US EditionThe Gender Gap in Math Widened in the Pandemic. Schools Try to Make up Lost Ground
Girls lost ground in math scores during the pandemic while boys recovered faster, widening the gap to nearly nine out of ten districts favoring boys, prompting renewed school efforts.
- In the 2023-2024 school year, boys achieved higher average math scores than girls in almost 90% of U.S. school districts, marking a reversal of the gains girls had made over the previous decade.
- This reversal followed a period when girls had caught up or exceeded boys in math scores, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused special programs to lapse and old biases to reemerge.
- Schools like Irving's de Zavala Middle School have renewed investments in teacher training and introduced hands-on STEM curriculum and gender-balanced classes to rebuild girls' engagement.
- Erin O'Connor emphasized the importance of fostering students' abilities to think independently and solve problems, while Superintendent Kenny Rodrequez highlighted the tendency to rely on familiar methods during times of crisis.
- The widening gender gap reflects ongoing biases and the setbacks caused by the pandemic, indicating that educators face significant challenges in rekindling girls' engagement and achievement in STEM subjects.
32 Articles
32 Articles
In Minnesota schools, why have girls lost ground on math?
Minnesota girls’ math skills fell nearly half a grade level behind boys in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new analysis of standardized test scores. The Associated Press looked at average test scores for third through eighth graders across 15 years in over 5,000 school districts in 33 states, compiled by the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University. Across the country, the analysis shows that schools have lost…
Helena Independent Record
The gender gap in math widened in the pandemic. Schools try to make up lost ground
In 2023-2024, boys on average outscored girls in math in nearly nine out of 10 districts, an analysis of test scores shows.
Schools try to recover after gender gap in math widened in pandemic
IRVING, Texas — Crowded around a workshop table, four girls at de Zavala Middle School puzzled over a Lego machine they had built. As they flashed a purple card in front of a light sensor, nothing happened. Read more...
Chicago Tribune
Hartford CourantThe gender gap in math widened in the pandemic. Schools are trying to make up lost ground.
Crowded around a workshop table, four girls at de Zavala Middle School puzzled over a Lego machine they had built. As they flashed a purple card in front of a light sensor, nothing happened. The teacher at the Dallas-area school had emphasized that in the building process, there is no such thing as mistakes. Only iterations. So the girls dug back into the box of blocks and pulled out an orange card. They held it over the sensor and the machine k…
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