This study examined gender issues in public education, focusing on the Edina Public Schools, Minnesota. Data gathered from district, state, national, and international sources included student enrollment, student participation in school or district programs, grades from school report cards, standardized test scores, and perceptions and attitudes from surveys on gender similarity and differences. Statewide and national data from the NAEP were also collected. Overall, gender differences in perspectives of environment and student behavior took hold during adolescence. Males and females had unique, equally painful problems. Three times as many boys as girls were in special education. Language arts and social studies were a more female province, while computer science, economics, and sciences were a male province. Girls were more engaged in school and classroom learning, worked harder, and received higher grades and more recognition than boys. Boys were much more likely to be suspended, had more incidents of ill-disciplined and risk taking behaviors, and were more impulsive. Few differences were found in developmental cognitive abilities in the verbal skills. Average academic achievement was similar for boys and girls. However, a disproportionate number of boys performed at the lowest-achieving level, and a disproportionate number of girls performed at or above the highest-achieving level. (Contains approximately 180 references.) (SM)