This statistical report responds to a request by Congress for a report on educational equity for girls and women. The report assembles a series of indicators that examine the extent to which males and females have access to the same educational opportunities, avail themselves of these opportunities, perform at the same level, succeed at the same rate, and obtain the same benefits. Data are drawn mainly from surveys conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. The report begins with an overview that summarizes the major findings. A series of 44 indicators follows, beginning with preparation for school and moving through elementary and secondary education to postsecondary education, with a consideration of outcomes of education. Data show that in school and in college females are now doing as well or better than males on many indicators, and that the large gaps in educational attainment that once existed between men and women have in most cases been eliminated, and in others have significantly decreased. Women continue to lag behind males in mathematics and science achievement in high school, and they are less likely to major in these fields in college. Women are still under-represented in doctoral and first-degree professional programs, although they have made substantial gains in the last 25 years. (Contains 57 tables and 63 figures.) (SLD)

This fascinating compilation of the recent data on gender differences in education presents a wealth of data, analysed from a multitude of angles in a clear and lively way.

Reports on inequality of education between boys and girls.

This report presents a comprehensive look at girls' educational achievement during the past 35 years, paying special attention to the relationship between girls' and boys' progress. Analyses of 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, provide an overall picture of trends in gender equity from elementary school to college and beyond. Differences among girls and among boys by race/ ethnicity and family income level are evaluated. Together these analyses support three overarching facts about gender equity in schools today: (1) Girls' successes don't come at boys' expense; (2) girls' and boys' educational performance has improved; and (3) understanding disparities by race/ethnicity and family income level is critical to understanding girls' and boys' achievement. The report finds that many girls as well as boys are not acquiring the educational skills needed to succeed in the 21st-century economy. The report dispels the myth of a boys' crisis and calls for a refocused public debate on the deep divisions among schoolchildren by race/ethnicity and family income level. This report illustrates that while educational trends for both girls and boys are generally positive, disparities by race/ethnicity and family income level exist and are critical to understanding the landscape of education in America today. Two appendixes include: (1) NAEP Supplementary Figures; and (2) SAT and ACT Supplementary Figures. (Contains 59 figures and 25 footnotes.) [Funding for this publication was provided by Lilo and Gerard Leeds and the Mooneen Lecce Giving Circle. For the Executive Summary, see ED501320.].