As young people move into adolescence, they begin to explore gender roles. Finding their way through this potential minefield is complicated and challenging for middle school students. The process of determining the variations in masculinity and femininity is largely a social function, not a biological one. In this article, the author discusses the study published by American Association of University Women (AAUW) about how schools were not meeting the needs of young girls. The AAUW (1992) study focused their attention on the issue of educational equity. The author stresses that creating a gender-friendly classroom does not mean that one should create gender-specific activities, divide their classroom, or even insist on single-sex classes. The author did not mean to treat boys and girls equally, but to create equity by purposefully addressing the particular needs of each gender. The differences between boys and girls are also discussed.