General Strategies for Success

The goal of the Boys and Schools program is to improve the health, well-being, and educational performance of boys. We know that the formative years can have important long-term effects. As boys fall further behind academically and begin to slip through society's cracks, the fate of millions of young men is in jeopardy. When we look at how boys are faring in school and in life, and how to improve their performance, what we are really looking at is the ultimate preventive care for success, health, and happiness in the future. This is our road map to a better future for our boys.

Research & Awareness

We need to make more people aware of boys' educational challenges, their unique developmental needs, and their differing learning styles. We need to encourage research into the boy crisis and different methods to help boys succeed.

Early Intervention

A strong pre-school and kindergarten experience is crucial to later success and a positive attitude about school. We support programs that are sensitive to the boys' developmental and learning differences and strive to give children a good head start on the development of literacy and social skills. Moreover, by identifying those children who need special attention and support at the earliest possible stage, schools will increase the chance that such students will overcome their initial difficulties while remaining enthusiastic about their learning experience.

Involvement

Whether it's a mentorship program or just more parental engagement in their son's education, we need to encourage more involvement in boys' education experience. We should especially encourage positive male role models for boys, and we hope that more men consider teaching as a vocation.

Options & Flexibility in Teaching

We support giving teachers, principals, and schools the flexibility to try new and different teaching techniques in order to reach out to boys and offering special training in boys' developmental and learning differences.

Mental Health

Boys face temperamental, cultural, and social challenges to coping with and speaking about problems related to mental health and happiness. Through outreach and education, we hope to help boys overcome these obstacles and find the help and treatment that they need. We also hope to help others understand more about the boy psyche, and respond with informed compassion and care.

Policy Change

We need to ask our policy makers, from Senators to School Boards, to recognize this problem and take it seriously. We encourage the creation of programs for boys that mirror those created to help girls overcome their own achievement gaps, especially a Federal Task Force to address the Boy Crisis. We support more research, resources, discussion, and above all, change.

A Culture of Support

We must create a culture of support for boys, discouraging harmful gender stereotyping and expressions of hostility towards boys and their different ways of learning and acting. Moreover, we need to reach out to the boys themselves, help to raise their achievement and expectations, and encourage them to get more fully involved in their academic experience.