Girls are scoring just as high in math as boys, according to a new study, suggesting programs encouraging girls’ participation in math and science are working.
Researchers hope this data will shatter a lingering perception that boys are better at math.
“That stereotype is still around. Teachers still believe it, and parents still believe it,” said Janet Hyde, lead author on the study and psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In some cases, such as in Howard County, that notion of boys surpassing girls has already been debunked.
The most recent math assessment data for second grade up through the High School Assessments in algebra, girls outperformed their male peers — albeit by a narrow margin, said Jon Wray, a secondary mathematics instructional facilitator in Howard and the president of the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics, a professional organization.
In Maryland, about the same or slightly higher percentage of girls passed the state High School Assessment test than boys in the last two years.
Across the state, math teachers are re-examining how they are teaching the subject, Wray said. For example, some teachers are using group settings, to which girls tend to respond.
“I think organizations like [the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics] have educated administrators and school board members and parents about really changing their attitudes and belief systems about the importance of equity,” Wray said.
Studies on boys’ and girls’ performance in math abound, but Hyde’s is the largest, she said, as she and her team of researchers evaluated SAT results and standardized math scores for 7 million students.
On average, there was essentially no difference in the scores, Hyde said.
Hyde acknowledged that traditionally boys have scored better than girls, but that gap has narrowed over the last few decades.
“Something has happened in American education in the last 20 years,” said Jack Jennings, president of the Center for Education Policy, a national public education advocate.
But exactly what happened to prompt the shift is “a matter of mystery,” he said.
Hyde noted that the more girls are encouraged to take advanced math classes, the better they will do on the tests.
“We have to continue these efforts,” she said. “We can’t just rest on our laurels.”
