Girls more likely than boys to struggle with social, behavioral, academic needs

Article here. Excerpt:

'The more failing grades students have during eighth grade, the more likely they are to experience social-emotional learning problems, academic difficulties and behavioral problems during their freshman year in high school, researchers found in a new study. And despite the gender stereotype that boys are more likely to be the problem children in school, the researchers found that girls constitute the majority of youths who struggled the most academically, socially and behaviorally.

University of Illinois social work professor Kevin Tan and his co-authors -- graduate students Gaurav Sinha, Esther Shin and Yang Wang -- suggest that school practitioners use failing grades and disciplinary referrals during eighth grade as red flags that students may be in need of extra support when they transition to high school.

More than 320 students were involved in the study, which explored the relationship of social-emotional learning needs with eighth- and ninth-graders' academic performance and behavior. The study was published in the journal Children and Youth Services Review.'