A book of “real world” cases, this text introduces “flashpoint” issues related to gender equity in the schools. It immerses readers in the human dilemmas teachers face when they set out to provide equal opportunities for — and to develop the abilities of — all of their students. Each case, a true but disguised situation, presents the pedagogical concerns, ethical questions, competing values, and complexity of social change teachers face on a daily basis in their classrooms. These cases help readers to identify and understand ideas and issues by relating them to both their own and others’ real-life experiences. The book includes activities and discussion questions to involve readers in critical thinking about the issues raised in the cases and in applying this knowledge to their own current or future classroom practice.

Using a casebook approach, the text is organized in five sections. Designed to help readers explore the issues raised by contextualizing them in stories that are authentic and engaging, it emphasizes the teacher’s role as a skilled professional who thinks critically and makes decisions, and creates lively and involved class discussion by making room for students with diverse perspectives.