Opinion
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion

For the Sake of the Boys: Keep the SAT

By Richard Whitmire — December 03, 2010 1 min read
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When it comes to schooling, the SAT (not counting football) is about the only standout for boys. It’s an aptitude-heavy test, which means actual school learning counts less. As Mona Charen pleads (on behalf of her own sons and other boys): please, for the sake of the boys, keep the SAT.

She has a point. Nobody has ever said boys are less bright than girls. Problem is, a good SAT score will get you only so far. As Maryland’s Towson University learned in an experimental admissions program, admitting males with high SAT scores and poor grades doesn’t really work. The bad study habits from high school just get carried over into college.

The opinions expressed in Why Boys Fail are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.