Why Boys Fail
This blog was written by Richard Whitmire, a former editorial writer at USA Today and past board president of the National Education Writers Association, and a frequent opinion commentator on national education issues. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: boys.
Education
Opinion
Expect To See More of This Story
Okay, maybe the commentary here saying that women dominating the news business has altered coverage is thin, but it's early in the process. Expect more on this topic in the coming years. I come from the MSM newspaper business, and I've seen it become more feminized every year. My book, Why Boys Fail, includes a section profiling the ABC News Washington bureau chief, a pioneer in her field, watching over the years as women came to dominate most of the roles except for on-air, where the viewer-perception is that the genders are equally balanced.
Reading & Literacy
Opinion
ReadWriteThink and Other Reading Issues
That's the name of this unique resource partially sponsored by the International Reading Association. I often get questions from parents looking for help with encouraging their sons to read. This is the kind of site I like to recommend.
Education
Opinion
Another Turkey Baster Baby...
....born to a highly educated white woman ... that's my take-away from this Times profile of Lori Gottlieb, author of "Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough."
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Shortage of Male Teachers an International Issue
In Australia, some commentators are linking the disappearance of male teachers to a rise in crime. In viewing the male teacher issue it's important to keep two things separate: Do boys do better academically under a male teacher? And, do boys need a male teacher as a role model? My reporting indicates no to the first question, yes to the second.
School Choice & Charters
Opinion
Lessons from Single-Sex Classrooms
Given that the U.S. Department of Education has nothing to offer schools on how to design successful single-sex classrooms, these anecdotal observations are worth noting. This from the Tampa Tribune.
Teaching
Opinion
The Atlantic Weighs in on Marriageable Mate
Thanks to reader Scott Steinbrecker for pointing out this Atlantic piece on the changing economic relationships between men and women. Once again, the focus is on the economy, rather than education gender gaps -- the factor I believe will propel this development into the future.
Education Funding
Opinion
This Story is Just Beginning to Get Told
The Washington Post today has a good feature today on how the "man-cession" is affecting families, leaving fewer women with the option of staying home and making more women the sole breadwinners. What the story doesn't get at is the factor that will give this trend legs into the future -- the unbalanced gender education story. Put simply, women are becoming far more employable regardless of economic conditions.
Reading & Literacy
Opinion
Controversy over The Times Campus Dating Story
Gawker serves as the vehicle for the complaints from some of the students quoted in the Times story about the dating dilemma on campuses where the female population reaches 60 percent. I blogged on that and linked my reporting on the situation, based on a visit to Virginia's James Madison University.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
'Men of Merit' in College
While researching my book I spent a couple of days at California State University in Fullerton, in the exurbs of Los Angeles. This huge university, which draws mostly commuter students from families with little college-going experience, serves as a bellwether -- reflecting the racial and ethnic mix of the future.
Education Funding
Opinion
Give Men a Snow Shovel
Kathleen Parker has a great column in today's Washington Post about when men feel most purposeful.
Education
Opinion
Lookin' for Boys in all the Wrong Places....
This commentary I wrote for today's Chronicle of Higher Education fleshes out a little-known offshoot of the boy troubles found in many high-poverty high schools -- the ninth grade "bulge."
Education
Opinion
Finding Mr. Good Enough
The marriageable mate dilemma is likely to be the enduring impact of educational inequities. It's a simple math problem: 62 percent of those earning associate's degrees and 57 percent of those receiving bachelor's degrees are female. If women are looking for an equally educated mate, some are going to come up short.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
The Times Discovers the Gender-Skewed Campus Scene
When campuses approach 60 percent female, the dating scene gets out of kilter, and not in a healthy way. In this Styles piece, the Times puts a cute face on it.