Invitation to a Dialogue: Helping Boys Succeed

Letter here. Excerpt:

To the Editor:

Women outperform and outnumber men in postsecondary education, in part because the K-12 system does not provide boys with the same educational experience. It is geared for girls. Our academic system must bolster the experience for girls, but not at the expense of boys.

As we encourage girls to consider STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), we must work equally hard to encourage boys to consider literature, journalism and communications. Boys are often pushed toward math and science, and receive inadequate social support. We need to recognize boys’ differences, and their social and developmental needs.

Gender inequality in postsecondary education is partly the product of a K-12 educational system that presses academic and social skills at an age when girls are typically more socially and physiologically ready than boys.
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When K-12 systems and our culture defer to the boys-will-be-boys notion, we facilitate and accept the willful blindness to a disturbing trend: Women outnumber men by more than 2.8 million in postsecondary education. The gender ratios have essentially flipped from the mid-1970s to today, with boys falling behind in postsecondary success. Disciplinary procedures, physiological differences and teaching practices create greater challenges for boys.
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Editors’ Note: We invite readers to respond briefly by Thursday for the Sunday Dialogue. We plan to publish responses and a rejoinder in the Sunday Review. Email: letters@nytimes.com