A School That Welcomes Gender Differences
For decades, observers have commented on the way in which school practices are geared for girls rather than boys. For example, schools are based on a child sitting for long periods of time and girls tend to be more willing and able to meet that demand. Issues like these are thought to be related to the fact that boys are more likely to be medicated for attention problems and learning disorders, and more likely to be held back or disciplined for behavior problems.
Now a school in California is planning to make major changes into practices that have for so long been the mainstay of most classrooms.
The East Bay School for Boys, opening Aug. 31 in Berkeley, is tailored specifically to boys' energy levels, brain development and love of taking things apart, scattering them across the floor and putting them together again. The first week of school, for example, the boys will get hammers, power saws and wood, and build their own desks.
Among the forces behind the school are the findings that over the past 30 years or so, boys have started trailing girls in reading, writing, grades, test scores and overall motivation. In 1966, men earned 61 percent of the college diplomas in the United States, but are expected to earn only 39 percent by 2019.
East Bay School for Boys isn't the only new school to take on boys' education. Public, private and charter schools for boys are blossoming throughout much of the United States, according to the International Boys School Coalition.
The Pacific Boychoir Academy in Oakland, an all-boys school that opened seven years ago, tailored its curriculum to boys. History classes focus on conflicts and action, teachers might cover four lessons instead of two in a 50-minute period in order to keep students interested, and boys get plenty of opportunities to run around.
There is, of course, no reason why girls may also not benefit from changes of this sort. Even though girls may be more accepting of restrictions, sitting quietly and passively at a desk for long stretches of time is probably not the best formula for most children. It seems sensible if the education setting were revamped to maximize the abilities and performance of all children.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/16/BA371ESO38.DTL&type=education#ixzz0wlV35UhB
