Girls Learn Math Anxiety From Female Teachers

University of Texas study: Teachers give girls unfair ratings

(NEWSER) - White girls can't add? According to a national survey, high school teachers rate the math skills of white girls as being lower than those of white boys, even when their test scores are comparable, LiveScience reports. Calling the bias "relatively small in magnitude," two researchers at the University of Texas at Austin wrote that it "suggests that teachers hold the belief that math is just easier for white males than it is for white females." More»

Perceived differences a matter of culture, not biology: study

(NEWSER) - Cross another stereotype off the list: Any differences between men's and women's math abilities are cultural, not innate, a study finds. Studies that have suggested such differences covered too few countries to give an accurate picture, researchers say. The new study, however, reviewed math scores across 86 countries, with a better representation of non-Western societies, reports the Daily Mail . "We found that boys—as well as girls—tend to do better in maths when raised in countries where females have better equality, and that's new and important," says one researcher. More»

(NEWSER) - Many Asian American parents' strong bias for sons is beginning to emerge in US birth statistics, reports the New York Times. Chinese, Korean and Indian immigrant families are more likely to abort female embryos and use in-vitro fertilization to have a treasured boy, particularly after the first or second daughter, say experts. No similar basis was detected among Japanese American families in census figures. More»

(NEWSER) - Researchers have discovered that gum-chewing students perform better at math, the Los Angeles Times reports. A study, sponsored by the Wrigley Science Institute, showed that young scholars who chomped on gum while attending math class, doing homework, and taking tests score 3% higher on tests after 14 weeks. Teachers found the chewers more attentive and quieter. More»

City sets new Facebook rules

(NEWSER) - Facing growing controversy over teachers contacting students online, New York City is taking matters into its own hands: The city has created its first set of rules regarding how teachers should operate on Facebook and beyond. Teachers are forbidden from "friending" students on Facebook and following them on Twitter, NPR reports. They are, however, allowed to have professional Facebook pages that the kids can follow. More»