Where the Girls Are

This article presents a comprehensive study of the gender differences in educational achievement and progress during the past 35 years. The study highlights trends in gender equity from elementary school to college by utilizing results from national standardized tests such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the SAT and ACT college entrance examinations, as well as other measures of educational achievement. (The researchers also pay close attention and evaluate differences among girls and among boys by race/ethnicity and family income level.) The three main findings of the research are:
1. “Girls’ successes don’t come at boys’ expense”: In fact, there are patterns that demonstrate positive connections between boys’ and girls’ educational achievement as well as graduation rates.
2. On average, girls’ and boys’ educational performance and graduation rates have improved in recent decades
3. Understanding disparities by race/ethnicity and family income level is critical to understanding girls’ and boys’ achievement, and gender differences in educational achievement vary by race/ ethnicity and family income level.

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Where the Girls Are