There is another reason every bit as compelling as the four outlined by Richard Vedder and Braden Colegrove for “Why Men Are Disappearing on Campus” (op-ed, Sept. 20). A lifelong love of education starts in the elementary grades and yet, as I have witnessed with my grandchildren, the hours per week dedicated to teaching subjects that young boys thrive on, like science and history, have been reduced substantially. Those hours have been reassigned to reading and writing, subjects that girls excel in.

In addition, the teaching...

Young students in New York.

Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

There is another reason every bit as compelling as the four outlined by Richard Vedder and Braden Colegrove for “Why Men Are Disappearing on Campus” (op-ed, Sept. 20). A lifelong love of education starts in the elementary grades and yet, as I have witnessed with my grandchildren, the hours per week dedicated to teaching subjects that young boys thrive on, like science and history, have been reduced substantially. Those hours have been reassigned to reading and writing, subjects that girls excel in.

In addition, the teaching of math has been transformed. Numeric problems have been steadily replaced by word problems, with written narratives required to explain how one arrived at a correct answer—all to the detriment of males’ learning. While knowing how to read and write is critical, boys come to it later in the process. Meanwhile, we turn off their enthusiasm for learning. Who can be surprised by the outcome?

Ken Kolkebeck

Sparta, N.J.