Why Are Boys Still Falling Behind Girls in School Performance?

The 74
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Why Are Boys Still Falling Behind Girls in School Performance? Giving Compass

Giving Compass’ Take:

• Richard Whitmire argues that the gender gap in education – particularly early literacy – persists because of a lack of motivation to make changes to a system that assumes boys will catch up without additional support.

• How can philanthropy support early literacy development for boys and STEM literacy for girls to close both gaps? Is there a way to address these problems together as symptoms of the same root cause of unequal gender expectations?

• Find out how to improve STEM self-esteem in kids.

A recent flurry of articles on boys falling behind in school do a great job laying out the facts — but fall short when it comes to asking the right questions.

Boys got caught up in the rip tide created by the well-intended reforms to boost college readiness, which led to ramped-up literacy skills in the early grades, a time when they are less developmentally equipped to absorb those skills.

Take the recent Atlantic piece as an example. Great facts, all accurate: As of 2015, 72.5 percent of females who recently graduated from high school were enrolled in college, versus 65.8 percent of men (compared to 1967 when 57 percent of the males were in college and 47.2 percent of the females.). All these articles, with roughly the same statistics, could have been written a decade ago.

Why has nothing changed?

None of the relevant players want to take any action, the very reason I pretty much gave up hope on this issue and rarely write about it anymore.

Surely, parents demand explanations for why their sons lag behind their daughters, right? Surprisingly not. Parents are told by educators that boys are just slow starters. Be patient, they counsel, he’ll catch up. So dads keep tossing footballs with their sons and reading to their daughters, clueless about the brutal reality that a lot of sons never catch up.

Read the full article boy’s school performance by Richard Whitmire at The 74.

Since you are interested in K-12 Education, have you read these selections from Giving Compass related to impact giving and K-12 Education?

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Low Income, Minority Schools Are Losing Resources

    Congress should provide incentives to states to change school funding formulas that often shortchange districts serving the most low-income and minority students, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. As poverty becomes increasingly concentrated, the report notes, education funding disparities often leave schools ill-equipped to provide students an adequate education. The report, Commission Chair Catherine Lhamon said, is “distressingly topical” as public outrage mounts in Baltimore, where schools closed last week after 60 buildings reported heating problems “after years of insufficient funding.” Before the closures, students were attending classes wearing coats, gloves, and hats. On average, school districts in the U.S. spend roughly $11,000 per pupil each year, with an overwhelming majority of that money derived from local tax dollars, a figure that fluctuates based on wealth. As a result, the report notes, the country’s poorest districts receive an average of $1,200 less per pupil than their wealthiest counterparts. Similarly, districts with the most students of color receive about $2,000 less per pupil than the whitest schools. Although the federal government provides only a fraction of schools’ total education dollars, the report called on Congress to take “bold action” to ensure local and state governments provide resources equitably. Read the full article about low income, minority schools by Mark Keierlbeber at The 74.

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