Monday, June 30, 2014

What can schools do to engage boys?

Who are more likely to be suspended from school, boys or girls? (For every 100 females suspended, there are 215 males).

Who are more likely to be diagnosed with a learning disability? (For every 100 females, 276 males are diagnosed).

Who are more likely to enter college? (For every 100 females, 78 males are entered).

Who are more likely to have a masters degree? For every 100 females, there are 66 males with masters).

Why?

This article points to some possible explanations: Zero tolerance policies, dearth of male teachers, girls develop faster, teaching to the test. but there is reason for hope: Boys regularly outperform girls in science, math, and technology; by age 16 the average I.Q. of boys is higher than the average of girls.

What can schools do to engage boys? Provide lessons that result in an end product, structure lessons as competitive games, require motor activity, allow boys to address open questions or unsolved problems, encourage a combination of competition and teamwork, craft lessons that focus on independent discovery and realization.
Please read more here.
Thanks to Instapundit for linking to "No boy left behind."

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