The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy

Join us for the release of an important policy brief and policy discussion to explore the gender achievement gap in Massachusetts schools.

The national media have fixed their interests on a brewing controversy in public education. Lead stories in Newsweek and the National Review, as well as features on the Today Show and PBS, have recently declared a crisis in boys’ achievement. After a generation of national panels, funding efforts, and policy interventions designed to remedy the problem of girls being shortchanged by the education system, a growing body of evidence suggests that the pendulum may be swinging in the other direction—that the practices of contemporary American schools may favor females at the expense of their male peers. Disparities between the genders exist to be sure, yet is the picture as one-sided as the media portray?

At this event, the Rennie Center will release and discuss findings from its policy brief entitled, Are Boys Making the Grade? Gender Gaps in Achievement and Attainment. The primary question of this research is: What differences in enrollment and achievement exist between males and females in Massachusetts public schools? Following the research presentation, Dr. William Pollack, director of the Centers for Men and Young Men at McLean Hospital, will deliver a keynote presentation. The event will conclude with a moderated panel discussion with Irwin Blumer, research professor at Boston College and Rosa Smith, president of the Schott Foundation for Public Education.

Research Presentation
Celine Coggins, Ph.D., Research Director, Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy

Keynote Presentation
William Pollack, Ph.D., Director, Centers for Men and Young Men; Director, Continuing Education (Psychology) at McLean Hospital; Assistant Clinical Professor (Psychology), Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Moderated Panel Discussion
Irwin Blumer, Research Professor, Lynch School of Education, Boston College; former Superintendent, Newton Public Schools
Rosa Smith, President, Schott Foundation for Public Education

Moderator
Paul Reville, President, Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy; Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education

REGISTRATION
Call the Rennie Center reservation line at 617-354-0002, ext. 13 or register below using our online form. Registration is free, however space is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. All participants must bring photo identification in order to receive security clearance at the Bank of America auditorium.

About the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy
The Rennie Center's mission is to develop a public agenda that informs and promotes significant improvement of public education in Massachusetts. Our work is motivated by a vision of an education system that creates the opportunity to educate every child to be successful in life, citizenship, employment and life-long learning. Applying nonpartisan, independent research, and civic engagement, the Center is creating a civil space to foster thoughtful public discourse to inform and shape effective policy. For more information, visit us at www.renniecenter.org.