How to Solve the Education Crisis for Boys and Men | Richard Reeves | TED

翻译人员: gigide Hulu 校对人员: sylvia feng

In 1972,

1972年，

the US passed a landmark piece of legislation.

美国通过了一项具 有里程碑意义的法案，

The new law was called Title IX,

新法案被称作 《教育修正法第九条》

and it expanded economic and educational opportunities for women,

它拓宽了女性在经济 和教育方面的机会，

especially in higher education.

特别是在高等教育领域。

Back then, there was a 16-percentage-point gap

在当时，大学学位授予方面，

in the awarding of college degrees

男性比女性

in favor of men.

高16%。

Within a decade,

在十年之内，

women had caught up and then just blew right past the men.

女生很快赶上并且超过了男生。

Today, there's an 18-percentage-point gap in the awarding of college degrees.

今天，在授予大学学位方面 的性别差距是18%。

So there's a bigger gender gap today,

也就是说，在美国高等教育领域，

in US higher education,

现在的性别差距，

than there was 50 years ago when Title IX was passed.

比50年前第九修正案 通过时更大了。

It's just the other way around.

事情向着相反的方向发展。

I study inequality for a living,

我一直研究不平等的问题，

and for most of my career,

大部分的时间，

I focused on the divides of class and race.

我关注阶级和种族的分化。

But in recent years,

但是最近一些年，

I've just been noticing more and more gender gaps

我关注到越来越大的性别差距，

and not in the direction that I was expecting.

这与我所期待的方向相反。

Probably like most of you,

也许，像你们大多数人，

I’m used to thinking about gender equality

我习惯于将性别平等，

and the goal of gender equality as synonymous

以及性别平等的目标

with the advancement of women and girls.

等同于女性和孩的发展。

But it's now clear that there are many boys and men

但是，现在的问题是

who've fallen behind

很多男性和男孩落后了，

and that we have to be able to think about gender inequality

我们不得不思考两个方向的

in both directions.

性别不平等。

One thing that makes that hard is that the changes have been so quick,

一个问题是，这个变化来的太快，

so rapid,

太迅速，

that it's hard to update our beliefs to match the new facts.

我们还来不及去更新我们 的认知来适应新的状况。

It's a bit like the needles on a compass swinging round.

有点像罗盘上摆动的指南针。

Suddenly north is south and south is north.

突然北变成了南，南变成了北。

It's really quite disorienting.

这真的让人晕头转向。

But it's clear that on some measures at least

但是很清楚，在一些方面，

now men are lagging quite a way behind,

男性已经落在了后面，

not least on college campuses.

尤其在大学校园里。

And that reflects the fact that boys are trailing girls

这反映出在整个教育系统里，

throughout the education system.

男孩落后于女孩的事实。

Two thirds of the top academic performers in high school,

在学业优秀的高中生中，

measured by GPA, are girls.

三分之二是女孩。

And two thirds of those at the bottom are boys.

而垫底的学生中，三分之二是男孩。

It's not just in the US.

这不仅仅发生在美国。

If we look at the 20 most economically advanced countries in the world,

让我们看看世界上经济最发达的20个国家，

there's on average a 13-percentage-point gap

在获得大学学位方面，

in the share of young men and young women with a college degree,

年轻男性和女性差距是13%，

with young women much more likely to have a college degree.

也就是说，更多 的年轻女性获得大学学位。

And in some nations, the gap is much bigger.

在某些国家，这个差距更大。

In Norway, for example,

比如挪威，

there's almost a 20-point gap.

这个差距是20%。

And just like in the US,

和美国一样，

these differences at the college level

这些在大学方面的差距

reflect what's happening earlier in the school system.

也反映出整个学校系统 早期的一些状况。

It used to be that maybe boys were ahead in math and science,

过去我们认为， 在同样的标准下，

girls were ahead in reading and language in roughly equal measure.

男孩在数学和科学方面更出色， 而女孩在阅读和语言方面更出色。

That's not true today.

而现在并非如此。

Internationally, at the age of 15,

在全球范围内，在15岁左右

there's a five-point gap in favor of boys and math.

男孩比女孩在数学方面 更具优势（差距5%）。

There's essentially no gap in science,

在科学方面几乎没有差距，

a slight gap in favor of girls actually in science.

女孩在科学方面甚至有微弱的优势。

But boys are 30 points behind girls at the age of 15

而在阅读和语言能力上，

in reading and language skills.

15岁的男孩比女孩落后30%。

But not all boys and men are struggling in the same way.

当然不是所有的男孩都学得很艰难。

The intersection of gender with class and race really matters here.

性别和阶层的交互效应也很重要。

So boys from poorer households

贫困家庭的男孩，

and middle-class households,

和中等家庭的男孩，

much less likely to attend college than girls from the same background.

对比相同背景的女孩， 进入大学的可能性更低。

But there's a much smaller gap at the top of the economic ladder.

但是对于经济阶层顶端家庭

这个差距小很多。

I think one of the reasons

我想，原因之一

that elites can sometimes struggle to grasp what's going on with boys and men

是精英们能够设法把握

is that the gender gaps are just much less stark

男孩在当前教育体系里的状况，

in affluent communities.

从而使得性别差距 在富裕的社区不那么明显。

And the gender gaps are even more stark for Black Americans.

在美国黑人群体里， 这个差距则更为明显。

For every Black man getting a college degree,

在获得大学学位的美国黑人中，

there are two Black women.

男女性别比是1:2。

So anybody who really cares about boys and men

所以，关心男性和男孩的人们，

has to care about racial injustice and economic inequality.

也应该关心种族和经济的不平等。

And anybody who really cares about racial injustice

而关心种族

and economic inequality

和经济不平等的人们，

has to care about boys and men.

也应该关心男性和男孩。

Now, the fact that the education system doesn't seem to be working very well

关于教育系统不适合很多男性和男孩

for lots of boys and men

这个事实，

is obviously not intentional.

明显不是故意的。

There wasn't a feminist conspiracy 100 years ago

100年前，并没有 女权主义者的阴谋

to say, "Well, it might take a century, but eventually we'll overtake them."

“好吧，这可能需要一个世纪， 但是最后我们会超越他们。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Especially as it was men who mostly designed the school system.

尤其是，这个教育系统本身 基本是由男性设计的，

What’s happened is that as the artificial and sexist barriers

而现在，当女性所面临 的人为和性别的障碍

that were placed in front of women and girls

人为和性别的障碍

have been successively removed,

被逐渐移除之后，

so their natural advantages in the classroom have been revealed.

她们在教室里天然的优势显露出来。

Compared to girls,

相比女孩，

boys face two big structural disadvantages in education.

男孩在教育体系里， 有两个结构化的弱点。

First, their brains simply develop later.

首先，他们的大脑发育晚一点。

The skills of planning, organization and impulse control

有关计划、组织和控制冲动的能力

are associated with the prefrontal cortex,

跟前额叶皮层相关，

which develops in adolescence especially.

主要在青春期发展。

But about a year later, on average, for boys than for girls.

但是平均来看， 男孩比女孩晚大概一年。

So there's a significant difference there in the timing of brain development.

所以，在大脑发育的时间点上， 男孩和女孩有显著的差异。

Social scientists refer to those skills, planning, organization, etcetera,

社会科学家把这些计划、 组织、规划的能力，

as non-cognitive skills.

称之为非认知性技能。

I like to think of them as "chemistry homework" skills.

我更愿意称之为“化学作业”技能。

You know, doing your chemistry homework requires a lot of steps.

你知道，做化学作业需要很多步骤。

You have to be paying attention in class when the assignment is given.

你需要在布置作业的课堂上集中精力，

You have to make a note of it.

你需要记笔记。

You have to remember hours later that you're supposed to do it.

你还要记得你几小时之后 应该做作业。

You have to actually sit down and do it,

你还需要真正坐下来做这件事，

instead of something more enticing instead.

而不是更诱人的其他事情。

And remember, it's chemistry homework, so that's everything.

记住，这是化学作业， 是所有的事情。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Sorry, I know there are some chemists here, I'm sorry.

抱歉，我知道这里 还有一些化学家，我很抱歉。

And then turn it in.

然后提交作业。

That's a lot of steps, right?

这有很多步骤，是吗？

That's a lot.

太多了。

Getting your homework done requires your impulse control

完成你的作业需要你 的冲动控制能力，

to match what psychologists refer to as sensation seeking.

平衡心理学家们所说的感觉寻求，

Basically, that urge to go and do something more fun, more exciting.

也就是，去做更有趣 更刺激的事冲动。

And even in the most difficult years of adolescence,

即使在青春期最艰难的时段，

which are also the crucial years for educational success,

往往也正是教育成功最关键的阶段，

girls have a reasonable balance between impulse control and sensation seeking.

女孩们在冲动控制 和感觉寻求之间会有合理的平衡。

But it's a very different story for adolescent boys.

但是对青春期的男孩， 这就完全不一样了。

They have higher levels of sensation seeking.

他们有更高的感觉寻求，

And with that less developed prefrontal cortex,

前额叶皮层却发育不足。

they have significantly lower levels of impulse control.

他们的冲动控制能力明显更差，

Again, on average.

平均而言。

Now if you still don't believe me,

如果你还是不相信我，

go into any ninth or 10th grade classroom

去任何一个9年级 或者10年级的教室，

and ask all the students to open up their backpacks.

让所有的学生打开书包，

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Most, many, at least of the girls, will have pretty carefully organized,

大多数，很多，女孩，有整理整齐的

nicely labeled binders.

贴有漂亮标签的活页夹。

And for many, if not most of the boys,

而很多男孩，即使不是大多数，

it will resemble a small, controlled explosion.

它会像一个小的有控制的爆炸场面。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

It's not that girls are smarter than boys.

这并不是说女孩比男孩聪明。

There's no gender gap in intelligence levels

智力水平上

in either direction.

在任何一个方向都没有差异。

It is just that girls develop more of these non-cognitive skills,

只是女孩比男孩更早地， 发展了这些非认知能力，

these "chemistry homework" skills,

发展了这些非认知能力，

somewhat earlier than boys do.

这些“化学作业“能力，

That's just a fact.

这是一个事实，

But it is a fact that we ignore in education policy.

但是这是一个在教育政策中 被忽视的事实。

The second big structural problem that boys face in the classroom

第二个大的结构化问题是，

is the lack of male teachers.

男孩处于一个缺乏男性教师的环境。

After falling for decades,

在多年持续下降之后，

the share of K-12 teachers who are male in the US is now just 23 percent.

美国K-12阶段男性教师 的比例是23%。

And falling.

并在继续下降。

And the lack of male teachers matters for at least three reasons.

缺乏男性教师是个值得关注的问题， 这至少有三个原因。

First, for many children, [they] can be an important male role model,

首先，对很多孩子来说，

男性教师是一个重要的男性榜样，

especially if they don't have one at home.

特别是，如果他们的家庭里 没有这样的榜样的话。

And second, male teachers appear to be more sensitive

第二，男性教师会更关注

to the specific challenges of boys in the classroom.

男生在课堂上遇到的挑战。

I can vividly remember my own experience.

我依然记得我自己的经历。

I can actually still feel what it was like to sit for what felt like hours on end

我仍然能切实感受到， 在硬塑料椅子上

on an incredibly hard plastic chair,

连续坐好几个小时的感觉，

and that it was actually a male primary school teacher, Mr. Cole,

而正是一位男性 小学教师，Cole先生，

who gave us more opportunities to move around,

给我们机会四处走动，

made the lessons a little bit more interactive.

让课程更有互动性。

And the third reason male teachers may matter

需要重视男性教师缺乏问题 的第三个原因，

is there's some evidence that,

是因为有证据表明，

especially in subjects like English,

特别在一些学科比如英语，

which is where the boys have fallen so far behind,

男生已经落在后面，

having a male teacher seems to dispel the idea

男性教师的存在

that reading and writing just aren't for me or for people like me.

会减少那种

“阅读和写作就是不适合我 或者我这样的人”的想法。

In a similar way to how having a female teacher

就像同样的，女性教师的存在

has historically helped girls in STEM subjects.

曾经帮助了女生 在STEM学科的发展。

Right now, in too many of our schools,

而现在，在我们的多数学校里，

our boys feel like square pegs being forced into round holes.

我们的男生像方形 的钉子被迫塞到圆孔里。

And too often our response is to try and fix the boys

而我们多数的应对方式是， 试图去改变这些男孩，

rather than fix the schools.

而不是改变我们的学校。

The problems of boys are turned into problems with boys.

男孩的问题们变成了问题男孩。

If they struggle to sit still or pay attention

如果他们难以安静坐着 或者集中精力，

or apply themselves to a task,

或去完成某项任务，

they may be diagnosed with some kind of disability.

他们可能会变诊断成某种缺陷。

Their problems are thus medicalized and often medicated.

因此，他们的问题 被医疗化并且治疗。

In the US today, 23 percent of school-age boys

在美国，23%的在校男生

have been diagnosed with some form of developmental disability.

被诊断出某种程度上的发育缺陷。

Twice the rate for girls.

是女生的两倍。

ADHD, as you might expect, is the most common.

多动症（ADHD）， 正如你所期望的，是最常见的。

But really,

但是实际上，

when one in four of our boys has a developmental disability,

当1/4的男生有发育缺陷，

it seems clear to me that it is the system which is disabling

这对我很清楚，这是系统缺陷

rather than the boys who are disabled.

而不是男生的缺陷。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

Now, there's a lot we can do

现在，我们需要做很多事情

to make the education system work better for boys.

让这个教育系统更适应男生。

Let's start with those two big problems,

让我们从两个大的问题开始，

of later brain development and lack of male teachers.

稍稍滞后的大脑发育 和缺乏男性教师。

So first, we should start boys in school a year later.

首先，我们应该让男晚一年上学，

And the idea there is to level the playing field,

这里的理念， 考虑大脑发育时间的差异

given those differences in the timing of brain development.

是为了创造公平的教育环境。

And actually that's already quite common practice

而实际上，

at private schools and in lots of affluent communities,

在一些私立学校 和富裕社区已经有了一些实践。

but it's actually not the boys from rich families

但是不仅仅是富裕家庭的男生们

who will benefit the most from that extra year.

会从这额外的一年中受益。

It's the boys from lower-income,

低收入家庭的男生，

poorer neighborhoods and families

贫困社区和家庭的男生，

who would most benefit from the gift of extra time for development.

会从这个额外的发育时间里获益。

And that's why I think this should be a question of public policy.

这也是为什么我认为这里 有一个公共政策的问题。

Second, we need to recruit hundreds of thousands more male teachers,

第二，我们需要招募 成百上千的男性教师，

especially in subjects like English,

特别是在一些学科，比如英语，

where the boys are struggling so much

男生们困难重重的科目，

and which is the subject men are least likely to be teaching.

也正是男性教师最不可能教的科目。

And here I think we can draw some really good lessons

这里我想我们可以吸取 一些好的经验，

from the successful movement

比如在一些运动中，我们成功地

to get more women and girls interested in STEM subjects.

让更多的女性 和女生对STEM学科感兴趣。

So that means setting clear targets, launching public campaigns

也就是说，确立清晰的目标， 发起公众活动，

and offering financial scholarships

为愿意进入教育行业发展的男性

to men who want to enter teaching as a profession.

提供财务支持和奖学金。

Of course, those are changes that will take time.

当然，这些变化需要时间，

Those are long-term changes.

这些都是长期的变化。

And there are millions of boys and men who are struggling right now.

上百万的男性，正在挣扎。

And so if you're a parent or a teacher working with a boy or a young man

如果你是正在面临这些问题的

who's in difficulty right now,

男生的父母或者教师，

my message to you is, first,

我给你的信息是，首先，

be careful not to even inadvertently judge him against a female standard

格外小心，不要以女生 的标准来评判男生

or blame him if he's struggling in a system

或者责备他，如果他正在

that just might not be working very well for him.

这个不合适他的系统中挣扎。

Recognize and respect the ways in which he's different.

认识和尊重他的不同之处。

Don't say,

不要说，

"Why can't you be more like your sister?"

“为什么你不能像你姐姐那样？”

Try not to even think that.

想都不要这样想。

It's very important that we don't treat our boys

重要的是，

as if they were malfunctioning girls.

我们不要把男生当成功能失调 的女生来对待。

And the second message to those people, cousins, parents, neighbors, friends,

第二条信息是，那些父母、邻居、 朋友、叔叔、教练等等，

uncles, coaches, anybody working with a boy or a young man

跟正在挣扎的男生 或者年轻男性共事的人，

who is struggling right now, is simply, thank you.

简单来说，谢谢你们。

Thank you.

谢谢你们。

They do need you.

他们需要你们。

Of course,

当然，

doing more for boys and men

为男生和男性做的越多，

doesn't mean doing any less for women and girls.

并不意味着为女生和女性做的少。

That’s like saying to the parent of a son and daughter:

这就像对一个有儿子 和女儿的父母说，

"You're only allowed to care about one of them."

“你只能关注其中一个。”

And it's the kind of zero-sum thinking

这种零和思维

that is doing so much damage to our politics and to our culture.

会损害我们的政治和文化。

We can think two thoughts at once.

我们能同时想到两个方面，

We can do two things at once.

我们也能同时做两件事情。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

Two thoughts at once, two things at once.

同时两个想法，同时两个行动。

That's why Norway,

这也是为什么挪威

a country that's made huge investments,

一个为女性

quite rightly for women and girls,

进行了大量投资的国家，

but where boys and men have now fallen behind on many measures,

现在男性在很多指标上落后，

has launched a commission for boys and men.

为男性成立了一个委员会。

I've talked about education today,

今天我也谈到教育，

but there are many other areas where many boys and men are struggling,

但是还有很多领域男性正在挣扎，

including in mental health, including suicide risk.

包括精神健康，包括自杀风险，

Loneliness and belonging,

孤单和归属感，

family life, employment.

家庭生活，就业。

And I don't think we can afford to get this wrong.

我认为我们不能犯这样的错误。

If there are real problems in a society,

如果社会有问题，

and responsible people don't acknowledge and address them,

而责任而负责任的 人们不认识到它们并解决，

irresponsible people will exploit them.

不负责任的人就会利用这些问题。

And that is already happening on this issue,

这个问题已经发生了，

both online and at the ballot box.

在网上和投票中。

We cannot leave a vacuum by neglecting this issue.

我们不能因为忽视 这个问题而留下真空。

The future cannot be female.

未来不仅仅是女性的。

Nor, of course, can the future be male.

当然，也不仅仅是男性的。

The future has to be for every single one of us, every boy and girl,

未来是我们每个人的， 每个男性和女性。

we have to rise together.

我们需要共同站起来。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

(Applause ends)

（鼓掌结束）

Chris Anderson: Thank you, Richard.

Chris Anderson: 谢谢你, Richard.

I've got a question for you.

我有一个问题。

Come this way.

这边请。

So you gave great advice there for the system as a whole,

你给系统这个整体提了一些建议，

for teachers, for parents.

对教师，对父母。

But suppose you're a 14-year-old boy listening to this talk.

但是如果有一个听演讲的14岁的男生，

What would you say to him?

你会对他说什么？

Richard Reeves: Huh.

Richard Reeves: 哈。

Well, the first thing I’d say is that if you are struggling at school

首先，我要说如果 你在学校真的很痛苦，

or in some aspects of your life,

或者在生活的其他方面，

that's almost certainly not just your fault.

这大部分都不是你的错。

It may be that the system is just not working for you.

这是这个系统不适合你。

The second thing I would say is ...

我要说的第二点是，

We see you.

我们看到你，

We've got you.

我们都理解你。

We understand, we've got your back.

我们理解你，并且我们会支持你。

And the third thing I would say is, don't follow the people

我要说的第三点是，不要跟随那些

who say that the reason you're struggling is because women are flourishing.

把你的痛苦归 因于女性蓬勃发展的人，

Or because of feminism.

归因于女性主义的人，

Or because of changes in society.

或者归因于社会变化的人。

That we somehow have to,

这就好像我们，

in order to lift boys up,

为了托举男生，

we have to somehow push women and girls back down again.

就得打压女生一样。

Don't fall for that.

不要上当。

Understand that we get that you're struggling,

你知道我们理解你的挣扎，

but don't turn this into zero-sum.

但是不要把这个变成0和游戏。

Don't turn to some of the darker corners of the internet where unfortunately,

不要转向一些互联网上阴暗的角落，

that is the message many of our boys are getting.

而不幸的是，

这恰恰是很多男生得到的信息。

But the first part that's really important,

但首先，非常重要的是，

that whole conversation that we had about belonging,

我们关于归属感的整个对话，

the wonderful difference in belonging,

在归属方面的差异，

if our boys don't feel that they belong,

如果我们的男生 感受不到他们的归属感

that we've got them, that we see them,

感受不到我们理解他们， 我们能看到他们，

they're going to be much more vulnerable to those voices.

他们会更容易被这些声音伤害。

So don't listen to those voices, but we need them to listen to us instead.

所以不要听那些声音， 我们需要他们听听我们的声音。

CA: Thank you so much.

CA: 非常感谢！

(Applause)

（鼓掌）