We’re pleased to share the news that Why Boys Fail: Saving Our Sons from an Educational System That’s Leaving Them Behind by Richard Whitmire has been selected as One of the Top 5 Educational Books by Literacy News in 2012.
Defining the best educational books can be difficult. From general education games that provide ‘how tos’ to navigating school or higher education, through to books that provide insights into how different educational theories work, there’s much to work through in terms of practicality and enjoyability. In drawing up a list of my top 5 educational books, I consequently thought about which ones have been either most useful, or most thought provoking in terms of the ideas they raised about the direction of education, both in the United States and more broadly. The list also represents these books in no particular order.
Literacy News said of Why Boys Fail:
The question of why boys always seem to fall behind girls in school has always fascinated me. Richard Whitmire’s book provides an excellent overview of the subject, examining how environmental factors, school policies, and parenting approaches can lead to gender gaps in education. There are a lot of books on the market at the moment which deal with this subject, but I find Whitmire’s to be the most engaging.
About the Author
Richard Whitmire is a former editorial writer for USA Today and President of the National Educational Writers Association. His commentaries have been published in The New Republic, U.S. News & World Report, Politico, Washington Monthly, Chronicle of Higher Education, and Education Week. Frequently sought out for his expertise on education issues, he has discussed boy troubles on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. He was on ABC-TV’s Good Morning America and Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends talking about Why Boys Fail. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof made the book the centerpiece of a Sunday column. Why Boys Fail was selected as one of The American School Board Journal’s Top Education Reads. He is also the author of The Bee Eater: Michelle Rhee Takes on the Nation’s Worst School District. Whitmire is the father of two daughters and lives in Arlington, Virginia.
Congratulations to Richard, and thank you Literacy News!
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