Why Boys Are Falling Behind in School

You may be surprised to learn that 80 percent of all high school dropouts are boys. What is more, boys comprise fewer than 50 percent of the current college population. Is this a new phenomenon?

Some experts say that traditional industrial education — the "sit down, be quiet and learn" approach — a system in place for decades and far more suitable to female learning, has been failing boys for a long time. Ask any man if he liked school during his elementary, middle or high school years, and chances are, he'll say no. But years ago, whether or not a boy liked school, he was generally forced to perform because of a strict authority system that was in place to support the educational system. If a boy failed to pay attention or acted out, a teacher or principal could punish him — even by physical means.

Many of today's boys dislike school as much as yesterday's boys, but the authority system that "kept them in line" in the past is gone, leaving boys freer to tune out — and more likely to drop out.

While clearly the answer is not to resort back to physical punishment to enforce learning, the question of how to engage boys in education from preschool through secondary school graduation is only beginning to be addressed. And according to many, the way to help boys learn is to develop educational methods that appeal to a boy's unique learning style. Some educators believe that a boy's learning is best served in single sex classrooms.