Equity & Diversity Blog

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 This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: boys.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 Marriage Experts by the Dozen
The New York Times does a service by collecting short essays from the nation's top marriage experts on the "marriageable mate" dilemma: How are we adjusting to the shifting economic and education relationships between men and women?
Richard Whitmire, January 27, 2010
1 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion New Report from College Board on Minority Males
This report from the College Board was issued as part of a Capitol Hill panel of experts on the plight of minority males.
Richard Whitmire, January 26, 2010
1 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion Two Reports from Judith Kleinfeld
A pair of studies of University of Alaska professor Judith Kleinfeld are available at the top of the Boys Project website.
Richard Whitmire, January 26, 2010
1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Gender Gaps Leveling Off
That's the good news from the American Council on Education's Gender Equity in Higher Education report (available for purchase through ACE) but written about in today's Inside Higher Education and USA Today.
Richard Whitmire, January 26, 2010
1 min read
Education Opinion Score: LAT 1; NYT, 0
Today's editorial in the L.A. Times examines the college gender gaps, concludes that admitting slightly less qualified males is justified and then moves on to the heart of the matter: Why is this happening?
Richard Whitmire, January 25, 2010
1 min read
Reading & Literacy Opinion The Liberals' Explanation for the Boy Troubles
For years now, conservatives have blamed feminized classrooms for boys falling behind. Less attention gets paid to what liberals blame (actually, if you're the AAWU or NOW you say: What boy troubles?).
Richard Whitmire, January 21, 2010
1 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion Getting the Marriageable Mate Story Right
So many missed the point of yesterday's Pew study about the shifting economic relationships between men and women. Many TV producers and headline writers depicted men as somehow finding rich women to marry ...diamonds are now a man's best friend. Cute, but wrong.
Richard Whitmire, January 20, 2010
1 min read
Education Opinion The Most Potent Impact of the Boy Troubles: Marriageable Mate Dilemma
I started my research looking at why boys fall behind in school, but it didn't take long for me to arrive at the bottom line of what all this means. Yes, the economy will suffer some as some talented men are left behind, but the impact felt by most will be what sociologists call the "marriageable mate" dilemma. That's the focus of a Pew report released today and fleshed out nicely by The New York Times.
Richard Whitmire, January 19, 2010
1 min read
Education Opinion Taking Issue With Rocker Ted Nugent
Nugent has one idea of what it takes for men to survive, here in the Washington Times. I have another. Successfully navigating school, I argue, is more urgent than surviving in the woods.
Richard Whitmire, January 17, 2010
1 min read
Education Opinion You Decide: Does Your Blogger Have a Radio Face?
GMA nicely rolled the dice and put me on this morning. Against all odds I didn't freeze. They even built a nice web page on the issue. Let's hope this issue can get some national traction. The audience I'm looking for resides in the U.S. Department of Education: Isn't it time to launch an Australian-style investigation into the gender gaps?
Richard Whitmire, January 15, 2010
1 min read
Education Opinion Education Next Takes On the Gender Gaps
I debate Susan McGee Bailey, the author of the 1992 paper from AAUW arguing that schools are shortchanging girls (not boys). That's the study that got me started on Why Boys Fail. I wrote that up uncritically -- by hindsight, big mistake.
Richard Whitmire, January 15, 2010
1 min read
Education Opinion Your Blogger On ABC's Good Morning America
In theory, that happens today around 8:30 a.m. EST. We'll see...could get bumped. I'm here in New York doing book promotions. Yesterday I chatted on and off for an hour with Gil Gross from the San Francisco powerhouse station KGO.
Richard Whitmire, January 15, 2010
1 min read
Education Opinion Women, Not Men, Taking ESL Courses
Understandable, but still interesting. Actually, what's striking about the coverage of the gender issues by womens enews is its evenhandedness. Refreshing.
Richard Whitmire, January 14, 2010
1 min read