The call for increased accountability prompts us to reevaluate the effectiveness of all our educational programs. Equity issues always bear a close look because often these factors have a huge impact on student performance. We re all aware that socioeconomics, ethnicity, language, family structure, and values are variables that must be considered. But sometimes we may forget the role that gender can play in a child's educational experience. We are not in a position to do much about a child's home life, but we can control they way we interact with boys and girls while they are at school, and we can be more conscious of opportunities we provide all students.
Boys tend to use computers for problem solving and programming.
Girls tend to use computers for word processing. Boys are far more likely to enroll in advanced computing courses and also have more experience with computers outside the classroom than do girls. The technology gap seems to widen as students move through the system beginning in late elementary grades. By the time students reach college age, most girls have opted out of computer science or engineering courses of study which can lead to well-paying jobs in the future. Many theories address why girls seem to lose interest in computer use after early elementary school.