The K-12 Climate: Where and Why Do We Lose Girls in Science and Engineering
Ashleigh Cooper
For February 7, 2006

In early kindergarten, girls and boys show no statistical differences in overall math achievement (adding and subtracting), however as early as grade four, girls begin to fall behind in math achievement.(Education 2004)  Additional differences arise years later as shown in the SAT from 2003 in which females averaged 501 and males 537 in the math portion of the test.(Board 2005)  Testing biases aside, there is an obvious discrepancy between girls and boys in math and science and the primary and secondary level. Where do we go wrong? Are girls and boys ‘wired’ differently? Does the K-12 environment encourage girls to not follow science and math?  There has yet to be documented biological evidence supporting a difference between girls and boys math and science aptitude, rather, the difference likely arises from their social environment, perceptions and susceptibility to different teaching methods. (Streitmatter 1999; Tindall and Hamil 2004)  This presentation will examine the K-12 climate, current statistics, and the potential causes for the gender inequity in math and science.  

Assigned Reading

(1) Please look over Trends in Educational Equity of Girls and Women: 2004, from the National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/2005016.pdf
This is an overarching article, but pay particular attention to the Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Mathematics and Science Achievement (Section 6).

(2) The following is an E-Journal from Education (Chula Vista, Calif) and can be found in the UW Library catalog.  Direct Link.
Tindall, T. and B. Hamil (2004). "Gender Disparity in Science Education: The Causes, Consequences, and Solutions." Education 125(2): 282-295.

(3) The last reading is a chapter on “Recent Research on Single-Sex Schooling” from
Streitmatter, J. L. (1999). For Girls Only: Making a Case for Single-Sex Schooling. Albany, NY, State University of New York
The whole chapter is provided in hard copy, and pay particular attention to pages 35-43.

References

AAUW (1992). How Schools Shortchange Girls: A Study of Major Findings On Girls and Education. New York, Marlow & Company.
    
College Entrance Examination Board (2005). National Report on College-Bound Seniors.
    
U.S. Department of Education (2004). Trends in Educational Equity of Girls and Women:  2004, National Center for Education Statistics 1-116.
    
National Science Foundation. (2005). Education: Elementary and Secondary.
    
Streitmatter, J. L. (1999). For Girls Only: Making a Case for Single-Sex Schooling. Albany, NY, State University of New York.
    
Tindall, T. and B. Hamil (2004). "Gender Disparity in Science Education: The Causes, Consequences, and Solutions." Education 125(2): 282-295.