Why Boys Are Behind in Higher Education

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Boys are behind in education at every level, including college.
There is a significant gender gap in higher education, with women being more likely to earn a four-year degree.
Girls tend to develop earlier than boys, including the development of the prefrontal cortex.
The prefrontal cortex is responsible for skills associated with academic success, such as turning in homework and attending classes.
Starting boys in school a year later may help address the educational gap between boys and girls.

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Richard V. Reeves is a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution. He is the author of Dream Hoarders (2017), and a regular contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic. His latest book has made waves worldwide … It’s called OF BOYS AND MEN: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It.

Notes:

How to be a great mom and/or dad?
- Model the right behavior.
- Children believe their eyes more than their ears.
- It’s our responsibility to be that positive role model for children.
"The secret to life is to take your work seriously, but not yourself."
Create a conversation with your team where all ideas are valued equally.
"Communication just moves stuff around. Conversations make something new happen.
"Boys are behind girls in education all over. College is now 60-40 women."
- "In the education system and in terms of many aspects of mental health, boys are really struggling. That isn't to say that girls aren't also struggling but in different ways. In terms of the education system, girls and young women have blown right past boys and men. There's actually a bigger gender gap in education today than there was 50 years ago."
- "Boys develop later than girls. They should go to school one year later than girls."
"The pre-frontal cortex is the CEO of the brain. This develops later in boys than in girls. It’s on us to recognize the facts and act accordingly. In this case, Richard is an advocate for starting boys in school one year later than girls."
Richard's goal:
- "To create men who are acceptable at a dance and available in a shipwreck."
What are the differences between men and women?
- "Women tend to have a higher level of agreeableness."
"We now live in a world where 40% of women earn more than the typical man, where 40% of breadwinners in the U.S. are women. This is a gigantic social change that is entirely positive, looked at through one lens, and we should certainly celebrate it. But... It does raise this question, which is, well, what about men? What does it mean to be a guy in a world where the role of provider can no longer be presumed? What it means is that we urgently, desperately need to update our models of fatherhood, especially, and of masculinity, to fit with this new world."
“The problem with men is typically framed as a problem of men. It is men who must be fixed, one man or boy at a time. This individualist approach is wrong.”
Life/Career advice:
- It takes time to understand how your talents will be best used. Be patient.
- It's not a race.
- Be the type of person that people want to work with… It sounds obvious, but it’s not. Be pleasant, be on time, be a great teammate, be thankful, and do great work.