Lack of male teachers "close to crisis"

Story here. Excerpt:

'In 2004, 16 percent of elementary teachers in U.S. public schools were men, according to federal data. It’s also the norm in Washington: One male per six women elementary teachers.

In Clark County’s largest school districts, the ratio is more like 1-to-10.
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So, what does this mean for elementary schoolchildren? Does it affect performance or discipline — for boys or girls?

Education professionals in Washington cannot cite studies that definitively link a dearth of male teachers to poor outcomes. But they agree the disparity can’t be good, and say they see pupils’ hunger for male role models.

“I’m not so sure it isn’t close to a crisis,” said Michael Henniger, associate dean of the Woodring College of Education at Western Washington University in Bellingham. Along with Central Washington University, WWU is the state’s top producer of new teachers.'