«I JUST READ EVERYTHING»

The issue we'd like the Commission on Civil Rights to investigate is: What's happening with the education of U.S. boys? Why are so few of them applying to and graduating from college? Theories and arguments abound. Some say that boys are more active and thus less able to sit still for long periods -- and as a result, more likely to be categorized as having attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or needing special education. A 2008 study by researchers at Northwestern University found that when girls are involved in a language-related task -- such as reading -- they show more activity in areas of the brain involved in encoding language. Boys use more sensory information to do linguistic tasks. The study suggests boys might do better if they were taught language arts in different ways. Race is a factor as well. The gender gap is starker among African American and Latino students.

Los Angeles Times
Jan 25 2009