A study published today in Business First found that in western New York:
- Girls outnumber boys in the ranks of elite students
- Girls outscore boys on most standardized exams
- Girls outperform boys in most school districts
The results of this study, while sad, don't surprise me. We've talked about the achievement gap between boys and girls before.
But the thing that did surprise me is that in western New York, at least, most of the blame seems to be placed on the boys. One administrator, quoted in the article, said, "Speaking not only as an administrator, but as a father, it seems that girls tend to be a bit more focused."
Not a word in the entire article about how the current education environment is, in many ways, a mismatch for most boys. Our schools expect boys to sit down and be quiet, but boys, by nature, learn best by doing. And if they sit too long, their minds move into a period of rest.
What do you think? What can schools do to close the gender gap? How can schools get boys more involved in learning?
As the Mother of 3 boys, I can totally relate. My youngest son was advised by teachers to get evaluated for ADHD in 4th grade. My question is how did teachers cope with boys 50 years ago? They make it sound like it's a new phenomenon, yet we never hear what boys were like before.
ReplyDeleteHow did you handle that situation?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't think boys have changed as much as society over the last 50 years.