“It’s amazing how little it takes in a situation like that to move beyond the stereotypes and break down and cry,” he said, as many of the boys cried when their friends left the camp.

Ed School student Cameron D. Paterson, who formerly worked at an all-boys school in Australia, said he agreed with Way but thought she neglected an important point.

“What does a boys’ school [or all-male environment] do to create that environment of empathy?” he said.

Way said she recognized that empathy was the key to reforming the societal pressures on adolescent boys.

“We need a complete overhaul in our conception of human nature,” Way said. “What makes us human is our ability to connect with each other.”

—Staff writer Michelle M.  Hu can be reached at michellehu@college.harvard.edu.