[Is reading and writing performance of boys more dependent on quality of education than the performance of girls?].

In a longitudinal study of the reading and spelling development stable differences between classes were observed. These differences could be explained only in part by differences in the mean of intelligence. In reading and spelling skills the girls were about the same level in all classes, whereas the boys in the low-achievement classes were much poorer readers and spellers than those in the high-achievement classes. The question whether the differences between classes in achievement level could be explained as the consequences of differences in the quality of reading instruction is discussed as well as the additional question whether the larger differences between boys in different classes than between girls might be due to an interaction of factors at school and outside of school.