The shortage of minority teachers makes it difficult for schools to relate to diverse students and their parents. Thanks to the gender gap, young men can traverse the whole of their elementary and middle school experience without ever encountering a male teacher. In early grades, where the vast majority of teachers are women, boys are more likely than girls to have problems reading, even if their skills are comparable to female peers. Is it any wonder that, later on, far fewer minority men than women finish high school and go on to college?
