BMORENEWS.com

Kevin Parson

"Reading is Fundamental" 

(BALTIMORE - May 11, 2009) - According to research, boy readers lag behind girls in reading and literacy. According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study ( PIRLS ) in 2001, fourth grade girls in all of thirty plus  participating  countries scored  higher in reading literacy than fourth grade boys by a significant amount, statistically.  In the article Boys and Books, it is reported that similar findings show up in the U.S.  National Assessment of Educational Progress scores ( NAEP).

According to Michael Smith and Jeffrey Wilhelm in their book Reading Don’t Fix Chevy’s : Literacy in the Lives of Young Men, many  boys are not card carrying members of their local libraries. Thus, I recommend that every school make it possible to sign up boys/ students for a library card. Schools must enlist every boy to sign up for a library card. Schools must have a workable library, where students can visit to engage in reading, writing, and research.

According to A. Haupt, the reading habits of boys become an anathema by grade 7.

Michael Smith and Jeffrey Wilhelm (2002) found that even though the boys they studied believed in the importance of school literacy in theory, they often rejected and resisted it in actual practice because it was not related to their immediate interest and needs (Tatum 11). 

Michael Smith and Jeffrey Wilhelm suggest that boys be provided materials that are of interest to them. These books should appear in the school libraries and in the classroom or in reading corners in the hallways of the school. Encourage parents to have libraries in the home.

Reading is an important activity to cultivate the mind for boys. Reading helps with vocabulary development and mental creativity and exploration. As a boy, I read comic books. I enjoyed reading Archie and Captain American. A College professor once told me that it was important for students to read. He did not care what it was that students read. He would say, “Just read anything of interest,” even though he made us read the Washington Post or New York Times newspapers everyday for Political Science class.

In addition, the reading for young men must be culturally relevant and interesting. You must put their gender and their culture at the center of the reading activity. This helps with student engagement. Boys need to see themselves in a mirror that reflects who they are in the literary work. There must be a curriculum connection to keep boys attracted to the work.

 The following are some suggested titles for boys:

• Woodson, Jaqualine.  Miracles’ Boys. Penguin group. New York 2000.
• Myers, Walter Deen. Handbook for Boys: A Novel , Harper Collins, New York , New York, 2002.
• Myers, Walter Deen- other books are: Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly,  Now is your Time!: The African American Struggle for Freedom, Bad Boy: A Memoir
• Shields, Lamarr.101 Things Every Boy of Color should Know
• The Bluford Series, Townsend Press:  The Bully by Paul Logan, Blood is Thicker, Brother in Arms, The Gun, and Search for Safety written by Paul Langan.
• Kevin Powell. The Black Male Handbook, Atria Books, New York,  2008.
• Alex Haley, Autobiography of Malcolm X
• Ben Carson, Think Big
• Richard Wright, Black Boy
• Sidney Poitier, The Measure of a Man

There are many books that can be of benefit to boys. Many of the books are gender specific in content and the books share relevancy to their world of living. In other words, the books capture the essence of their world as boys. Engagement and participation are two verb-like behaviors that educators seek from students.

Finally, Dr. Alfred Tatum , who is a professor of Literacy at Northern Illinois University is excellent when it comes to male literacy development.  His book entitled Teaching  Reading to Black Adolescent Males: Closing the Achievement  Gap is an excellent resource for teachers and administrators who are looking to close the achievement gap on    boys  and reading/ literacy. As educators, it is imperative that we provide classroom experiences that respond to boys interests, needs, and learning styles. In a survey that as conducted by OSSLT in 2003, it was reported that boys enjoyed reading the following: 35%comic books; 25% manuals of instructions; 50% newspapers; and 64% magazines. In addition, educators must explore ways to engage boys in reading and writing. I suspect that the 50% rate of newspapers comes from reading the sport pages. Ask the boys what books or reading materials do they recommend to fill your reading centers. In a non- language arts class, this gives boys buy in during your DEAR( Drop Everything and Read) or early finisher time of class. For language arts class, this is still a good idea for student buy-in.  If we are to eradicate this critical problem of boys and literacy, we must act as a State of Emergency.

Kevin W. Parson is an educational consultant and school administrator. He has worked with youth and in education for 20 years.  He is co-founder of an all-male academy (Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy in Baltimore, Maryland).  He graduated from Shippensburg University, University of Baltimore, Loyola College, and College of Notre Dame with Masters degrees. He received his undergraduate degree from Morgan State University.

Tags: education