ABSTRACT

Compared to other social institutions, education is probably the most equitable. Like other nations in the developed world, the United States is oriented to credentialism-an individual’s qualifications for a job or another position are based on formal education or training. A college degree is the minimum credential for the most prestigious and financially rewarding positions. Parents are concerned about quality of teaching, curriculum, information technology, and the range of resources and opportunities schools can provide. The issue of equity for parents often focuses on the amount of public funds reserved for their school district. Regardless of funding, concerned parents would be dismayed to discover that their sons and daughters experience the educational process quite differently-even when seated in the same classroom. Education is a sorting process designed to benefit students and society, but gendered schooling brings benefits for some students and liabilities for others. In the most equitable of America’s social institutions, the gender of the child becomes a key determinant in his or her educational journey.