Writing the Playbook

This book is about how to reform the culture of schools and classrooms to respond to the challenges of boy's learning. Educators must look to the learning environments created for boys and young men. Are classrooms and schools inviting places for boys? Do boys see their interests and ambitions reflected in what they are learning about? Do we creatively channel boys' energy, or do we try to suppress it? Bottom line are we trying to get little boys to act like little girls in the classroom? Influenced both by their biology and societal expectations about masculinity, boys challenge us to re-write our playbooks and, in the process of doing so, to become more proactive, more responsive, and more engaging for all. Principal, author and educational consultant Kelley King has traveled the world helping educators create more boy-friendly schools. As a school leader, Kelley has walked the talk: She successfully led her own staff to close the gender achievement gap in reading and writing in just one year and received national media attention. Kelley has gone on to write extensively on the topic of educating boys, and she delivers both on-site and online professional development to educators worldwide. In this book, Kelley shares critical insight into the brain-based differences between boys and girls and first-hand classroom experiences to provide educators with a blueprint for creating schools where boys (and girls!) thrive. Hear directly from teachers and principals about what works and from the boys themselves about what they need and want out of school. This how-to book is the perfect mix of theory and practice for the busy educator who needs an immediate game plan for getting boys on the path to higher achievement.