The Chronicle of Higher Education
July 11, 2008

To the Editor:

Having reviewed the new report from the American Association of University Women, Where the Girls Are, I can't help but wonder why Thomas G. Mortenson did not refer to the compelling statistical breakdowns of academic performance by socioeconomic status and race or ethnicity ("Where the Boys Were," The Chronicle, June 6).

Nowhere did Mr. Mortenson acknowledge the significant gap in test scores between white and Hispanic or African-American children. Moreover, he did not mention that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds always did worse.

I agree with Mr. Mortenson that there is a boy crisis — according to the AAUW's statistics, Hispanic and African-American boys from low socioeconomic backgrounds are falling behind, although white boys from high socioeconomic backgrounds are not. But given these facts, why would Mr. Mortensen suggest we turn to brain research about gender differences to solve these issues?

Let us advocate for a more comprehensive approach to dealing with educational inequalities in our country.

Matthew Rafalow
Master's Candidate in Sociology and Education
Teachers College
Columbia University
New York

http://chronicle.com
Section: The Chronicle Review
Volume 54, Issue 44, Page A24