The problem of educational achievement by boys and young men is a long-standing and big one that has been largely ignored by policymakers. This new HEPI report considers the consequences for individuals and society and proposes: (1) adopting a 'boy positive' environment in schools; (2) expanding proven grassroots initiatives that help boys; (3)…

Since the late 1960s, the enrollment of African American students in higher education has steadily increased. Furthermore, the community college system and specifically the California community college system has seen the highest rise in the enrollment of African American students. Despite the rise in their numbers, African American male students…

Boys in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia consistently and significantly underperform compared to girls across different grades and subjects, forming one of the largest gender gaps in student achievement in the world. Saudi Arabia offers a unique setting in which boys and girls attend separate schools on a universal basis starting from grade 1. This…

The academic outcomes for high-profile Black Athletes (HPBAs), the young men participating in men's basketball and football, continue to trail those of their peers, especially in college. Researchers have uncovered ample evidence that dispels beliefs about reduced intellect, instead pointing to systemic injustices that result in academic…

This qualitative study aimed to understand the lived experience of marginalized young men who transformed from low academic achievement to academic success in obtaining post-secondary education. Boys have a long history of underperformance in secondary and post-secondary institutions, especially when they face additional barriers such as first…

Background: In the past decades, there has been a growing concern to understand why boys struggle in school. One of the turning points in students' educational trajectories likely to exacerbate boys' academic difficulties is students' enrolment in private or enriched school programmes, as boys are underrepresented in such programmes. Method: To…

We examined how six gifted boys perceived the onset and development of their academic underachievement and what they identified as contributing aspects. Across the six boys' experiences, a similar pattern of onset and development of academic underachievement emerged. The boys discussed a lack of academic challenge, investment in hobbies, issues…

There has been a growing concern in Kenya that boys have gradually been left out of the gender equation with little research capturing their schooling experiences. When examined, boys' underachievement is treated with suspicion that has led to few studies demonstrating their marginalisation. This paper explored the manifestations of boys'…

Young girls have been dominating boys in terms of educational performance across the globe. This is a very interesting and remarkable shift observed in the global north as well as in the global south. This review paper seeks to give a succinct picture of gender differences in educational performance in the sociocultural context of various…

We examined how six gifted boys perceived the onset and development of their academic underachievement and what they identified as contributing aspects. Across the six boys' experiences, a similar pattern of onset and development of academic underachievement emerged. The boys discussed a lack of academic challenge, investment in hobbies, issues…

A psychological autopsy of an 18-year-old male with dual exceptionalities contributes to our understanding of suicide among students with gifts and talents. Using four theories and models of suicide and research on the lived experience of students with gifts and talents, a comprehensive analysis of this adolescent's life offers implications for…

Since the latter part of the twentieth century there has been increasing recognition of the need for more effective approaches to engaging adolescent boys. Much of the focus in youth work practice and research has previously been dominated by attempts to better understand young male bio-social and cognitive development through examining high risk…

In terms of education attainment in the United Kingdom, the white working class remains the lowest performing ethnic group, and their academic underperformance has ominous implications for their long-term life chances. This chapter investigates how white working-class boys experience pathologization and deficit discourses in their schooling as…

This article explores the quality of teacher-student relationship as it relates to the academic performance of Jamaican male high school students when compared to their female counterparts. The study examined data from a regional examination body and found that girls out-performed boys in all subjects in the period 2011-2016. In extracting data…

Malta, a former British colony, has inherited a legacy of formal education, which remains stubbornly in place even after almost 60 years of independence. Similarly, persistent are arguments in research and policy highlighting democracy and children's rights in early years practice and boys' underachievement in literacy. This paper examines 5- to…