In a society where role models in scientific areas are predominantly male and in schools where even though women teachers are plentiful, the sciences are more apt to be taught by men, the message is loud and clear. Role models can have an enormous impact on a child. As we see more working mothers, especially mothers working in technical or scientific fields, the preconceived maleness of science will slowly fade. It is a long slow process which really did not get under way until the last quarter of the twentieth century. To speed up the process, schools must take an active role in the education of young women in the sciences.
Educators often speak of the self fulfilling prophecy.
It is a very real and dangerous effect a teacher can have on a student. If a teacher expects a student to achieve at a certain level, the student will often meet, but rarely exceed those expectations. Only recently have educators been taught not to get caught up in sex-typing and channeling. In schools where the environment is equally challenging for boys and girls, all teachers have science, math and engineering backgrounds, and teachers communicate enthusiasm for math and expect girls to perform as well as boys, girls and boys score equally well on Advanced Placement Examinations. However, expectations are not always enough.