Attention deficit on boys

Last week, Massachusetts educators were delighted to discover that their state's eighth-graders ranked third in the nation on the national writing exam. Then they read the fine print: Twice as many girls as boys earned proficiency ratings.

At least in Massachusetts the top educators noticed. Similar gender gaps are evident in all the states, but most educators ignore the problem.

Many teachers and parents will tell you that's natural because girls excel at writing and reading while boys make up for it in math and science. That conventional wisdom, however, is misleading. Girls enjoy huge advantages in literacy skills, but boys have a much smaller edge in math and science.

The latest National Assessment of Education Progress shows that:

* In writing, 32% of females score proficient or above, compared with 16% of males. In reading, 41% of females are proficient, compared with 29% of males.

*In science, ...