Gender issues in mathematics achievement in Tennessee: Does rural school locale matter

The purpose of this study was to investigate achievement differences of middle school and high school students in Tennessee as well as high school mathematics course enrollment as related to gender, school locale, school location, and Socio-economic Status (SES). Using data accessed from the Tennessee Department of Education's 2003 Report Card, median male and female mathematics scores from the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) were used to examine middle school students' achievement. Scores from the ACT Mathematics subtest were obtained from students completing the test during the 2002--2003 school year to explore achievement differences at the high school level. Finally, surveys were sent to each high school in Tennessee to study mathematics course enrollment figures.;Collected data were analyzed to investigate differences in gender over school locale (Rural, Large Central City, Other Nonrural), location (Appalachian or Non Appalachian), and SES. A school's SES was categorized by the percentage of disadvantaged students, those receiving free or reduced lunch, as low to moderate (less than 50 percent of students receiving free or reduced lunch), high (50 to 74.99 percent) and highest (75 percent or more).;Statistically significant gender differences were found at both the middle school and high school level in mathematics achievement. Expected differences were also found with respect to mathematics achievement and SES. Several other interactions of gender, locale, and/or SES were found with respect to high school achievement. Of special note was the interaction between school locale and SES. A similar pattern of interaction between these two variables was found for each of the middle grades as well as high school mathematics achievement.;In terms of course enrollment, gender differences were found for courses with the exception of Calculus and Algebra. Although the percentage differences in enrollment were statistically significant, they were not large. The pattern of gender difference in courses beyond Algebra is of specific interest.