A longitudinal study has been following all the children born in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, during 1982. Their academic background showed strong correlation with gender, even when eliminating other variables through statistical procedures. A study with 84 teachers tried to identify the process present at schools that could help to understand the differences between the girls' and boys' academic performances. The analysis points out to the female bias in teaching practice, to the self-fulfilling profecy reflected in the good-behavior criterion and to the close relationship between gender and knowledge determinated by the truth-regulations.
