As state and national policymakers look for ways to improve the rigor of the high school curriculum and enhance student readiness for college, many are turning their attention to increasing course requirements in core academic high school subjects. Existing research shows that students who take high-level course sequences learn more in high school…

Why is it that fewer girls than boys enter and stay in school? What may be done to further increase the school enrollment of girls in developing countries? The answers to these questions constitute the central focus of this paper. It first documents sex differences in primary school participation and wastage rates in developing countries.…