For every expert that raises concern about boys and academic achievement, there are many others who warn against making simplistic generalizations.
Dr. Wayne Martino, a proponent of a “which boys/which girls” approach to gender reform in schools, is one of them.
“Not all boys are underachieving, nor are all girls out-performing boys,” he wrote recently, citing research on the correlation between socioeconomic backgrounds and literacy levels.
“Educators and policy makers need to address the question of which boys require help becoming literate and what kinds of help educators can provide.”
Dr. Martino shared his insight and took your questions Friday, Oct. 22 at noon ET. (Read his bio below)
Bookmark this page to participate. Smartphone users can view a mobile-friendly version of the live chat here.
Wayne Martino
Dr Wayne Martino is professor of equity and social justice education in the faculty of education at the University of Western Ontario. He has a background in boys' education and was one of the lead investigators for a major research project for the Australian government entitled Addressing the Educational Needs of Boys. He has published extensively in peer reviewed journals on issues related to boys' education such as Gender and Education, Oxford Review of Education, Cambridge Review of Education, American Eductaional Research Journal, Curriculum Inquiry and the British Journal of the Sociology of Education. His most recent books inlcude: The problem with boys' education (Routledge, New York) and Boys and schooling (Palgrave, London and New York).
