Boys
Read more about the experiences of boys in schools
For Too Many Boys, School Isn’t Working. Solutions Are in Reach
A special reporting project explores why boys, overall, are doing worse in school than girls—and what can be done to reverse the trend.
Early Childhood
Kindergarten Play Makes a Comeback, and Boys Benefit
The modern kindergarten has little time for movement and play. Not so in this teacher's classroom.
Student Achievement
Interactive
Boys Are Falling Behind Girls in School. See How
The data are clear: Girls, on average, find more success at school than boys.
Student Well-Being & Movement
From Our Research Center
Why School Isn't Working for Many Boys and What Could Help
Teachers report in a new survey that boys are less focused and engaged than their female counterparts.
Reading & Literacy
Opinion
Boys Don't Love to Read. Could This Former Teacher Be on to Something?
Boys are falling behind in reading. Books with military-history themes may help reverse this trend.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Teen Mental Health Showing Signs of Improvement
New CDC data shows a small decrease in the percentage of teens reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
School Climate & Safety
Disparities, Bullying, and Corporal Punishment: The Latest Federal Discipline Data
As most schools offered hybrid instruction in 2020-21, Black students and students with disabilities were disproportionately disciplined.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Misogynist Influencer Andrew Tate Has Captured Boys' Attention. What Teachers Need to Know
Middle school boys, in particular, are repeating Tate's offensive language and ideas in the classroom, teachers report.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Stop Demonizing Black Boys. Let Them Play, Too
The play of Black boys is judged differently—more dangerous, more violent—than that of peers, writes teacher-educator Altheria Caldera.
Student Achievement
Opinion
America’s Boys Are in Serious Trouble. Schools Can Help
Here are three imperatives to giving boys an education worth living for, from a teacher at an all-boys middle school.
Reading & Literacy
What the Research Says
Biases Can Hurt Boys' Reading
Children adapt their attitudes toward reading to conform to their classmates' perceived gender stereotypes, in ways that put boys at a disadvantage, according to a new study in the journal Child Development.
College & Workforce Readiness
What the Research Says
Support for Black Boys Boosts Graduation Rates
A new evaluation of an Oakland, Calif., school district program designed to wrap black male students in a culturally rich and supportive environment is paying off.
Teaching
Opinion
How to Teach Boys to Be Better Men
Violence and disrespect toward women is learned behavior, writes Justin Minkel, and teachers can show boys a better way.
Equity & Diversity
Photo Essay
A Photographer’s View of Ron Brown College Prep
Photographer Jared Soares discusses his experiences, and shares his favorite images from documenting faculty and students.
School & District Management
Video
Engaging, Encouraging, and Empowering Young Black Men
Christopher Chatmon is the deputy chief of equity in California’s Oakland Unified School District. Chatmon was recognized as a school district Leader To Learn From in 2015 for his efforts to support boys of color. In this speech from Education Week’s annual Leaders To Learn From Event, he explains how schools can better serve African-American males.
“Typically when people ask me to come speak, it’s always around the gloom and doom and deficits of black children or brown children,” he says. “If we don’t enter conversations around the beauty and brilliance and collective genius then we’re going to perpetuate this self-fulfilling prophecy.”