New research conducted by the Kathleen Burrow Research Institute at Catholic Schools NSW reveals a growing crisis in boys’ education in Australia, with boys struggling in literacy and over-represented among the most academically vulnerable school students. This trend is driving adverse outcomes for young men in higher educational attainment, employment participation, and other stages of life.
While educational gender gaps in schooling are often framed around the average differences between boys and girls, a pressing concern lies in the over-representation of boys among the lowest performing students.
NAPLAN data reveals boys are twice as likely as girls to score in the lowest performance bands in the literacy domains. Even in numeracy, where boys traditionally outperform girls on average, the weakest performers are equally likely to be boys. Global comparisons indicate that the challenges facing boys are not unique to Australia; similar disparities are seen in comparable countries.
Despite the scale of the problem, the educational underperformance of boys has not received commensurate policy attention. Government monitoring and reporting often focuses on areas where girls lag, while overlooking even wider disparities to the detriment of boys.
Dallas McInerney, CEO of Catholic Schools NSW, said that this report confirms the concerns of many parents and teachers who have watched their boys continuously struggle and fall behind in their education.
‘This problem is not unique to Australia; we’re seeing similar trends of a growing decline in boys’ education in other countries. It’s a trend that has been regarded as almost normal to many.’
‘For Catholic education, this is a priority, recognising and responding to the particular needs of boys in our schools so no student is left behind and all can succeed.
‘While this may be well-known to many at home or in the classroom, it’s not given enough attention on a policy-making level. Reports on the gender gap in education need to highlight where boys are falling behind; we must address every level of disadvantage.’
‘Schools need to cater to the needs of every student; every child deserves the opportunity to flourish in their education.’
The report can be accessed on the Catholic Schools NSW website here.