Gender
There is still much social commentary about the glass ceiling and gender gap when women’s salaries are compared with men’s in business. Whether or not that gender gap is closing, studies show that girls continue to be underrepresented in science and math.1 However, a 2006 study on mathematics, science, and gender found that the difference in academic and psychological outcomes for males and females is generally small, suggesting that gender similarities vastly outweigh any gender differences.2
Sally Ride, a former astronaut, spoke at the first annual National Summit on the Advancement of Girls in Math and Science (May 15, 2006) and suggested two strategies for keeping girls interested in math and science:
- Involve them in after-school or summer science and math programs.
- Create mentoring partnerships to pair girls with women scientists.1
Programs that encourage young women in mathematics, science, and engineering show promise. Examples are as follows:
The disproportionate number of boys in science and math stands in contrast to another area in the schools that shows boys at a disadvantage. For example, boys make up two-thirds of students in special education—including 80 percent of those diagnosed with emotional disturbances or autism. Boys are two and a half times as likely as girls to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).3 In addition, boys scored an average of 21 points lower than girls did on standardized writing tests and 11 points lower on standardized reading tests.4 According to William S. Pollock, author of Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, "It’s not just that boys are falling behind girls. . . . It’s that boys are falling behind their own functioning . . .” 5
Despite the high interest in gender studies, it may be artificial to compare boys to girls. In fact, some research indicates that boys have not fallen behind previous achievement levels. Instead, the apparent gender gap arises from the ways in which female students have made strides in all areas of accomplishment, in academics, leadership, and sports.6 For example, an analysis of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) data since 1971 indicates that boys have improved steadily in both math and reading scores. Meanwhile, female students are taking over leadership positions and excelling in academics throughout the educational system.
Girls are being told, ‘Go for it, you can do it.’ They are getting an immense amount of support. Boys hear that the way to shine is athletically. And boys get a lot of mixed messages about what it means to be masculine and what it means to be a student. Does being a good student make you a real man? I don’t think so . . . It is not cool.7
Researchers point out that some groups of boys are struggling because of race and social class, not gender. “Closing racial and economic gaps would help poor and minority boys more than closing gender gaps, and focusing on gender gaps may distract attention from the bigger problems facing these youngsters.”8
Another aspect of the gender gap emerges during timed tests. Vanderbilt University researchers found that girls in both primary and secondary schools perform much better than males do in timed situations. According to the authors of the study, this time-advantage could explain why girls generally do better in school, where many tests and assignments are time-based.9
Middle schools can help to prepare the next generation of young people to take equal responsibility for leadership and scholarship by deliberately encouraging both male and female students of all races and ethnicities to participate actively in all aspects of student life. Mentors can support young people in setting and reaching high personal goals for academics, leadership, service, and athletics. Tutoring centers and mentors can also help young adolescents by giving them practice in the skills they need to succeed, down to details such as giving them practice in completing timed assignments and tests.
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Footnotes
1"Spellings: Encourage Girls in Math, Science" (Outside Source), eSchool News, May 17, 2006.
2 Dan Laitsch, "Mathematics, Science, and Gender", Research Brief, Vol. 4, No. 12, December 22, 2006.
3 Office of Special Education Programs, 25th Annual Report to Congress (Outside Source). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 2003. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; "Mental Health in the United States: Prevalence of and Diagnosis and Medication Treatment for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder—United States, 2003" (Outside Source), Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Sept. 2, 2005.
4 P. Tyre, The Trouble with Boys, Newsweek, January 30, 2006.
5 The New Gender Gap (Outside Source) from Kindergarten to Grad School, Boys Are Becoming the Second Sex, Business Week Online, May 26, 2003.
6 Sara Mead, "The Truth about Boys and Girls" (PDF; Outside Source), Washington, D.C.: Education Sector, 2006, 6.
7 Interview with Dr. Michael Thompson in "The Gender Gap: Boys Lagging" (Outside Source), 60 Minutes, May 25, 2003.
8 Sara Mead, The Truth about Boys and Girls (PDF; Outside Source), Washington, D.C.: Education Sector, 2006.
9 Melanie Moran, "Boys vs. Girls: Research Finds Girls Have Advantage on Timed Tests" (Outside Source), Vanderbilt Register, May 26, 2006.
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