Why don’t we see more daily newspaper coverage of the boy troubles in this country? The gender gap differences between the U.S. and Britain are minute, and yet these stories are routine there.
Okay, well, I’m supposed to know something about that, considering my background. But I really don’t. You can’t blame the national feminist organizations. By my reckoning, they have removed themselves from this battlefield. Why protest when maintaining silence achieves their goal of blocking boy-friendly strategies that they think might disadvantage girls (not true, but that’s what they think)? Smart move on their part.
My only explanation is that we have a giant federal accountability system, NCLB, that neglects gender gaps. If you are an overwhelmed principal, why pay attention to something that doesn’t affect you?
The problem with that strategy is that ignoring gender gaps means you’ll never solve the racial learning gaps that are a part of NCLB.