During the past twenty years, important efforts to ensure educational equity for girls have brought about major changes in our schools; yet subtle sex discrimination still pervades many of our classrooms. In the elementary schools girls still are perceived more favorably than boys, disciplined less harshly, and graded more generously than boys; but boys receive more attention, encouragement, and constructive criticism. Boys emerge from this environment ready to move ahead and surpass their female classmates. Girls bring to their future education and career plans a habit of playing it safe and a collection of nagging doubts about their own abilities which often persist in contradiction to their exceptional grades. If this cycle of inequity and lack of confidence is to be broken, teachers and administrators on all levels must provide visible public leadership so that the community at large will be educated about the essential link between equity and excellence. (BZ)