In addition to image problems, some educators are concerned about role models. Almost three-quarters of the public school teachers in the US are women, and it may be that schools disproportionately cater to female interests and reward female patterns of behavior, especially in the elementary grades. The types of stories read in most elementary schools tilt toward girls' interests as well, Dr. Pollack says. In the elementary grades in particular, school activities also favor the fine motor skills involved in writing and drawing, and may ignore the fact that boys develop more slowly in that area. Even in higher grades, there is a pattern of valuing rule-abiding behavior, which is more typically female, over a willingness to challenge authority, says Peter Thorp, principal of Gateway High School in San Francisco.
Boys are more willing to be risktakers and to push the envelope.
That will serve them well in life, he notes, but not in traditional assessments. One puzzle is that schools have not changed much over the decades, suggesting that the problem is more complicated than time-honored practices. You have to look elsewhere for the explanation. Ms. Winder, the guidance counselor, notes that the payoff can be substantial for developing methods that are successful with both sexes. Boys she has worked with, she points out, thrive in college.