Hammond (1998) acknowledges Ferguson and Duke economist Helen Ladd’s analysis, that the difference between the high- and low-scoring districts was explained by teacher qualifications than by poverty, race, and parent education based on their research done in Texas and Alabama. The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future concludes that students in poor or predominantly minority schools are much less likely to have low quality and underprepared teachers. Studies of underprepared teachers consistently find that they often have difficulty with curriculum development and teaching strategies. These teachers are less likely to understand students’ learning styles and differences. In the end, they will blame the students themselves for their low achievement.

Research has not been very successful in identifying the quality of a teacher that are most likely to improve student learning. Based on Goe’s (2007) examination of teacher quality that are most likely to improve student achievement, it focuses on teacher qualifications, teacher characteristics and teacher practices. Teacher’s qualifications are credential knowledge and experience the teacher had. Carr (2006) indicates that highly qualified teachers are associated with increased student achievement. Many researchers propose that experience and undergraduate institution a teacher attends also can be a useful indicator of teacher quality.

Kannapel and Clements (2005) identifies that teacher characteristics such as willingness to collaborate has positive effect on student achievement. Meanwhile, Hanushek (2005) did a research that proves having a same-race teacher can also improves student achievement but in an older study did by Brewer (1995) neither race nor gender of teacher was associated with differential student achievement in mathematics or science. Next important thing is teacher practices,which are the ways teachers interact with students and the teaching mechanisms they use to accomplish specific teaching tasks. Small research base suggests that providing students with clear learning objectives can help students to get higher achievement. Meanwhile, Frome (2005) clarifies that teachers who provide challenging instruction, providing students with opportunities to explain and discuss assignments also positively associated with student achievement.

The old Chinese proverb, “teachers open the door but you enter by yourself”, certainly true. However, the effectiveness of the teacher determines exactly where that door leads to. The No Child Left Behind Act recognizes the importance of quality teachers in improving student educational achievement in that it mandates that all students should be taught by “highly qualified teachers” because every child deserve equal opportunities.

 

It is believed and proven that women are being discriminated from having so-called opportunities and good education compared to men. UNESCO Institute of Statistics (2016) analysed that 31 million girls of primary school age do not attend school and about 17 million of them will probably never attend school in their lifetimes. Not only that,  John Birger (2015) reported that women are harder to get into elite college than men. As a proof, US Department of Education (2014) found 11% men were accepted to Brown University verses 7% of women in 2014.

 

In Malaysia, the phenomenon seems to be different as the dominance of each gender is likey to equal. Mohd Firdaus Raih (2018) claims most of Malaysian’s researchers are female and The United Nations has acknowledged Malaysia to be a world leader in encouraging girls and women to participate actively in Science. In Addition, Chong Da Wan (2018) emphasized that females have outnumbered males in higher education by comparing the gender enrolment, however there is overrepresentation of females in public universities in all disciplines except engineering, manufacturing and construction  and at all levels except doctorate. After all, it is a positive phenomenon as the discrimination  does not play a big role in our beloved country.

 

In conclusion, the discrimination of  gender in education is still unsolved as girls and young women are being discriminated from having good quality of education in many parts of the globe. Indeed, good opportunities should be evenly distributed for everyone no matter someone’s race, gender, religion or anything else.

 

https://www.nst.com.my/authors/mohd-firdaus-raih