The Center on Education Policy has released a report that should be of great concern for those in education, but it may well receive only shrugs because the reasons and solutions seem so elusive.
The CEP looked at how boys and girls score on state reading and math tests around the nation. The Washington-based nonprofit found that boys trail girls in elementary, middle and high school in reading. CEP president Jack Jennings concludes that the lag is "no fluke. It is a clear and unmistakable national trend." What is more, girls are now scoring equally as well in math as boys.
Jennings said in a press call with reporters that even in the states, like Maryland, that have been considered leaders in education reform, the statistics are not good. In Maryland, he said, there is a 10 percentage point gap between girls and boys in middle school in reading. Boys would need another 8 years of education before they could catch up, and they would only get there if girls growth remained stagnant. In Maryland, girls have a four percentage point advantage by middle school.
The gender gap in education has been reported before, but I am not aware of another study that took a comprehensive look at state test data across the nation. What do teachers and administrators believe needs to be done to change the trend? CEP suggests that boys only want to learn about what they are interested in and that textbooks are much more geared toward girls. Once the report becomes available online I will provide a link.