Introduction to the Gender Gap in Math
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 kicked into motion.
The Impact of the Pandemic on STEM Education
In de Zavala’s first year as a choice school focused on science, technology, engineering, and math, the school recruited a sixth-grade class that’s half girls. School leaders are hoping the girls will stick with STEM fields. In de Zavala’s higher grades — whose students joined before it was a STEM school — some elective STEM classes have just one girl enrolled. Efforts to close the gap between boys and girls in STEM classes are picking up after losing steam nationwide during the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools have extensive work ahead to make up for the ground girls lost, in both interest and performance.
The Gender Gap in Math Test Scores
In the years leading up to the pandemic, the gender gap nearly closed. But within a few years, girls lost all the ground they had gained in math test scores over the previous decade, according to an Associated Press analysis. While boys’ scores also suffered during COVID, they have recovered faster than girls, widening the gender gap. As learning went online, special programs to engage girls lapsed — and schools were slow to restart them. Zoom school also emphasized rote learning, a technique based on repetition that some experts believe may favor boys, instead of teaching students to solve problems in different ways, which may benefit girls.
The Pandemic’s Effect on Progress Toward Closing the Gender Gap
In most school districts in the 2008-2009 school year, boys had higher average math scores on standardized tests than girls, according to AP’s analysis, which looked at scores across 15 years in over 5,000 school districts. It was based on average test scores for third through eighth graders in 33 states, compiled by the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University. A decade later, girls had not only caught up, they were ahead: Slightly more than half of districts had higher math averages for girls. Within a few years of the pandemic, the parity disappeared. In 2023-2024, boys on average outscored girls in math in nearly nine out of 10 districts.
Initiatives to Boost Girls’ Confidence in STEM
In the years leading up to the pandemic, teaching practices shifted to deemphasize speed, competition, and rote memorization. Through new curriculum standards, schools moved toward research-backed methods that emphasized how to think flexibly to solve problems and how to tackle numeric problems conceptually. Educators also promoted participation in STEM subjects and programs that boosted girls’ confidence, including extracurriculars that emphasized hands-on learning and connected abstract concepts to real-life applications. When STEM courses had large male enrollment, Superintendent Kenny Rodrequez noticed girls losing interest as boys dominated classroom discussions at his schools in Grandview C-4 District outside Kansas City. Girls were significantly more engaged after the district moved some of its introductory hands-on STEM curriculum to the lower grade levels and balanced classes by gender, he said.
Bias Against Girls in STEM
Despite shifts in societal perceptions, a bias against girls persists in science and math subjects, according to teachers, administrators, and advocates. It becomes a message girls can internalize about their own abilities, they say, even at a very young age. In his third-grade classroom in Washington, D.C., teacher Raphael Bonhomme starts the year with an exercise where students break down what makes up their identity. Rarely do the girls describe themselves as good at math. Already, some say they are “not a math person.” Girls also may have been more sensitive to changes in instructional methods spurred by the pandemic, said Janine Remillard, a math education professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Research has found girls tend to prefer learning things that are connected to real-life examples, while boys generally do better in a competitive environment.
A School District Renews Its Commitment
At de Zavala Middle School in Irving, the STEM program is part of a push that aims to build curiosity, resilience, and problem-solving across subjects. Coming out of the pandemic, Irving schools had to make a renewed investment in training for teachers, said Erin O’Connor, a STEM and innovation specialist there. The district last year also piloted a new science curriculum from Lego Education. The lesson involving the machine at de Zavala, for example, had students learn about kinetic energy. Fifth graders learned about genetics by building dinosaurs and their offspring with Lego blocks, identifying shared traits. “It is just rebuilding the culture of, we want to build critical thinkers and problem solvers,” O’Connor said.
Conclusion
The gender gap in math has widened, and schools are trying to make up lost ground. Efforts to close the gap between boys and girls in STEM classes are picking up after losing steam nationwide during the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools have extensive work ahead to make up for the ground girls lost, in both interest and performance. By renewing their commitment to STEM education and providing girls with opportunities to engage in hands-on learning and real-life applications, schools can help close the gender gap and build a more diverse and inclusive STEM community.
FAQs
Q: What happened to the gender gap in math during the pandemic?
A: The gender gap in math widened during the pandemic, with boys recovering faster than girls in math test scores.
Q: What can schools do to close the gender gap in STEM?
A: Schools can provide girls with opportunities to engage in hands-on learning and real-life applications, and renew their commitment to STEM education.
Q: Why did girls lose interest in STEM during the pandemic?
A: Girls lost interest in STEM during the pandemic due to a lack of engagement and a bias against girls in science and math subjects.
Q: What is being done to address the bias against girls in STEM?
A: Educators and advocates are working to address the bias against girls in STEM by promoting participation in STEM subjects and programs that boost girls’ confidence.
Q: How can parents support their daughters in STEM education?
A: Parents can support their daughters in STEM education by encouraging them to participate in hands-on learning and real-life applications, and providing them with resources and opportunities to engage in STEM subjects.
