solidstate circuits community is transforming diverse fields ranging from computing to transportation, communications to robotics, and entertainment to energy.

Drawing from our two-year ethnography, we juxtapose the experiences of two cohorts in one culturally responsive computing program, examining how the program fostered girls’ emerging identities as technosocial change agents. In presenting this in-depth and up-close exploration, we simultaneously identify conditions that both facilitated and limited the program's potential. Ultimately, we illustrate how these findings can enhance anthropological research and practice in youth identity, culturally responsive pedagogies, and computing education.

Few studies have investigated gendered patterns in IT patenting or authorship, but understanding female participation in these areas is important if we are to increase women’s meaningful participation in recognized and rewarded aspects of IT innovation. This chapter reports findings from two studies: one on female rates of patenting and one on female authorship of computing conference papers. In short, we demonstrate that while women’s participation remains low, especially in terms of patenting, important increases have been made over time. We also examine variation in these rates of patenting and authorship across companies and across conferences, ultimately identifying some important implications for increasing women’s meaningful participation in key commercial and intellectual aspects of computing.

This chapter examines parallels in the evolution of two occupational identities – commercial airline flying and ICT work – and the implications for current diversification interventions. We begin by conceptualizing occupational identity and diversification through the “glass slipper” metaphor. We then demonstrate the empirical potential of this framework with a cross-case analysis of how these dynamics are at play in the historical evolution of the aforementioned professions. Finally, we consider how these cases, weighed together, implicate scholars and practitioners, especially research on technical-scientific work and so-called diversity interventions in ICT occupations.

To date, girls and women are significantly underrepresented in computer science and technology. Concerns about this underrepresentation have sparked a wealth of educational efforts to promote girls’ participation in computing, but these programs have demonstrated limited impact on reversing current trends. This paper argues that this is, in part, because these programs tend to take a narrow view of their purpose, ignoring important factors that shape girls’ identities and education/career choices - not least broader narratives around gender, race, and sexuality. This paper focuses on the issue of sexuality - that is, how sexuality discourses are shaping a diverse range of girls’ experiences with technology, their perceptions of themselves, and their ultimate educational and career choices. The paper makes the case for considering these important connections, bringing together research in two disparate areas: (1) sociological research in gender, diversity, and technology and (2) critical cultural studies research in youth sexualities and schooling.

To date, literacy educators receive little instruction and, indeed, little research exists on facilitating critical discussions about sexuality in classrooms. Addressing these issues with students, however, grows increasingly urgent, particularly in light of critical media literacy efforts and progressive literacy pedagogies that incorporate students' identities and life experiences into the classroom. Given the pervasive nature of sexuality in popular culture and in adolescent lives, such efforts are far less likely to be effective if educators ignore or repress this significant area of student experience. Addressing sexuality, however, is important not only because the current trend to ignore it is impeding current critical literacy efforts, but also because sexuality is itself an important site for students' critical literacy development. In this article, I draw from my 9-month ethnographic study of a community-based educational program to offer an initial look at what classroom languages and practices for critical discussions of sexuality might look like. At the same time, I illustrate how these critical examinations of sexuality were frequently undermined by competing discourses of self-esteem. Ultimately, I identify implications for educators in public school classrooms, taking into account their differing constraints.

A wealth of research suggests the importance of classroom discussion of controversial issues for adequately preparing students for participation in democratic life. Teachers, and the larger public, however, still shy away from such discussion. Much of the current research seeking to remedy this state of affairs focuses exclusively on developing knowledge and skills. While important, this ignores significant ways in which students’ beliefs about the concept or nature of controversy itself might affect such discussions and potentially, the sort of citizen that educators are fostering. We argue that examining the concept of ‘controversy’ is central to conducting such discussions and propose a framework of four crucial virtues or habits of mind that can be developed through such an examination. We illustrate how these four habits of mind are essential for establishing classroom ‘counterpublics’ that aim to develop more justice-oriented democratic citizens.

Over a six-month time period a school board and its community discussed their district's strategic plan goals about diversity. This article analyzes that discussion within the practical theory frame articulated by Craig. Meeting talk and documents were analyzed to determine how the group's policy deliberation became an argument over what words to have (or avoid) in the strategic plan document. Proposals about document language were framed as technical editing, as inadvertent changing of a policy, and as wordsmithing. In addition to each frame being used, each was also challenged as to its being used to advance some group members' interests at the expense of others. Moving back and forth between using and resisting wording proposal frames, we suggest, is a reasonable way for groups to manage a dilemma they face in crafting policies about controversial, abstract issues. The paper concludes by identifying implications for dilemma theorizing and future study of groups.

Current educational reform efforts have called attention to the need for more male teachers, primarily in elementary education. Recent scholarship, however, has highlighted significant problems with some of the assumptions underlying these calls, arguing that if we are to incorporate male teachers in ways that truly challenge dominant discourses of masculinity, we must address questions such as why we need more male teachers and what masculinities these teachers will model. Importantly, research has shown that men do not question what it means to be a male teacher or a male role model. The authors seek to extend this research by inquiring into the confusion surrounding the concept and consequences of this confusion. The authors contend that the idea of a male role model needs questioning, the illusion of clarity it offers is potentially dangerous, and disrupting this idea could potentially rearticulate male participation in elementary teaching in more liberating ways.

In this column, the author highlights how the current framing of teen sexuality obscures important connections between literacy and sexuality. She argues that we need to challenge two current assumptions: the assumption that teen sexuality is primarily about public health and the assumption that all efforts to address teen sexuality are necessarily “controversial.” Challenging these assumptions is particularly important for literacy educators who truly believe that identity is integral to youth's literacy development. Perhaps, now more than ever, we cannot afford to behave as if this conceptualization somehow excludes sexual identity. Moving beyond these current frames opens up innovative possibilities for connecting with youth and for using teen interest in sexuality as a vehicle for students' literacy development and academic success. في هذه المقالة تبرز المؤلفة كيف التأطير الحالي لمظاهر الأنوثة أو الرجولة تابعة للمراهقين يُبهِم روابط هامة بين التعلم ومظاهر الجنس. وعليه فتقدم المؤلفة الحجة بأن لا بد لنا من أن نتحدى افتراضين متداولين في الوقت الحاضر: الافتراض الأول متعلق بمظاهر الأنوثة أو الرجولة لدى المراهقين يقول إنه هو بأساسه قضية الصحة العامة والافتراض الثاني يزعم أن كل الجهود المبذولة لتتعامل مع مظاهر الجنس هي بضرورة ((مثيرة للجدل)). إن القيام بتحدي هذين الافتراضين هام جداً خصوصاً لمعلمي معرفة القراءة والكتابة الذين يؤمنون بأن الهوية أمر جوهري لتنمية معرفة القراءة والكتابة لدى الشباب. لعل، الآن أكثر من الوقت سابق، لا نستطيع أن نتصرف كأن هذا التخيل يستثني الهوية الجنسية بطريقة أو بأخرى. وإذا تجاوزنا هذه الإطارات فستفتح احتمالات مبدعة لاتصال بالشباب وأيضاً لاستخدام اهتمام المراهقين بالمظاهر الجنسية كوسيلة لتنمية معرفة القراءة والكتابة لدى الطلاب ونجاحهم الدراسي. 作者在这专栏里，让读者注意到当前对青少年性意识这问题所采用的表达方式，如何掩盖读写文化和性意识之间的重要关联。作者认为，我们需要对两个流行的假设提出质疑：青少年性意识主要是关于公共卫生这个假设，及所有为解决青少年性意识问题而作出的努力必然是「具有争议性」这个假设。对于真正相信身份认同是青少年读写能力发展的重要部分的教育家来说，向这两个假设提出质疑尤其重要。或许，在性意识的概念形成上，我们不应再象过去那样，把性身份认同置之不理。超越当前对青少年性意识这问题所采用的表达方式，我们可以开启创新的机会，与青年人联系起来，并可以善用青少年对性意识的兴趣，引领学生通往读写能力发展和学术成功之路。 Dans cette rubrique, l'auteur met en évidence de quelle façon l'encadrement actuel de la sexualité des jeunes occulte les liens importants entre littératie et sexualité. Elle estime qu'il faut mettre en question deux positions courantes: la position selon laquelle la sexualité des jeunes concerne d'abord la santé publique et la position selon laquelle tous les efforts concernant la sexualité des jeunes sont nécessairement « polémiques ». Mettre en question ces positions est particulièrement important pour les enseignants de littératie qui croient vraiment que l'identité est partie intégrante du développement de la littératie des jeunes. Peut‐être, maintenant plus que jamais, ne pouvons‐nous pas nous permettre de faire comme si cette conception excluait en quelque sorte la sexualité. Dépasser ces cadres habituels ouvre à des possibilités créatives d'établir des liens avec les jeunes et d'utiliser l'intérêt qu'ils portent à la sexualité comme moyen pour développer la littératie des élèves et leur réussite scolaire. В этом выпуске рубрики автор обсуждает, как общепринятое восприятие сексуальности подростков мешает выявлению важных связей между грамотностью и сексуальностью. Необходимо бросить вызов двум расхожим идеям, первая из которых состоит в том, что сексуальность подростков должна быть связана, прежде всего, с охраной их здоровья, а вторая утверждает, что любые усилия в области сексуальности подростков непременно являются “спорными”. Для педагогов, занимающихся развитием грамотности и искренне полагающих, что становление самоидентичности неразрывно связано с развитием грамотности, особенно важно оспорить эти идеи. Возможно, сейчас – больше чем когда‐либо – мы не можем позволять себе вести себя так, будто становление личного “я” исключает становление сексуальной самоидентичности. Уход от этих привычных фреймов открывает педагогам новые возможности для установления контакта с молодежью и для использования интереса подростков к сексуальности как рычага при развитии их грамотности и стимулировании их академического роста. En esta columna, la autora hace resaltar cómo la manera en que se enmarca hoy día la sexualidad adolescente no nos permite ver claramente las conexiones importantes entre el aprendizaje y la sexualidad. La autora mantiene que debemos cuestionar dos suposiciones: que la sexualidad adolescente es primordialmente un problema de salud pública, y que todos los esfuerzos de abordar el tema de la sexualidad adolescente son necesariamente “controvertidos”. Desafiar estas suposiciones es especialmente importante para los educadores de aprendizaje que realmente creen que la identidad es integral al desarrollo del aprendizaje de los jóvenes. A lo mejor, hoy más que nunca, no podemos permitirnos el lujo de portarnos como si este concepto excluyera la identidad sexual. Ir más allá de estos marcos abre nuevas posibilidades para conectar con los jóvenes y para usar el interés de los jóvenes en su sexualidad como un vehículo para el desarrollo del aprendizaje y su éxito académico.