Algonquin Middle School

Is the Education of Boys in Crisis?

The administrative group in Algonac is doing a book talk on the book "The Minds of Boys". The book gives some startling facts on page 22.

• Boys get the majority of D's and F's in most schools.
• Boys make up 80% of discipline problems.
• Of children diagnosed with learning disabilities, 70% are boys.
• Of children diagnosed with behavioral disorders, 80% are boys.
• Over 80% of schoolchildren on Ritalin or similar drugs are boys.
• According to the Department of Education, our sons average a year to a year and a half behind girls in reading and writing.
• Of school dropouts, 80% percent are young males.
• Young men now make up less than 44 percent of our college population.

As a male who made it though the educational system these facts took me by surprise. Who is to blame for these issues? Do schools need to adjust for the needs of boys?

The study of the brain in recent years makes it clear boy's and girl's brains are different. How does a teacher or parent use this information?

By the way, this book is available to the community through my lending library.

Labels: Book Talk

posted by MiddleSchoolPrincipal @ 10:24 PM