Improving Boys' Verbal Performances

Improving Boys' Verbal Performances
August 08, 2006
Vox Populi
By Denise Noe

Ever since the abilities of school-age children have been measured by
standardized tests, girls have scored higher than boys on verbal
ability and boys have outperformed girls in math.

The poor performance of females in math was alarming to many people.
After all, ours is an increasingly technological world in which people
without math skills are often left economically behind as well as
simply baffled. Why did so many girls and women appear to possess poor
math ability? Several well-done studies pointed to biological
differences between the genders. Boys and men appeared to have a
"math edge" due to genetics, hormones, and/or brain structure.

However, the possibility of a biological element in men's
mathematical superiority does not mean that women's ability in this
area is immune to improvement. In the last couple of decades, efforts
have been made to help females develop better math skills. Although
their performance in this area still does not equal that of boys, girls
have made splendid strides.

There has been no comparable improvement in boys' verbal scores -
but neither has there been a campaign to help them in this area. One
should be launched and it ought to be supported by anyone who has the
best interests of boys at heart.

Now, it will be argued that men and women are naturally different and
that, for genetic and hormonal reasons, females are by nature verbally
superior to males. Perhaps. However, even if there are biological
factors contributing to male weakness in this area, there is much that
can be done culturally to strengthen them. If anyone doubts that we can
lift male reading and writing abilities, he or she need only look at
the rise in female math scores to see the positive results of concerted
education.

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