> many of their dads scored low on a standard yardstick her
> research team was using to evaluate the parent-child bond.
> ... The children described rich, warm relationships with
> their fathers ... “My dad gives me encouragement to do
> things,” or, “My dad tells me he thinks I can do well.”
There's no changes in science or technology recently that would lead to this being any easier to discover or quantify now. From a strictly scientific perspective, it's actually quite shameful that only now is this being uncovered scientifically, and points to deep and systematic problems in the relevant disciplines. Consider than from an evo-psych perspective, even as questionable as it may be sometimes, the hypothesis that fathers are just generally not very good parents should be immediately suspect, not suspect decades later.
See also the research showing that schools have become heavily biased against the success of boys.
Life favors thinking and creative problem solving, school favors regurgitation and submission to authority.
As an example my son doesn't do to well in math, however, he's been multiplying/dividing since Kindergarten. My daughter at least appears weaker (I think she's hiding her skills) but does much better on math at school.
Don't pay too much attention to statistics, bring your concerns to your administrators. They have a lot of work to do and don't need parents making complaints and creating extra work.
Note here (from a girl) remembering my childhood and maths: my interest in all things technical came to life when my father (figure) showed an interest in playing chess with me, and in building things like aerodynamically-interesting paper/card planes, rocket launchers and kites.
I can't wait to teach my kids.
It's tests like the "unsafe situation": a baby is put in peril, and the mother has to reassure it. Babies that are quickly reassured typically do better overall, and this is seen as a sign of strong bond. But fathers traditionally score low on this test (as babies appear to prefer the mothering parent for such reassurance)