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Marketing and University Communication UW-Green Bay, CL 815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2626 E-mail: hildebrs@uwgb.edu Last update: 10/9/06 |
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In
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October 4, 2006 Educators tackle gap in gender achievement Boys increasingly trail girls in academic performance By Kelly McBride
Poring through an article on zoo animals, the fourth-graders she was teaching were asked to identify what they knew and what they didn't — plus offer their opinions on the reading.
But Lensmeyer's teaching strategies had a purpose. They were designed to reach the boys in the Westwood Elementary School classroom, engaging them physically as well as mentally to improve literacy.
The lesson was part of a research project examining the educational achievement gap between boys and girls. It's a hot topic among educators and the focus of a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay fall conference beginning today.
Boys in Crisis is the theme for the conference, hosted by UWGB's Institute for Learning Partnership. It's expected to attract hundreds of educators from throughout the area.
The gender achievement gap is an issue locally as well as nationally, educators say. In 2005-06 state standardized testing, for example, eighth- and 10th-grade girls in the Green Bay School District consistently outperformed boys in four of five categories.
Fourth-grade scores showed slightly more gender parity, with boys scoring 1 to 3 percentage points better than girls in three of five test categories.
"I think in some ways it's getting worse," said Paul Slocumb, author of "Hear Our Cry: Boys in Crisis," and conference keynote speaker. "I think technology has made it so that boys can detach even more, emotionally. We live in a world today where it's about brevity of language. ... I think all of that perpetuates boys pulling back from relationships."
If boys aren't engaged in the classroom, it's tough for them to learn, Slocumb said. Part of the problem — and why it's getting worse — is a continued focus on standardized testing, he said.
"Schools are designed for the female brain, more or less," Slocumb said. "There's a lot of pencil-paper push, and boys are, as a gender group, much more hands-on — those kinds of things where you involve boys in a more tactile approach."
Lensmeyer has tried to emphasize that in her lessons, she said. Thanks to an Institute for Learning Partnership grant, she and four other teachers have acquired materials designed to facilitate the "inner conversations" that bolster literacy.
That can be done through activities such as asking students what they know and what their opinions are, especially through nonfiction magazines like National Geographic for Kids, Lensmeyer said.
And while the lessons are designed to more fully engage boys, more effective learning can raise the bar for both sexes, Lensmeyer said.
"The very cool thing about this is that although the target group is boys, everything can be done with boys and girls," she said. "If we tap into that and tap into their enthusiasm, their joy, their curiosity — it's just going to be wonderful."
Working to narrow the gender achievement gap is an important effort, said Green Bay Superintendent Daniel Nerad. He plans to attend the Boys in Crisis conference, along with other district staff.
"This is an issue that bears watching," Nerad said. "If you look at the national data, the performance of boys in relation to girls is not good right now.
"And at the same time, one major, major cautionary note I would want to assert ... is this has to be about elevating achievement for all kids."
The gender gap issue also manifests itself in higher education, experts say, as many schools are seeing a greater percentage of female students versus their male counterparts. Often, dean's list honors and other accolades are disproportionately held by females.
UWGB's student population is 66 percent female, while St. Norbert College in De Pere has 57 percent female students to 43 percent men. For the first time in several years, both the president and vice president of UWGB's Student Government Association are women, said Dean of Students Sue Keihn.
"We have to, somehow or another, create a shift for boys in the value of academics," Slocumb said. "I think a lot of people are afraid it's going to detract from the girls. There's still this 'them-us' mentality. I don't see it as a 'them-us.' I see it as a win-win."
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