Gender and Mathematics Achievement in China and the United States

This study examines the relationship between gender and mathematics achievement among students in China and the United States, with an emphasis on the gender gap among mathematically talented students. The results show that in neither the US nor China are there gender differences in eighth grade math-achievement test scores. In China, there are no gender differences in mean college entrance examination math scores among high-school seniors, while in America, the mean SAT-Math score among male high-school seniors has been consistently higher than those of their female counterparts. In both the US and China, there are gender differences among the top math performers on college entrance examinations; boys are over-represented. The Chinese national mathematics curriculum, well-trained teachers, beliefs by students and their parents that academic achievement is more a product of effort than of natural ability, a gender-neutral parental expectation for children’s education, and generous family spending on the education of girls are suggested as possible factors underlying the comparable performance of the Chinese female and male students. The sorting system at Chinese secondary school level and a cultural stereotype favoring boys in mathematics are suggested as possible contributors to the math-achievement gender gap found among the top Chinese high school seniors.

Fostering educational prosperity: A randomized controlled trial of home tutoring in foster care

The educational gap between children in out-of-home care and their non-placed peers is well-documented. However, tutoring stands out as a promising intervention to raise children's educational attainment in out-of-home care. This study randomized 105 children in foster care (62% girls, aged 7–15 years [M = 10.3, SD = 2.0]) to the home tutoring program Foster Caregivers as Tutors (FCT) or regular public school services (treatment as usual [TAU]). In the FCT group, the foster caregivers tutored the children for 2.5 h/week for 40 weeks. The program effect is measured in learning and developmental outcomes, including reading and math ability, learning skills, IQ, executive function, and psychosocial function. Follow-up was 17.5 months after baseline. The results show a significant effect over time in both groups on IQ (effect size [ES] = 0.40, P < 0.001), verbal comprehension (ES = 0.29 P = 0.02) and perceptual reasoning (ES = 0.60, P < 0.001) measured by WISC IV. Neither the FCT nor TAU provided any significant academic recovery in reading and math nor progression in executive function, learning skills or psychosocial function. These findings, implications for practice and future efforts to support the schooling of children in out-of-home care are discussed.