This paper uses a new data source, American Mathematics Competitions, to examine the gender gap among high school students at very high achievement levels. The data bring out several new facts. There is a large gender gap that widens dramatically at percentiles above those that can be examined using standard data sources. An analysis of unobserved heterogeneity indicates that there is only moderate variation in the gender gap across schools. The highest achieving girls in the U.S. are concentrated in a very small set of elite schools, suggesting that almost all girls with the ability to reach high math achievement levels are not doing so.
Published: Glenn Ellison & Ashley Swanson, 2010.
"The Gender Gap in Secondary School Mathematics at High Achievement Levels: Evidence from the American Mathematics Competitions,"
Journal of Economic Perspectives,
American Economic Association, vol. 24(2), pages 109-28, Spring.
You may purchase this paper on-line in .pdf format
from SSRN.com ($5) for electronic delivery.
Acknowledgments
Machine-readable bibliographic record -
MARC,
RIS,
BibTeX
