A "Boys' Crisis"?

Who is Really Missing?

This issue of On Campus with Women examines the so-named "boys' crisis" in education. Media reports of girls achieving at the expense of boys have caused a panic, yet a careful reading of the statistics shows that, in fact, boys are achieving at higher rates than ever before, just at a slower rate than girls. Moreover, the debate about boys has rarely addressed the critical factors of racial and economic disparities.

The aim of this issue is to look at the limited way the debate has been framed. By analyzing recent data, this issue seeks to reshape the debate. The greatest discrepancies are not between boys and girls but between different kinds of boys. Michael Kimmel, Jakobi Williams, and Shaun Harper, offer perspectives on what those troubling inequalities are all about. Jacqueline King's recent report analyzes how racial and economic divisions affect who sits in college classes or graduates. The issue also reminds readers about how women's increased academic success affects their overall economic and social status, which is highlighted by the very different educational opportunities for women and girls in most developing countries.

The Director's Outlook by Caryn McTighe Musil argues that myths about gender distort creative solutions for the future, while Johnnella Butler's Campus Women Lead article builds on this theme by exploring how intersectionality is key to understanding who the "missing men" are. Butler calls for education not to be merely a marker of success, but a tool for positive social change.