I was wondering when this day would finally come:
At Milton High School, girls outnumber boys by almost 2 to 1 on the honor roll. In Advanced Placement classes, almost 60 percent of the students are female. It's not that girls are smarter than boys, said Doug Anglin, a 17-year-old senior at the high school. Girls are outperforming boys because the school system favors them, said Anglin, who has filed a federal civil rights complaint contending that his school discriminates against boys.Among Anglin's allegations: Girls face fewer restrictions from teachers, like being able to wander the hallways without passes, and girls are rewarded for abiding by the rules, while boys' more rebellious ways are punished. Grading on homework, which sometimes includes points for decorating a notebook, also favor girls, according to Anglin's complaint, filed last month with the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.
No one should get points for decorations outside of art class.
Joanne notes that the teaching field is predominantly female. I think that having more male teachers would help with male students. My guess, though, is that the education programs would have to become a lot more rigorous and a lot less political in order to attract more young men to the teaching profession. I, for one, can't think of any guy who would want to endure a Ph.D. level class that punishes students for stepping over the "lines." (Dr. Helen has more on this topic, too.)
Posted by kswygert at January 30, 2006 09:55 AM