I. Students' Goals, Expectations and Self-Perception.

1. Girls are more likely than boys to see themselves as college bound.

• Three of four (74%) girls, compared to three of five (61%) boys, say they are very likely to attend college.

• Teachers estimate that 48% of girls, but only 43% of boys, will graduate from college.

• Most students (98%) feel they are at least somewhat likely to find a job in the field of their choice; however, only half (50%) feel they are very likely to do so. Minority boys are the least inclined (35%) to say that prospects of finding a job in their field of choice is very likely.

2. Girls are more likely than boys to want a good education, especially minority girls.

• Students were asked what their top three goals are. The top first choice for both girls (54%) and boys (47%) is "to get a good education." About one in ten students choose "to get married and have a family" (11%), "to make a lot of money" (11%) and "to get a good job" (10%). Minority girls are much more likely than minority boys (76% vs. 57%) to choose a good education as their top goal.

• When considering first, second and third choices together, more girls than boys choose education (73% vs. 60%). This difference is more dramatic between minority girls and minority boys (90% vs. 67%).

• White students (66%) are more likely than African-American (48%) or Hispanic (53%) students to choose marriage and family as one of their top three choices.

• When asked to choose from a list of ten qualities the one they are best at, boys most often choose sports (37%) while girls show a preference for people skills, including working with people (14%) and understanding people (17%). Only ten percent of boys choose one of these responses.

• Students were also asked what they like most about themselves. Personality received top ranking among girls (21%) but ranked third among boys (14%). Boys most often cited their ability to make people laugh (16%) and their athletic ability (16%).

1. Boys and girls report similar degrees of confidence in their ability to achieve their goals and are equally likely to have high expectations for their future, but teachers believe girls have more confidence and aim higher than boys.

• Three in five students (62%) feel very confident that they will achieve the goals they set for themselves. Responses are consistent for boys and girls, but differ by race and school level.

1. African Americans are somewhat more likely to feel very confident about achieving their future goals than White or Hispanic students (76% vs. 62% and 59%, respectively).

2. Older students (in grades 9-12) exhibit less confidence than younger students (in grades 7-8) (58% vs. 69%).

• Half of all teachers (50%) believe girls appear more confident than boys in their ability to achieve the goals they set for themselves; only one third (33%) believe boys have more confidence.

• Three-quarters (77%) of all students have high expectations for their future, and eight in ten (83%) expect to find their future job or career rewarding.

• Only 15% of all students agree with the statement that "boys set higher goals for the future than girls do;" eight in ten students disagree with this statement. This belief is consistent for boys and girls.

• A large majority of students (81%) also believe that "girls are as competitive as boys."

3. Minority girls are the group most likely to believe in equal opportunities.

• Two-thirds (68%) of all students believe they will have the same opportunities as others to succeed in life.

• Minority girls are much more likely than boys to believe that they will have the same opportunities as others (74% vs. 52%). Minority girls also respond more positively on this dimension than white boys (71%) and white girls (68%).

• Most teachers (75%) believe boys and girls do have equal opportunities to pursue the careers of their choice, yet one-quarter (24%) feel they don't.

III. Striving to Meet Their Goals

1. Students believe boys and girls face different roadblocks in striving to reach their goals. The obstacles cited most often for boys is too much competition, and for girls it is fewer opportunities in society.

• Students are more likely to say that striving for goals is easier for boys than it is for girls (68% vs. 67%).

• When asked to explain the difficulties girls experience when pusuing their goals, both boys and girls are more likely to believe that there are fewer opportunities in society for girls to succeed (50% vs. 51%, respectively).

• The reason most often cited by boys and girl explain difficulties boys encounter is "to much competition along the way" (45% vs. 44%, respectively).

1.Two in five (43%) girls believe boys encounter difficulties because they are not motivated enough; boys are less likely to believe this (35%).

2. Boys are more likely than girls to believe that boys are discouraged from pursuing their goals(27% vs. 9%).

• The majority of students believe the attainment of goals is at least somewhat easy (67%) for girls - few say it is very difficult (3%). Girls are somewhat more likely than boys to say it is somewhat easy or very easy (70% vs. 64%).

1. A substantial majority of girls and boys alike are actively encouraged by their parents, teachers and friends to pursue their goals , but girls receive more encouragement from some than boys do.

• Nearly all students (91%) feel their parents actively encourage them to pursue their goals and a substantial majority also feel their teachers do (70%). Depending upon their sex, students feel differently about their teachers; girls are more likely than boys to feel teachers actively encourage them (76% vs. 65%). This difference is more pronounced among students.

• Two in three (66%) minority boys feel their teachers actively encourage them. More than four in five (86%) minority girls feel their teachers actively encourage them.

• Girls feel to a large degree more than boys (69% vs. 57%) that their friends actively encourage them to pursue their goals. This difference is larger among minority students as well.

1. Less than half (48%) of minority boys feel their friends actively encourage them to pursue their goals.

2. By comparison, more than six in ten (63%) minority girls feel encouraged by their friends.

IV. Liking School and Participating in class

1. Minority girls like school the most and white boys like it the least.

• More girls like school than boys (63% vs. 52%), with minority girls (67%) liking school the most and white boys (49%) liking it the least.

• Boys and girls alike enjoy participating in class (62% vs. 65%), but minority girls (69%) enjoy it the most and minority boys (56%) enjoy it the least.

• White boys participate in class more frequently than other groups, with nearly half (46%) participating very often. While there is little self- reported difference among girls and boys (72% vs. 71%) raising their hands more often than boys (37% vs. 78%).

• Girl who raise their hands get called on more often than boys do (72% vs. 66%), and when called on, they feel just as comfortable as boys do (77% vs. 78%).

2. Some students exercise more caution than others when they participate in class.

• Most students (76%) only raised their hand in class if they feel certain that they know the answer; minority girls (48%) appears to be the most cautious about answering and white boys (73%) appear to be the least cautious.

• Minority girls dread being called on by the teacher more than their peers, and white boys dread it the least (30% vs. 21%).

• Minority boys (25%) are the most likely to feel that they are laughed at for answering incorrectly, and white girls (15%) are the least likely.

• Boys, regardless of race, are more likely than girls to feel that they are comptitive in their classes (65% vs. 55%).

3. Girls and boys alike feel they make important contributions in class but race and sex differences are notable.

• Boys and girls (64% and 62%, respectively) alike feel that they make important contributions to class discussions. Minority girls are somewhat less likely to believe that their contributions to class discussions are important (58%).

• Minority boys and minority girls (48% and 47%, respectively) are more likely than their white counterparts (34% and 31%, respectively) to want as much attention from their teachers as possible.

• Minority boys and minority girls (72% and 68%, respectively) are much more inclined than their white counterparts (61% and 58%, respectively) to listen rather than to speak in class.

• More boys than girls (31% vs. 19%) feel that teachers do not listen to what they have to say.

V. Quality of Attention and Feedback from Teachers

1. The majority of students believe they are treated fairly by their teachers, but minoruty boys are the least likely to feel this way.

• The majority of students (77%) believe that they are treated fairly by their teachers. White girls are the most likely to believe that they are treated fairly, and minority boys are the least likely to feel this way (82% vs. 70%).

2. White girls are most likely to receive positive feedback from teachers.

• White girls are most likely to receive positive feedback for correct answers and minority boys and white boys are the least likely (83% vs. 71% and 72%, respectively). In terms of helpful feedback for incorrect answers, white girls and minority girls are the most likely to receive helpful feedback and white boys are least likely (77% and 76% vs. 66%).

• Teachers report that girls ask for help after class more often than do boys (47%-girls vs. 23%-boys).

• Two in five (41%) African American students feel they "very often" receive enough attention from their teachers in class, while only three in ten (31%) white students and one in four (25%) Hispanic students agree. White girls (80%) are most likely to feel they receive enough attention from their teachers, while minority boys (67%) are least likely to feel this way.

• More girls than boys (57% vs. 45%) feel that teachers "very much" encourage them to do their best. This difference is more striking when race and sex are looked at together. Minority girls (66%) are the most likely to feel that they receive a lot of encouragement from their teachers and white boys (44%) are the least likely to feel this way.