Dr. James Brown’s Odyssey to tour the world with meetings and lectures aimed at improving the education of boys continues…Does anyone see a connection? (16)

The research shows that children with poor basic literacy skills when they start school are 3 to 4 times more likely to drop out later. Parents spend a great deal more time speaking and reading to their daughters than to their sons. Boys drop out of school 3 to 4 times as much as girls do. Does anyone see a connection?

Does anyone see a connection? (17)

The research shows that children that are read to daily for 15 minutes a day are almost a full year ahead of those who are not read to on a daily basis. Mothers read much more to their young daughters than to their young sons. Girls are often up to six months ahead of boys the same age, when they start school. Does anyone see a connection?

Does anyone see a connection? (18)

The education system could reduce or even eliminate this gap caused by parents reading to girls more than boys by providing information and gender-appropriate books to parents of pre-schoolers. The time, effort and money is used instead to provide “reading recovery” programmes at school, after the children demonstrate that they have the problem that could have been prevented. Does anyone see a connection?

Does anyone see a connection? (19)

When children start school, there is an enormous gap between the most and the least prepared children. This gap is caused by many factors, including date of birth, parental involvement at an early age, biology, rate of maturation, and so on. In schools that allow for that gap and take each child at his or her starting point, almost all children learn to read without major difficulty when they have reached the necessary readiness level, and virtually no children are diagnosed with a non-organic learning “disability.” The education system resists this approach and many children struggle and ultimately come to hate school. Does anyone see a connection?

Does anyone see a connection? (20)

Boys have been shown to enjoy reading when the books they are given to read are “boys’ books.” They do not do as well when they are given what they consider to be “girly books.” Boys’ books are hard to find, and so the person making the selection needs to believe in the importance of finding such books. Meanwhile, the teachers choosing the books are virtually always women who select books that they enjoyed (or would have enjoyed) as young girls. Boys see reading as a girls’ activity and get no enjoyment from it. Does anyone see a connection?