William Pollack, Director of the Center for Young Men and Boys at
McLean Hospital and Assoc. Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School
spoke to “Addressing and Shifting our Academic Climates: Creating Boy-Friendly
/ Girl-Affirmative Schools.”
One of the best child practitioners
of child philosophy was Mr. (Fred) Rogers. He spoke in the cadence and speed of
his audience – children trying to learn. He showed love and understanding
simultaneously and both boys and girls related simultaneously.
Data shows this: boys struggle
with not being able to emote. Boys trail in academics. (At ages 9, 13, 17 they trail
girls in reading scores and this has been true since 1971). Girls have caught
up in STEM areas. Girls perform 20 points better on writing tests. Boys are two
times more likely to be diagnosed as learning disabled. Boys are much more
likely disciplined and are diagnosed up to five times as often for ADHD and ADD
than girls. Boys need 5-6 recesses per day and Dr. Pollack believes that
schools over-diagnose ADHD up to 50% of the time. Boys are less likely to graduate
from high school and college. 150,000 more masters’ degrees were conferred on
females vs. males in 2013 (https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_301.10.asp).
Young men are falling behind. Freshman college stats would reveal a 60/40 demographic
split favoring girls if just academic acceptance standards were used. Boys are expected
to fail at school/life and have lower self-esteem as learners. Boys expect adults
to distrust and fear them. 80%+ of homicides involve males (engaging in and
victims). Society believes that young males have to be “controlled” because
otherwise they’ll hurt people. Boys/young males are much more likely to
complete a suicide and are more likely to die because they really want to be
dead compared with girls. The US DOE has said we have too many suspensions/expulsions
and too many are young males – especially males of color.
Boys of color are even
less likely to do well in school or succeed in life and are more likely to commit
a crime. Young black males are incarcerated at an alarming rate. On average, a
12th grade black male with one parent who was a college graduate still
fell below basic achievement while 12th grade black women were more
successful.
How we socialize boys is
the problem. In the US, we push boys away from their caring parents and mentors
by telling them early myths like “be a big boy, be a little man.” “Cut mom’s
apron strings.” “You’re a momma’s boy.” Boys loved by mothers and fathers live
seven years longer than others and are more successful. No biological study indicates
boys are more aggressive even though we apply other myths like “boys will be
boys.” Boys are only aggressive when they are hurt in their home or are trained
to be hurtful to others. “That not what boys should do” and “boys are toxic”
are other myths. Media provides messages that boys are aggressive and the girls’
job is to socialize them. When we treat boys this way, they get depressed and
suffer.
Boys are disconnected from
their feelings and curricula is not set up for boys. Boys read/write 12-15
months later than girls. Don’t keep them back – they just need more recess. Follow
what boys need in reading - otherwise they become disconnected and don’t learn
as well.
Robert Pianta, Dean of the
School of Education at UVA, conducted a study asking, “What do teachers think
of kids?” Kindergarten teachers said it’s hard to work with boys. It’s been
shown that the relationship between teacher and student in kindergarten is the
best predictor of academic outcomes. Boys in general have a negative memory (their
teachers hated them). Social-emotional construct being the heart of academic
learning is no longer true – they are equally connected. What makes adolescents
survive? Families and schools exhibiting
warmth, love, and understanding. Boys need a mentor in school who had that, and
when they did, they succeeded more often in school and life and were respectful
to women.
Boys look like they want
independence, but they really want people around. (“Don’t just do something,
stand there.”) Just be there. Emphasize the importance of listening, especially
when boys are the angriest. Anger = hurt with boys. Provide opportunities for
families to do social emotional learning. Create trust so they come to an adult
before an issue occurs. Educators and their supporters need to fight for
dollars. Each student must have a special caring relationship with at least one
adult. School leaders must identify who’s having problems, who’s doing well, and
students for whom they have no idea whether he/she is having a problem or is
doing well – it’s those students who most need connection. For more
information: www.williampollack.com.
Ron Walker, Executive Director of the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of
Color (COSEBOC) spoke to the unique challenges of boys of color.
All the people with whom
boys can have a relationship in schools are important (cafeteria workers,
crossing guards, etc.). According to a Boston Globe article, 23-year-old Akim
Callendar (http://tinyurl.com/qck58b7) stated that police officers see young black men
as as “a menace to society.” This philosophy is not an unusual presumption. COSBOC is holding a regional event to share
promising practices around this issue. Practitioners want to SEE practice. As a
teacher, Walker lost two black boys, the first, a 7th grade student
killed by gang violence. The second was a young man accused of murder and
incarcerated for life who ultimately found prison GED programs “liberating.”
Walker’s mission: change the narrative and surround boys of color with a
positive narrative. Let them be seen as an asset. This work needs concentrated
effort and focus. When we address that, there will be change throughout
districts. Cultural competence is merely the base. Boys of color have been
marginalized. This program helps schools and educators help students negotiate
what it means to be a man. For more information: http://www.coseboc.org/.
