Local Voices: Gregory Linton: Boys need to be educated more effectively

Article here. Excerpt:

'The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released a report titled “America’s Youth at 25,” which showed that among 23-year-olds, 165 women have earned college degrees for every 100 men.

Consequences of this disparity include higher unemployment, a higher crime rate, a lower birth rate and fewer skilled workers for the knowledge economy. What has caused this gender gap? Here are just a few of the many factors offered by analysts such as Leonard Sax, Richard Whitmire, Peg Tyre and Hanna Rosin.

One factor is a father who is absent or lacks a college degree. The lack of interest in education by boys often begins at home. According to the National Kids Count Program, 26 percent of children in the U.S. live in mother-only households. Although many single mothers have overcome obstacles to motivate their sons to earn a college degree, most boys respond better to the influence and example of a father.
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Teacher training programs need to provide much more instruction in educational strategies designed for boys. Other countries report the same gender gap in education, but some, like Australia, are actively seeking remedies for it. The surest way to accomplish gains in our educational outcomes is to begin educating boys more effectively. Until we do, our boys will continue to be left behind, and our nation will continue to suffer the consequences.'