Interesting article in the Globe uncovers a 10-percentage point difference between the genders in who goes to college — not surprising given the lopsided high school graduation rate there: 73% of the girls graduate in four years, compared to 58% of the boys.

Here’s the actual study.

I especially appreciate the sophistication of the reporting. Globe reporter James Vanzis made the effort to point out that this is not necessarily a racial issue, which is contrary to what groups such as the AAUW insist. Black females, for example, go to college at a rate that is 5 percentage points higher than white males.

I’d love to give a true-or-false quiz on this issue to federal Education Department officials. I”m betting most would fail, which explains why the department has never engaged this issue.

The Globe article:

College entrance rates rise in Hub
Women are outpacing men by wide margin; Similar disparities found in smaller cities
By James Vaznis, Globe Staff | July 28, 2009

Boston public high school graduates are attending college at a record rate, according to a report being released today, but young women are far outpacing their male counterparts, raising concerns among education officials about a widening achievement gap.

Some 78 percent of the city’s 3,300 high school graduates in 2007 enrolled at two- and four-year colleges. The figure tops the district’s previous high of 77 percent in 2005 and represents a gain of about 9 percentage points over the class of 2000, according to the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University, which prepared the report for the Boston Private Industry Council.

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