The Gender Gap in Education

Publication, Education, Dennis Owens

Executive Summary

  • A generation ago, female students scored far below males in sciences, a gap that teachers, administrators and school boards have since closed.
  • Today, boys lag behind girls at school, especially in literacy and language arts.
  • In 1999, 9% of 20-year-old women had not completed high school, compared to 15% of 20-year-old-men.
  • Only 42% of university students are men, and the number keeps falling.
  • Today’s teaching styles are on balance better suited to the needs of girls, not boys.
  • Boys lack male role models at school, as few teachers are men.
  • Single-sex classrooms could help both boys and girls to learn better.
  • More men are needed at all levels of the school system.
  • Teachers must accommodate the learning styles of all their students.
  • Parents should have the freedom to choose the school that best suits their child’s needs.

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