The challenges and implications of a global decline in the educational attainment and retention of boys

Over the past two decades, policymakers, international organizations, and scholars focusing on gender and education have largely concentrated their efforts on issues relating to girls. However, results from recent international assessments, coupled with data on higher education enrolment rates, have led to a new concern about the performance and retention of males ‒particularly those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. This report examines the growing gender gap in favor of females in education and its implications for the labor market and society by using both empirical data from PISA and TIMSS and case studies from six countries –Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It concludes by offering some recommendations for policymakers who wish to re-engage at-risk boys in education.