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5.   WOMEN DOING BETTER THAN MEN STUDENTS

      Women on the Lexington campus of the University are making
better grades than their male classmates. Dean of Admissions and
Registrar Elbert Ockerman reports that 69,556 separate grades for
the 1969 fall semester were reported to his office, showing a 2.51.
grade point average for all students (on a 4.0 scale). He said
females received a 2.66 average, and males a 2.39 average. Dr.
Charles Elton, professor of education who has done extensive re--
search on the academic successes and failures of college students,
said that in general, national research demonstrates that women
consistently make better grades than men.

      "We would have to research each particular campus to deter-
mine the specific reasons why females make better grades than males,"
he continued. He listed four general reasons, however, why this is
so:

      --"Men tend to take more difficult coursework, such as science-
oriented classes in math, physics, engineering or the health pro-
fessions. These classes are usually larger and graded on the normal
curve.

      --"Men tend to work their way through college more than women
do.

      --"Women are more dependable than men. They do what they are
instructed to do.

      --"Women tend to score higher in verbal problems while men
score higher in math."



6.    STUDENTS STUDY HOW TO WORK WITH DISADVANTAGED

      Some 30 students are taking "a long, hard look" at the edu-
cation of disadvantaged children in a new course, "Teaching and the
Disadvantaged," directed by Dr. Charles E. Billings, assistant pro-
fessor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and co-director
of research, Lincoln School. The students are being presented with
actual data-test scores, drop-out rates, and types of behavior of
disadvantaged populations. The education professor said not all
students in the class are education students. Five are in the School
of Social Professions, 14 are teaching interns in Louisville, and two
Black students are active in the Black St~udent Union and are working
on tutorial programs as graduate students. At least two field trips
are planned. One will be to Louisville to talk with people in the
community about their attitudes on the education of the disadvantaged.
The other trip will be to Breathitt county. Both tours have been
arranged in cooperation with the Teachers Corps program.