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I'm repeating myself here, but I still don't think the boys are getting screwed. (Since this was brought up again.) If anything, in the last 20-30 years, teaching methods have been more oriented towards boys' learning styles (if there is such a thing) than in the past. 50 years ago, when I was in school, one sat in rigid rows from first grade on; raised one's hand to talk; had to wait until recess to go to the bathroom, etc, and boys excelled over girls! Now, classrooms are way more hands on, and the boys can't do as well as the girls? I don't get it!
BTW, I still think there are more differences among a group of boys, or a group of girls, in abilty levels, interests and such, than between boys and girls.
When I read the title, I thought the OP was going to be about how education is more geared towards women (since it's primarily being taught by women) and that the boys were failing academically. Then, of course, I read it and discover that the OP was really about how boys and men are failing at life. Hahah...
I would have to say that boys/men are simply more aggressive by nature - testosterone. Men have been killers since they stepped on Earth (from Mars, don't deny it). Boys learn from their fathers. If they don't have a father in their life, they find another male to bond with, usually someone "cool" (or rebellious).
Regarding women surpassing men, I'd be interested in seeing where you got your facts. I'm not disagreeing, just curious. Part of the reason I wouldn't be surprised is because men tend to do many jobs (that lack prestige or require little education) women don't - plumbing, mechanics, construction, farming, etc.
But, uh... I don't think you should compare men to women when deciding whether or not we're failing men. As brought up in the OP, women have achieved a lot since gaining more rights. Whether women surpass men (in certain aspects) or not doesn't mean we're failing to educate our boys. It simply means that we've succeeded with our girls.
For a more fair assessment, you'd have to compare men to their past selves.
I'll be at a major math competition in a month or two with my kids and it will be swarming with Pakistani, Indian and Chinese kids. (Our area has a lot of 1st/2nd generation immigrants from these areas.) I just see academics pushed harder on boys from these families than in families more immersed into American culture.
Just turn on the TV and who are the guys doing commercials? Athletes.
Who are the losers in all the TV shows? Nerds, science types.
Get a harvard mba and become a successful CEO? You are hated.
Dunk a basketball well and make three times what the CEO makes? You are loved. Kids wear your shoes and hang posters of you on their walls.
Girls get inundated over image and beauty. Guys get it over being studly athletes, NOT good students.
In my opinion..it seems that boys are not allowed to be boys in school. Suspending kids for playing make believe guns with French fries...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Forcing ritalin upon boys for being ..well...boys.? O*&*%*&()^! And then we wonder why the teenagers aren't making the right decisions and life choices...gee..maybe its the gram of amphetamines a week we were pumping into them at a young age? It is getting worse and worse.
While sports may be looked on as the be all, end all to some that's not how it is in our world. Technology IS looked upon as very cool and many young guys want to be Bill Gates these days, not some sports hero. Boys do NOT have to run around and act up to learn things. Most of the really smart guys that I know willingly sit and play computer games for hours at a time and are also very good in school. When I was in school, the jocks were the popular kids but that's not especially how it is at my kids high school. The popular kids can be the ones in band, or on the yearbook or in the HS musical or the Robotics club or on the Soccer team. Sit-com's and commercials have never portrayed the real world have they?
This sounds so much like my son.... He LIVES for playing football at recess. During recess, the 4th grade boys (without any adult direction) have formed these complex football leagues with try-outs, playbooks, rotating positions, designated student coaches, referees, team managers, etc. It has amazed me because it is quite complex and generally very fair. They try to balance the skill level of the teams. And those kids who don't want to play are taught how to referee or manage the teams. Yesterday, one boy was caught cheating and the others were furious and are now devising a penalty point system. I have always argued that A LOT of learning takes place at recess and with team sports.
My son would be quite annoyed if a teacher interrupted his football time so he could role-play a kangaroo! But that IS the kind of stuff I've seen from teachers who don't understand boys. Luckily, my son's teacher gets it. At the beginning of the year, my son told me he would be bringing "Stitch" (the name of his favorite baseball) to school because his teacher said he could lightly toss/catch it while doing math problems. At conferences (he is in the gifted program), the teacher told me he was a very "kinetic learner" and confirmed he could toss the ball while working. And then I realized he usually fiddled with a ball (or some other object) while doing homework at home. I used to tell him to put down the ball so he could focus. But the ball actually helped him to focus! I grew up in a household of all girls and have had a lot to learn about educating boys....
I've also noticed that, while my son has a high reading level for his age, he is less interested in Reading/Literature as compared to Math/Science. For him, he has to really be interested in the subject matter in order to read a fiction book (otherwise, he'll choose a Non-Fiction loaded with facts like "History of the Chicago Bears"). It does seem that there are fewer books with subjects that appeal specifically to boys of his age (e.g. he enjoys Rick Riordan, Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc.). My daughter seems to have many more "girl-oriented" books from which to choose. If I ever have any spare time, I'll write exciting, action-packed books geared to 10-12 year old boys because we need more of them!
p.s. Just want to add that I didn't realize how differently boys think/learn as compared to girls until I had one of each (and I know there are many exceptions). I remember giving my 2 year old son a babydoll so he could learn how to behave when his sister was born. But he just kept using the doll as a baseball bat despite all my patient lessons on how to care for a baby! I have been guilty of trying to force my learning style on my son when it was I who needed to adapt my methods for him.
That's exactly how I am.
I'm not a big sports person, I can sit still for 45 minutes a period but I do get very bored. I think this is why I never liked school, it feels like jail.
In my opinion..it seems that boys are not allowed to be boys in school. Suspending kids for playing make believe guns with French fries...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Forcing ritalin upon boys for being ..well...boys.? O*&*%*&()^! And then we wonder why the teenagers aren't making the right decisions and life choices...gee..maybe its the gram of amphetamines a week we were pumping into them at a young age? It is getting worse and worse.
You hit the nail on the head. Ritalin or any other mind altering drug shouldn't be prescribed to anyone under the age of 18. Based on on the ads I read for anti depressants, mood stabilizers, and psychotropic medication, pharmaceutical companies do not recommend those drugs for anyone under the age 18. Guess what... Ritalin gets prescribed like it is candy to boys. If a boy is hyper (being a boy) he gets prescribed Ritalin. If a boy gets into a fight (something that boys do) he gets prescribed Ritalin and he gets a criminal record.
The best thing for parents to do is home school their sons. They would probably get a better education. There is enough education software on the market to start home schooling a boy from the 1st grade until the 12th grade. He can take his SAT at a school in his district.
Or they can learn to behave. My husband has never been in a fight in his life. Is that really the norm we expect for boys - that they will get into fights?? Hyper is okay if you are a boy? I don't know the best way to teach but I know that I cannot concentrate if someone next to me is walking around or wiggling. I think it's just as important for all kids to be taught certain behaviors for school and that includes paying attention. Teachers should teach students in the way that they can learn (i.e. differentiated instruction) as much as that's practical.
NO one likes to be bored. That's not a boy or girl thing or even a child or adult thing. Good teachers find ways to make their subjects interesting and good students figure out how to get the information they need even with subjects that are not their favorite. I doubt there is anyone that has a job where they like everything about it and school is the same way.
Who cares. Let them throw their money away on worthless degrees. Men still earn 50% more on average in the end. College degrees are only worth something if they earn you a decent buck. And most of the college degrees women take dont earn them much more cash than somebody graduating from a 2 year tech college. Ie history, english, communications studies, psychology, etc...
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My husband has never been in a fight in his life. Is that really the norm we expect for boys - that they will get into fights?? Hyper is okay if you are a boy? I don't know the best way to teach but I know that I cannot concentrate if someone next to me is walking around or wiggling. I think it's just as important for all kids to be taught certain behaviors for school and that includes paying attention. Teachers should teach students in the way that they can learn (i.e. differentiated instruction) as much as that's practical. 
