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The Trouble with Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents and Educators Must Do

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Ever since women got the right to vote in 1920, they've been on the march. In less than a century, they've muscled their way into the same jobs traditionally reserved for men --- and they're already earning 70% of a man's salary for that work. Why, at this rate, they'll.....

Stop! Hold the presses! At this rate, girls will grow up to be a ruling class. And today's boys will grow up to work in auto-body shops (not that there's anything wrong with that) and dream of advancing to the manager slot at Burger King (ditto). Why? Because boys are falling behind in school --- and not just because they develop a little slower, read a little later, blah blah blah.

The system is failing boys, Peg Tyre says. A feminized curriculum, behavior norms that disadvantage boys, schools with few men on the faculty, a misguided belief that kids are ready to learn at an earlier age --- Tyre rolls out a laundry list of reasons.

I take Peg Tyre very seriously. First, because she's been there --- she is the mother of two boys. At Newsweek, where she covered education, she wrote a story about boys falling behind in school. It struck a nerve --- parents of boys tended to think only their lads were not doing well --- so she dug more and wrote this book.

I'm the father of a girl, and while I'd like her to have every advantage, what's happening now may not be good for anyone. Just one of Tyre's conclusions:

"At all but the very highest income levels, our country is bifurcating into two groups: educated women and less educated men. That division will have massive implications for the way our children live their lives --- their opportunities, their career choices, what they do, who they marry, how they raise their children, if they can afford to retire."

Strong stuff. You want to push back. Well, here are some facts:

-- Boys get expelled from preschool at nearly five times the rate of girls.

-- Boys are prescribed medicine for attention-related disorders at twice the rate of girls.

-- Kids no longer get to "play" in preschool. But "children who attend preschools that emphasize direct instruction experience more stress at school....[in one study] the boys who fell farthest behind girls were the ones who had attended the academic preschools."

-- Since 1992, girls have been taking more science and math courses and doing better in them than boys. "In most schools," Tyre writes, "classrooms where AP courses are taught look like a branch of a local sorority."

-- "39% of all first-graders get 20 minutes a day or less of recess....by fourth grade, nearly half of our students get less than twenty minutes a day." What replaces gym and music and art and free play? No Child Left Behind --- rote learning for a national test, arguably the most uncreative way of learning imaginable.

How does this play out? Boys revere sports, not school. And they pay the price of this sorry focus. The suicide rate for boys aged 5 to 14 is three times higher than the suicide rate for girls; between the ages of 15 to 19, it's four times greater.

Tyre steps back to explain why. Among her compelling observations: The mid-l980s saw a changed attitude about crime and safety. Parents wanted to protect their kids. Free, unsupervised play in public spaces --- the kind of unfettered free time that made childhood such fun for many of us --- became a thing of the past. More recently we have seen an expanding class of parents with money, and more competition to get kids into prestige colleges. Kids need to be "little Einsteins" --- so in a single year (2003 to 2004), sales of "learning" and "exploration" toys jumped 19%, to $510 million; in 2005, "Hooked on Phonics" sales doubled.

What do little boys need? "To get him ready for school, talk to him, rhyme with him, and sing with him," Tyre says. "After kicking the soccer ball, take him to the library for story hour." In other words: Boys need to be boys. And to be treated as boys.

And how will that happen?

Tyre couldn't be more blunt: It's your responsibility.

Peg Tyre has written a revealing and somewhat alarming book on the condition of boys in our schools and society. The Trouble With Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School and What Parents and Educators Can Do is insightful. Quite simply, in society's rush in the 1980s and 1990s to support our girls both socially and educationally we have apparently put the boys at a disadvantage.

Among the many points Tyre makes, boys mature on a variety of scales later than girls. In our rush to improve standardized test grades, activities such as recess have been virtually cut from the daily school activities. Boys are genetically designed to run, throw, explore, and test their abilities. In modern America, this has normally been achieved through physical play some of which occurred at school. Among other things, this allowed the boys to burn off that abundant energy. In our current educational environment the morning and afternoon recesses have been scrapped so that additional study time could be found. The normal physical play at lunch has also been eliminated in most schools. This one factor has aggravated boys' natural restlessness and caused problems with their ability to pay attention. Our response has been to drug them. Insane!

But Peg Tyre also points out that male educators are in woefully short supply as teachers during the elementary grades. Boys may lack positive male role models in their personal lives due to the national plague of absentee fathers and this is aggravated when male role models are missing at school.

Peg Tyre isn't the only game in town on this subject though her book is quite good. If you're interested in additional materials on the plight of boys, checkout the following:

Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men by Leonard Sax
Bring Up Boys by James C. Dobson
The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons From Falling Behind in School and Life by Michael Gurian and Kathy Stevens

Also, if you want information what little boys used to be interested in read The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden.

An editorial point. This is an intelligent country in which most teachers and principals are dedicated to the proper education of their students. Certainly we can find a way to meet the needs of both boys and girls without short changing anyone.

Peace always.

Peg Tyre has written a remarkable book about a problem that many of us have sensed (but failed to articulate and complain about) for years: our young boys are being shortchanged from the first day that they enter a school building. Not too many years ago the concern in public education was how to prepare girls to grow into women able to compete with their male counterparts in the work world. That was a legitimate concern and, much to the credit of this country, a tremendous, and very successful, effort was made to correct the problem. But as always seems to happen, the pendulum continued to swing their way long after females had achieved educational equality. The momentum created to correct the initial problem was so strong that it eventually placed male students at a disadvantage, a new problem just as serious as the one it corrected.

I have personally observed much of what Peg Tyre describes in "The Trouble with Boys." For what it is worth, I can offer anecdotal evidence of my own that the problem Tyre describes is a serious one. I am the father of two daughters, both elementary school teachers now, and the grandfather of one granddaughter and two grandsons, all of whom are elementary school students. Because I am convinced that learning to read well, and as soon as possible, is the key to anyone's future, I encouraged my daughters to become readers and have done the same for their children. It is in observation of their children that I first became aware of just how different so many little boys are from little girls when it comes to their early schooling.

According to Tyre, the problem for little boys begins as early as preschool because they are physically and mentally less mature than little girls their age. Boys at this age are less verbal than girls, a deficit that makes it more difficult for them to learn to read, and they have less well developed fine motor skills, making it more difficult for them to control a pencil or a paintbrush. But their biggest problem is the great difficulty they have in sitting still for long periods of time, a tendency that almost guarantees that they will be disciplined at a much higher rate than girls and that they will learn at a slower pace.

The physical disadvantage faced by young boys has become more and more exaggerated in recent years because of the emphasis on starting our children into preschool programs at younger and younger ages. Little boys find themselves labeled early on as troublemakers and poor students by teachers that simply do not recognize or understand the handicaps the boys are facing in the classroom. As a result, boys are almost five times as likely to be expelled from preschool and are twice as likely to be placed under medication for some type of attention deficit disorder.

And, of course, this makes them much more likely to hate school and learning. Too many of them tune out, barely skating by academically and staying in school mainly because of sports programs and the girls they meet there. These boys have subconsciously assimilated the message they received from preschool through elementary school that they are problem students whose behavior and study habits are not appreciated.

And the result is predictable. Boys and girls enter preschool at about the same level but around the fourth grade girls are noticeably pulling ahead of boys academically, a lead they never relinquish. By middle and high school girls make up a substantial majority of top-ranked students and today they outnumber male university students to such a degree that many schools have created a kind of affirmative action plan for boys in order to create some balance in their student enrollments.

In effect, the American education system has been over-feminized by its tendency to reward the behavior more common to girls and to punish that more likely to be shared by young male students. "The Trouble with Boys" offers solutions and possible corrective measures that need to be adopted before another generation of men is doomed to second class status.

As Tyre points out, this country simply cannot afford to write off half of the population if it is to successfully compete in the global economy of the future. Advocates of equality for women may be concerned by any new emphasis on the same for men, fearing that the infamous pendulum will once again swing too far before stopping. But, as Tyre emphasizes, that is not what anyone is proposing or expecting; this is simply a matter of true equality for both sexes, a goal that will benefit all of us.

"The Trouble with Boys" makes a strong case that something must be done quickly in order to correct the biggest problem now facing this country's school system. It should be read by parents (regardless of whether they have boys or girls), school teachers and administrators, and everyone concerned about the future. It is a good place at which to begin the conversation - read it and pass it on to others before we waste another generation of young men. It is time that we quit treating boys as "defective girls."

I am a second grade public school teacher, and this book really changed my attitude about the "problem boys" in my class. I've gained an understanding that has made me feel more confident about teaching difficult boys, more responsive to their personalities, and less alone in my struggle. The book investigates the trouble with boys from sociological, cultural, psychological, and neuropsychological perspectives.

If you are a skeptic, read this book. I grew up with 2 sisters listening to "Free to Be You and Me" and graduated from Vassar College, a school very focused on women's issues. That boys are at some sort of educational disadvantage is the last thing I would have ever thought of (even though the ratio at Vassar was 60/40 women to men when I attended). I have no brothers, no sons, and I had no experience with young boys when I began teaching 5 years ago. Boys were a shock to my system. I wish I had read this book back then.

A warning: Peg Tyre tries hard to cater the book to teachers as well as parents, but it is clear that she sees a battle between parents and teachers of rowdy boys, and she sides with parents. There is one distasteful message to teachers at the end of the book (stating that teachers better love the irritating behaviors boys tend to exhibit, or else leave the profession)... but hopefully by then Tyre has gotten you to buy into the idea that there IS a problem and that we DO need to take responsibility for it and make a change...so hopefully you can take the statement as constructive criticism.

*It is also important to read this book if you have read the bogus book The Minds of Boys (by Michael Gurian). Once chapter in Tyre's book helps clear up ridiculous ideas that Gurian (who has NO background in science) has created about "teaching to boy brains."

Overall, a really important topic for teachers to be familiar with, and a good book to read.

As an experienced male elementary public-school teacher, I find this book outstanding, even if I disagree with some of it. Instead of repeating other reviewers, let's elaborate on some specific issues. To begin with, Tyre professes objectivity, and denies having any agenda (p. 13). She categorically rejects the notion that concerns about boys are a form of anti-feminism, or some kind of backlash against female successes.

Boys in general, not only poor and minority ones, undergo learning difficulties, and the problem has only gotten progressively worse in recent decades. The wealthy Wilmette Public School system, of suburban Chicago, is presented as a model of a school system that systematically investigated and remedied the unique problems of males.

Tyre is at times an iconoclast. She sees boys' playing with finger-guns as normal. She questions the high frequency of ADHD diagnoses, but doesn't go as far as suggesting that ADHD is nonexistent (p. 110). She deplores the replacement of traditional play-centered pre-K and K curriculum with academics, and other manifestations of the cram-school phenomenon. She doesn't believe that children, especially boys, are sufficiently developed for academics before 1st grade, and contends that children in play-based classes catch up with their academic-based counterparts by third grade (pp. 74-75).

Tyre is a strong advocate of phonics-based learning-to-read over the look-say method. Manipulatives should be emphasized. She recounts an experiment wherein the children were allowed to use magnetic letters which they could rearrange to make new sounds (p. 147). The children came out well ahead of grade level in reading and spelling. Astonishingly, the boys did better than the girls in this female stronghold.

Are little boys really more physically active than little girls, or is this a culturally-based perception? Attached sensors demonstrate that boys are, on average, more active than girls, but the difference in averages is not great. The extremes, however, are prominent. The most active individuals in class are almost always boys, and the least active ones are usually girls. (p. 68). This is largely hormonal. For instance, pregnant women with high testosterone levels are likely to give birth to girls that are tomboys.

Besides unfailingly providing rough-and-noisy recess, schools should allow boys to move around, and to stand at their desks, when they wish, instead of sitting all the time. Oversize pencils should be given to those with graphomotor challenges. Various other boy-friendly strategies are mentioned. These include providing mentors to boys, encouraging boys to do mathematical studies of sports players, letting boys solve math problems with classwide card games (p. 215), welcoming stories and writing that have grandiose, goofy, gory, and good-vs.-bad-guy themes, etc.

Tyre doesn't think that advances in the study of brain neurology translate into a direct understanding of the learning process. For instance, an increase of blood flow into a certain area of the brain can be interpreted in different ways. She recounts the onetime misunderstanding of brain function related to "left brain" and "right brain" activities.

Boys having male teachers don't generally do better than those with female ones. Also, Tyre doesn't think that, in general, all-male schools are superior for boys. However, boys in such schools appear to feel freer to pursue "feminine" activities such as art, music, etc.

Teacher attitudes and expectations count a lot. Tyre concludes: "Teachers who express hostility toward the natural way in which little boys express themselves--even if it is sometimes noisy, noncompliant, quirky, rambunctious, aggressive, and, yes, a little irritating--should be removed from classrooms (and if possible from the profession). To teach children, you have to love what they are. And teaching little boys is part of the job." (p. 284). Strong words!

The book ends with a list of references to professional journals and websites which illustrate and support her main points. These can be used for further study.

'The Trouble with Boys' is an up-to-date, pragmatic review of the happenings in middle-class American schools. I picked this book up after hearing an interview of Peg Tyre on the local DC talk station - she was very candid on her perspective of gender equality in teaching. I feel that if you have boys and are not directly involved in the education system, this is a must read - if nothing more than equipping yourself with terminology and the will to find out how and what your boys are learning. It is interesting to read the differences with how boys and girls learn, how video games can affect boys, and what environments best suit boys. Very quick and easy read but brought some points to light that I had not thought of - instances, stories and aspects I was able to semi-relate to being a 30 year old professional male working on his graduate degree. School has not been easy for me, it has been a struggle and 'The Trouble with Boys' shed some light on subjects that may help with my future sons and/or daughters.

The Trouble with Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents and Educators Must Do
Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

This 311-page book expands the cover story Tyre, a senior writer for Newsweek, wrote in 2006 entitled, "The Boy Crisis." The awards she has received, a Pulitzer Prize, a Clarion Award, and a National Education Writers Association Award, almost guarantee a well-written book, and her book does not disappoint. About the book, Michael Thompson, author of the NY Times bestselling book, Raising Cain, wrote, "passionate, powerful and persuasive." This is truly an outstanding book. With ten pages of notes at the back of the book, Tyre offers a well-researched argument. She spends a great deal of time chronicling the different ways that the problem (underachieving boys) develops, her language is engaging and accessible, the ideas, stories, facts, figures, and anecdotes (she has two boys of her own) are fascinating and involving, and the conclusions she reaches are startling. One of Tyre's conclusions is that just as we rallied in the 90s to help girls catch up to boys in math and science, we need to do the same for boys in reading and writing. Although there may be only a few new insights teachers may be able to use, the information here for parents is valuable and worthwhile. This is a very good book.

The Trouble with Boys is a book I would highly recommend to any parent of a young boy. As a father of a 16 month old, reading this book has prepared me to be much more selective in choosing a preschool for my son (when the time comes). But more importantly this book has shown me that I might have to fight for my little boy to assure he is not punished for being male. Too many bad grades are giving to little scholars in the making for messy handwriting, assertive behavior, and being loud, active and goofy! And after reading this book I know I'll have to keep a watchful eye on my son's teachers and the environment they create for him at school.

However, this book is really just the opening salvo in what must be a deeper research into all the ways the world has changed for little boys over the past 40 yrs. A larger look into all the ways the social upheavals of the 1960's and 1970's have effected the male middle class would be interested and I think would shed more light onto the learning gap between boys and girls AND between boys today and boys in the early 1960's.

Overall, highly recommended reading.

Peg Tyre claims her book is meant for parents and educators. While I can see its relevance for parents of boys, I'd have to say that as a teacher (currently high school, formerly preschool), I found The Trouble With Boys simplistic and sometimes downright infuriating.

First of all, Tyre seems to assume that "educators" means principals. The book contains relatively few interviews with real classroom teachers, and as a result, Tyre seems out of touch with the realities that public school teachers face. It's lovely to complain about how teachers over-emphasize following the rules...if you haven't been in a class with 30 high school kids who are shouting, swearing, punching each other, throwing things at you, or quietly destroying property. Schools can't make the kind of sweeping cultural changes Tyre proposes without better funding and smaller class sizes. Period.

I work hard to create a boy-friendly atmosphere in my classroom. Recognizing that the gender achievement gap is very real, I picked up this book looking for some practical tips to engage my male students. I walked away without a single new idea. This book is perfect for parents who want to blame the educational system for their son's failure to succeed. Once you get past all the finger-pointing, though, there's little in the way of workable solutions.

Teachers, don't waste what little free time you have on this book.

I am not one who has ever written a review. However, I read the reviews on books prior to reading them myself, and find them extremely helpful. I could not be more enthusiastic about writing a review for this book. I recommend this to all parents who have young children, male and female, just beginning their schooling. My boys are ages 3 and 4. My oldest will begin Kindergarten in the fall. I couldn't have read this book at a better time in his life. I feel Tyre has given my husband and I practical information and tools that we will regularly apply as my sons move through the school system. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends. I believe, it is a must read. If you want to feel better equipped to help your child, especially your son, enter formal schooling, this book will do that for you.

As I began the book, I felt fear for my boys, and a heavy weight of anxiety and concern over their prospects. However, upon finishing the book, I feel I have come away with ideas of things we can do to make sure our sons have a positive experience throughout their schooling. When I am in a room of preschool aged children, whether it is a playgroup or birthday party, there is no mistaking that boys and girls are wired differently. In fact, my friends and I often comment on this. So, I have always assumed that their needs in school and ways of learning have to be different as well. After reading Tyre's book, I feel better equipped to advocate for my sons when it comes to their education.

Thank you Peg Tyre for your thorough research and passion for our boys and girls. We can wait on government to get their act together, or we can as parents and educators begin to positively impact our youth one child at a time. Imagine if we all worked together what we could accomplish!