<p>I hope I have not argued that there is no “boys crisis.” What I have tried to argue is that the “crisis” is not an educational one, caused by a more “feminine” ethos, a compound of a female-dominated teaching profession, pedagogy that is more suited to girls’ learning style and a grading system that rewards behavior again more associated with girls than boys. </p>
<p>There is a crisis, of course, when so many teenage males are drawn into gangs, or are sitting in jail. But this is extraneous to the educational system. As far as boys’ performance in school, Cheers and others have suggested that it is a matter of maturity. I found the new thread started by ticklemepink very a propos: What finally got your kid going?</p>
<p>In last week’s Sunday NYT magazine, Barbara Ehrenheich had a tongue-in- cheek article. Men will come out ahead of women even with lower college GPAs because employers are de-emphazing academic performance and stressing personal qualities. So the male college slackers who spend their time socializing will have an advantage over the conscientious females who toil in their college library and do the assignments.</p>