Education

Education remains a critical factor in the lives of youth today, especially with the advent and consequences of No Child Left Behind (2001), and continued changes in demographic, academic, and technological demands of the workforce. With girls and boys exhibiting different educational trends and needs from K-16, there is opportunity for out-of-school time and youth development programs to benefit girls and boys socially, emotionally, as well as academically.

Statistics

• Female kindergarteners (83%) are somewhat more likely than their male counterparts (79%) to exhibit the following positive social behaviors: ease in joining others in play; ability to make and keep friends; and positively interacting with peers. (ChildTrends.org, Child and Youth Indicators Databank: Kindergartners' Social Interaction Skills, 2006)

• In 2005, female fourth- and eighth-graders both scored higher on average in reading than their male counterparts. (National Center for Education Statistics, The Nation's Report Card: Reading 2005)

• In 2005, female fourth- and eighth-graders scored lower on average in mathematics than their male counterparts. However, both male and female fourth-graders' average scores were higher in 2005 than in any previous assessment year. (National Center for Education Statistics, The Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2005)

• In 2005 eighth- and twelfth-grade male students outperformed female students in science. (National Center for Education Statistics, The Nation's Report Card: Science 2005)

• A slightly higher percentage of females than males completed high school in 2005 (87% compared with 85%, respectively). In 2005, females were also more likely than males to have completed some college (62% compared with 52%, respectively) and to have received at least a bachelor's degree (32% compared with 26%, respectively). (ChildTrends.org, Child and Youth Indicators Databank: Educational Attainment, 2006)

• In 2004, 9% of females ages 16 to 24 were high school dropouts, compared with 12% of males. Females comprise one-half of the population and make up 43% of the dropouts in this age group. (ChildTrends.org, Child and Youth Indicators Databank: High School Dropout Rates, 2006)

• In 2005, high school females (14.8%) were nearly half as likely as high school males (27.4%) to use computers more than 3 hours on an average school day for something not related to school work (e.g., played video or computer games). (Centers for Disease Control, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—2005)

• In 2000, the majority of students who took AP tests received a passing score that would earn college credit, but female test takers were less likely than their male counterparts to earn passing scores. (National Science Foundation, Science and Engineering Indicators 2006)

• In 2000, sex differences occurred in science coursetaking but not in mathematics. More females than males completed courses in advanced biology, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) biology, and chemistry. Males completed physics and AP/IB physics courses at higher rates than females. (National Science Foundation, Science and Engineering Indicators, 2006)

• In 2000, women earned more than half of the degrees awarded in psychology (78%), biological/agricultural sciences (59%), and social sciences (55%), and almost half (47%) in mathematics. However, women received 21% of bachelors degrees awarded in engineering, 27% in computer sciences, and 43% in physical sciences. (National Science Foundation, Science and Engineering Indicators 2006)

• For girls ages 8-12, aspirations after high school are largely educational and professional: 93% for college education; 76% for a career; 67% for marriage; and, 63% for children. (The Girl Scout Research Institute, Teens Before Their Time (2000))