Dr. Peters remarked that, regardless of gender, staff need training about gender-specific issues. She encourages organizations to be strategic about how they select and use staff. Males should not be stereotyped, just as females should not. It can be very helpful for girls to see a male and female staff member working together. For some solicitations, it might be appropriate to specify a staff that is diverse in terms of ethnicity and gender.
Precedents exist, in which there is a gender-specific program within a larger coeducational program.
For example, Virginia created a boot camp for boys. Then they decided to create a boot camp for girls, but it did not work. Ms. Harris observed that this is a great example of a program that is not gender-specific, because it does not address girls' specific needs. It is important to ensure that policymakers receive research results and hard data. Forums such as this Working Group can be helpful.