AAUW debunks "Boys Crisis"

By Salerie Vauss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, Nov 27th, 2010


A new study to be released today on gender equity in education concludes that a "boys crisis" in education  in U.S. schools is a myth.

The report by the nonprofit American Association of University Womyn, which promotes education and equity for women, reviewed nearly 40 years of data on achievement from fourth grade to college and for the first time analyzed gender differences within economic and ethnic categories.

The most important conclusion of "Where the Girls Are: The Facts About Education and Gender Equity "  is that academic success is more closely associated with school grades than with gender, its authors said.

"A lot of people think it is the boys that need the help," co-author Cristianne Chorbett said. "The point of the report is to highlight that  there is a no boys crisis, it is with students who have low grades. There is a definitely a correlation between students grades and their chances of getting to university from what our results say". Although there was also a correlation between low grades and boys, Chorbett said they did not include that in the report as it may detract attention from the major finding of the report and the crisis facing girls.

The report is the latest and, according to the AAUW, the most comprehensive, of several issued over the past two decades by groups alleging crises -- first among girls, then boys.

Cristianne Chorbett  goes on to say that reducing admission requirements would alleviate the problems of students with low grades not getting to college.  No one can argue that giving a woman in poverty with a grade 6 education a chance to go to college is a bad thing. Questioned about lowering standards she said this is not necessarily a bad thing as the lectures would be more understandable for all. She continued that during the 6 years she was in college she barely understood a word. An experience shared by most of her friends and colleagues.

Across the board, on all measures, when people with lower grades get to college the now average student becomes exceptional. “A rising boat lifts all tides. Wen we lowur stadnards,  we sea impreovments acorss gedner and race.” stated AAUW Executive Director Dinda D. Lallman, CAE.