The large academic achievement gaps that once existed between males and females have been eliminated in most cases and have significantly decreased in others, according to a new study by the U.S. Department of Education.

In elementary school, female fourth-graders outperformed their male peers in reading (2003) and writing (2002) assessments. Gender differences in mathematics achievement have been small and fluctuated slightly between 1990 and 2003. At the secondary school level, the gap in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading achievement grew from 10 points in 1992 to 16 points in 2002, with males performing lower than females. Females entering college baccalaureate programs were more likely than their male counterparts to graduate within six years. In 2001, the overall participation rate of females in adult education was higher than that of their male peers (53 percent vs. 46 percent).

Other findings are that:

• Females are less likely to repeat a grade and to drop out of high school.
• Differences based on gender in math and science course-taking appear to be shrinking.
• Female high school seniors tend to have higher educational aspirations than their male peers.
• Females have made substantial progress at the graduate level overall, but they still earn fewer than half of the degrees in many fields.

"It is clear that girls are taking education very seriously and that they have made tremendous strides," said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. "The issue now is that boys seem to be falling behind. We need to spend some time researching the problem so that we can give boys the support to succeed academically."

The study presents comparisons between males and females regarding preprimary education, elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education, and educational outcomes. Women overall have made substantial gains over the past 30 years educationally, although they are still underrepresented in some fields of study, such as computer science, engineering, and physical sciences, as well as more generally in doctoral and first-professional degree programs, the study found.

Trends in Educational Equity of Girls and Women was produced by the Department's National Center for Education Statistics in the Institute of Education Sciences, and responds to legislation under the No Child Left Behind Act. It is an update and substantial revision of an earlier study released in 2000.

To download or view the report, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005016

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