Canada: 'Are girls smarter than boys?'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Ministry statistics provide ample evidence of the gender gap that has been observed by many during grad ceremonies. One set of statistics — the number of students receiving $1,000 provincial scholarships for excellent Grade 12 exam results — shows that hundreds more girls than boys win every year.

Last year, the tests found that 19 per cent of Grade 4 boys in B.C. and 14 per cent of the girls weren’t meeting expectations in reading. The figures were similar for writing with 23 per cent of boys and 13 per cent of girls not making the grade. In math, 21 per cent of boys and 22 per cent of girls weren’t up to par.

Boys had slipped from the honour roll to the suspension list, and not just in Burnaby. Figures from around the province confirmed that female students were much more likely than male students to be successful in school.

Nearly a third of B.C.’s 60 school districts have developed programs to improve boys’ performance, she added. “For example, some districts are engaging students differently and looking at research about brain function and developmental stages of boys and girls and how that affects learning.”

That suggests more than 40 districts are doing nothing.'