Voices
stiffer literacy skills into the earlier grades. After all, the common
denominator of any college class,
whether history or biology, is the
ability to read and write quickly
and accurately.
So how’s that reform turning out?
The U.S. Department of Education recently gave us a partial
answer. At the eighth grade level,
37 percent of girls scored proficient or above in writing, compared with 18 percent of boys.
On the surface those reforms appeared perfect. Educators properly ramped up literacy skills in
the youngest grades. To make sure
everyone was keeping up, they set
up accountability systems based
on race, ethnicity and income.
What got left out of the accountability formula? Gender.
Any parent knows that boys
pick up literacy skills later than
girls. When boys get slammed
with early academic demands
they can’t handle they tune out.
They assume school is for girls
and move on to more interesting
activities, such as video games
(which then unfairly garner
all the blame).
Schools should have adjusted
their teaching methods so that
boys could succeed at these new
RICHARD
WHITMIRE
HUFFINGTON
10.21.12
literacy skills. But they didn’t.
State and federal education officials should have included gender
in their accountability systems so
that warning lights would flash
early and often. But they didn’t.
So now we’re stuck with an education system where many males
end up in their senior year of high
school unprepared and
unmotivated for college work. And we’re
Now
surprised about the
we’re stuck
scarcity of males on
with an
the campuses of comeducation
munity colleges and
system where
four-year colleges?
many males
We’re surprised that
end up in their
college-educated
senior year of
women are taking over
high school
field after field?
unprepared
This one trigger
and
can’t account for all
unmotivated
male setbacks. Global
economic changes
for college
truly are huge playwork.”
ers. But if educators
adjusted their earlygrades literacy practices, a lot
more boys would arrive in 12th
grade prepared and motivated
to compete in the new economy.
What educators have done
can be un-done.
It’s at least worth a try.