Lower mandatory school age to 12 years old. Schools that are relevant to life will spring up.
I just saw this article today... No time to read the other posts here. Just wanted to comment:
I homeschool my kids - three boys, ages 10 and under. There's a glaring difference between boys and girls (not surprising to anyone here, I'm sure). They need to learn through hands-on projects, through "doing", by working with their hands, learning how things work, taking things apart, putting them back together again.
Yes, there are exceptions to the rule. I have one son who learns well through reading, but mostly he reads about how things work, taking things apart and putting them back together again... ;-)
Everywhere we go, to the science museums (because that was always their main interest), there are so many programs exclusive to "girls only," and NONE for boys only, just co-ed.
I don't know why anyone ever thought girls were falling behind in school. I'm female. School and its focus on reading and writing and language was easy for me. I remember the best students in class were always girls, probably because most teachers are women who teach the way women learn.