A new study conducted by Education Sector, an independent think tank, reveals that the so-called “boy crisis” in education that has been much-reported in the media is greatly exaggerated. “The real story is not bad news about boys doing worse; it’s good news about girls doing better” in education, according to the report.
In fact, boys are, on the whole, doing better in school now than they have in the past. Girls are simply outstripping them in educational progress, according to the report. Education Sector does point out that African-American and Hispanic boys, and boys from low-income homes, are testing far below white boys, but this has more to do with race and class than gender.
The researchers at Education Sector believe that the hysteria over boys’ perceived slump in education is based in part on traditional gender stereotypes – “Éthe idea that women might actually surpass men in some areas (even as they remain behind in others) seems hard for many people to swallow,” the report notes.
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