Why Boys Are Behind in School From the Start

New York Times

6 days ago

Girls have been outperforming boys in American schools for decades, from elementary school through college. But the gender gap in education starts even earlier: Boys enter kindergarten less prepared than girls, and this early deficit can compound and help explain some of the recent struggles of boys and young men.
Across measures of kindergarten readiness — including reading, math, motor skills and behaviors like socializing, paying attention and regulating emotions — girls score higher than boys.
Girls Outpace Boys in Kindergarten Skills
Share of U.S. children ages 3 to 5 considered on track for kindergarten in 2022 and 2023 combined.
Source: National Survey of Children's Health
By The New York Times
These are averages, and researchers emphasize that there are many boys with strong skills and girls with lagging skills. Other factors also contribute — the gaps in kindergarten readiness by family income and by race are larger than they are for gender.
But over the last two decades, as those gaps have narrowed, the gender gaps have become more consequential. Kindergarten has become significantly more academic because of a national law passed in 2001, with children expected to spend more time sitting still and learning math and reading — and many boys do not enter with the skills to meet those expectations.
Adding to that, childhood has changed in recent years in ways that could have set back boys further. The isolation of the pandemic delayed young children's development, parents are increasingly stressed, and children are spending more time on screens. These factors affect all children, but they may have been particularly hard on boys, who scientists have shown are more vulnerable to hardship.
Race and Kindergarten Readiness
Share of Ohio kindergartners demonstrating kindergarten readiness in fall 2024.
Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
By The New York Times
Less Art and Play, More Math and Reading
Share of kindergarten teachers who agreed in 1998 and 2010.
Source: Daphna Bassok, Scott Latham and Anna Rorem
By The New York Times
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