Washington Post: 'Sorting out boys' school problems'

Submitted by anthony on Sun, 2010-05-02 19:38

Article here. Excerpt:

'Now I have read the book, and feel everyone should read it. I don't know of a clearer or more balanced examination of this issue. Whitmire is passionate about the need to help boys, but he respectfully presents other points of view, including those of pro-girl optimists like me. In fact, one of the book's most impressive features is its exposure of the harm done by pro-girl vs. pro-boy politics. The reluctance of either side to let the other experiment with new ways of teaching has been one of the greatest obstacles to moving all students up to their potential.

Whitmire's recommendations at the end of the book are sensible, creative and overdue. He wants more and better data on boys' progress, more innovative early reading instruction for boys, more hands-on subjects in high school, better managed and studied single-sex schools and classes and some affirmative action in college admissions. I don't think he celebrates the rise of achievement among impoverished girls, a worldwide phenomenon of immense importance, as much as he should, but that's a quibble. We have to do more for boys and stop blocking promising ideas out of fear that treating the two sexes differently would be politically incorrect.'

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Comments

I have read many of Whitmire's articles on boys and education. He seems to be a leader on shedding a light on the problems (his first book was titled "Why Boys Fail").

However, he refuses to acknowledge the impact of feminism on education. He specifically mentions feminism in many of his writings and states that he does not believe it is responsible for the decline of boys in education. So I disagree with him on that topic.

Other than that, I am glad the Whitmire has a new book out and is continuing the fight.

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Submitted by Kris on Mon, 2010-05-03 03:16

He makes two assertions that I'm not sure are true or not:

1. "It is also probably a distortion for Whitmire to put such emphasis on the fact that real incomes of men with only high school diplomas have dropped 26 percent since 1973, since such declines are affected by immigration and by where the business cycle was at the start and end of the period studied."

2. "Girls have done better. Sure, the female advantage in college enrollment is inflated by the large number of older women returning to complete degrees."

Can any of the more knowledgeable members sort this out?

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Submitted by moebius22 on Mon, 2010-05-03 15:10