Whether the story is true as the only major reference on the National Literacy Trust's web-site is this interesting report (link), the Telegraph reported (link) that the Trust is concerned that the focus on boys in the classroom 'may risk girls falling behind'.
Their report clearly explains that only 76% of 11 year old boys reach the required level as opposed to 85% of girls. It also states two recent initiatives such as Books for Boys and also the Reader's Champion initiative aimed at helping boys.
The concern goes right to the heart of the whole special treatment/politcal correctness issue and where all people are pigeon-holed on the criteria of whether they are male or female (and on race etc) and then treated the same. The essential issue that we are all different individuals and nowadays this is the secondary focus when it should be the primary focus.
The reason that boys need specific help on reading is that the education system has largely ignored the needs of boys for far too long. The Trust's research show boys outweigh girls heavily when it comes to reading factual content (manuals/newspapers/non-fiction/action graphic novels) whilst girls outweigh boys on social networking, magazines and poetry.
Where the cry for more help for boys comes from is that more effort has to be made to provide the content and teaching that is proven to help boys. But this should not be and in recent years never has been at the expense of girls. Rightly, if girls need extra tuition, Reader's Champions and specific book lists for girls then that should not be a problem. They are individuals first, girls second.
The Trust's complaint misses the point. The help given to boys is simply about tailoring the educational system to their needs and if some girls are falling behind then it should meet their requirements as well. From my schooldays, Boy's wanted to learn about war not Jane Eyre, but all we got was Jane Eyre.
The Trust worries about girls at risk of falling behind because of the focus on boys. That is understandable but it needs to be clear that it does not want help for boys stopped but that help for non-reading girls is also focused upon.
Any criticism of targeting help for boys must not be made out as if they are receiving special treatment when they are not, they are just getting the targeted education they need.
On a side issue, it is always bemusing to see people complaining about special treatment for boys/men when all there is ever is (apart from these targeted education schemes) is special treatment for women, whether they need it or not and no mention is ever made as to whether men need it.
When girls were behind boys in nearly every measure of educational achievement, many people proclaimed "there must a problem with the schools." But now that boys have fallen behind girls, these same people are saying "there must be a problem with the boys." As a result, they see no reason to fix anything.
It's not an either-or proposition, friends. When either gender falls behind, it's a problem for everyone.
Or, is the only way to "empower" girls to insure that they come out ahead of the boys?
What immoral hogwash!
Posted by: Barry Madison | Saturday, 19 April 2008 at 03:00
You've hit the nail on the head. It's really a question of giving children subject matter that they're interested in, unhindered by political correctness. If this helps girl too then all the better.
Posted by: sim s | Saturday, 19 April 2008 at 11:35