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Why Boys Fail: Saving Our Sons From An Educational System That's Leaving Them Behind (2010)

by Richard Whitmire(Favorite Author)

3.69 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0814415342 (ISBN13: 9780814415344)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

AMACOM/American Management Association

review 1: Whitmire does a good job of setting up his main argument: that boys are being left behind in literacy. He positions the situation in a way that doesn't take away from girls being behind in math and science, and it doesn't seek to assert that boys should get interventions at the expense of girls. Instead, he offers solutions that could benefit both genders. He calls for a massive research project documenting the literacy practices, rates, and trends with boys in the United States. A wise recommendation, I think. Like Jon Scieszka, he explains the importance of turning boys into early readers. As the mother to a young boy, I can say that an early love for reading is simple to nurture. It is all about book choice and a loving environment. Start a reading routine early... more. He calls for volunteer tutoring programs that offer scripted curriculums. I'm unsure that I agree with this type of program, but I'd like to see someone research this possibility. Improvements in middle school and high school reading instruction should be made, Whitmire suggests. This includes offering more options that are relevant to adolescent boys. This trend should continue in the community college. He then makes some recommendations that I don't agree with: he contends that we should cut breaks for young men seeking admission to college and offer additional support for those already in college. Boys are capable of succeeding. If we can offer better instruction that teaches the way they learn, then they should be held to the same grade and testing standards that girls are. A good read, and one that can certainly inform anyone who is in a position to help boys become more literate.
review 2: Whitmire's book explores the growing achievement gap between boys and girls in schools and the current and future implications of this gap. His primary premise is that the world is becoming increasingly verbal but boys' literacy skills are not keeping pace with these changes. For example, good verbal skills - reading and writing - are required to succeed in college, and college is necessary to get a job that twenty years ago could be obtained with just a high school diploma. He also points out that blue-collar jobs require greater literacy now, too; someone fixing a Prius must be able to read a complicated manual. Whitmire cites many, many statistics to prove the achievement gap is real (and that differences between boys and girls cannot be explained fully by other factors, such as race or class). I think his diagnosis and analysis of the problem are convincing; however, his book is significantly weaker when proposing solutions to the problems. Perhaps there aren't any yet. less

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