There has been a lot of discussion in the last few days about the suggestion made by Toronto District School Board (TDSB) Director, Chris Spence, that an all-boys elementary school (“male leadership academy“) would reduce the number of boys who are failing in school, dropping out and/or involved with gangs and violence.
Personally, I have no problem with the notion of an all-boys school because I am in favour of parent choice and alternative schools provide such choices. Moreover, as Blizzard points out in her Toronto Sun column today (H/T Catherine), private schools and the Catholic public system have all-boys schools now and they work very well.
However, in my opinion, they work well because everyone involved — teachers, students and parents — are committed to all academic and behavioural expectations.
Therein lies a huge potential problem for the TDSB because they seem to think that an all-boys environment with positive male role models (the teachers) would automatically improve and make up for any lack of positive male role models outside of school.
Well, it won’t and quite frankly, that is simply magical thinking, this year’s politically correct thing to do, or as Blizzard called it, the policy flavour of the month.
So, by all means, let’s have a debate about alternative schools and parent choice but, in doing so, let’s also not ignore the elephant in the room — that there is also “student choice” — that academic failure is not always the fault of teachers and the education “system.”
In other words, if we want an all-boys school to do what the TDSB hopes it would, we need to have the commitment of everyone involved. For example, we need to deal with such questions as (and these are just a few):
Re the educators:
- Are their courses of study and accompanying assignments and tests being designed to teach reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as the skills and knowledge needed in today’s society and in a way that will keep male students interested?
- Are they providing access to tutoring and computers for those students who need them but whose parents do not have the resources to pay for them?
- Are they talking to parents and students on a regular basis, so that everyone is operating from the same page?
- Do they accept parent and student excuses when assignments or tests are not completed or when plagiarism is involved (or when it is minimized), thus reinforcing the McGuinty no-fail policy?
Re the Parents:
- Do they make sure their children attend school every day?
- Are they available for school open houses and parent interviews?
- Are they involved in helping their children with homework assignments and getting to the public library to do research?
- Do they reinforcing the importance of an education for later life jobs and careers?
Re the students:
- Are they committed to what their parents and school want and expect of them?
- Are they completing their work to the best of their ability?
- Are they asking classroom teachers and/or special needs resource teachers for help when they need it?
So, yes, school choice is about parent choice and parent involvement. But, it is also about “student” choice and student involvement — whether or not they themselves buy into what their parents and school want. That to me is the crux of the matter.
As a result, whether or not the TDSB’s proposed all-boys elementary school becomes a reality and succeeds depends on the commitment of board officials, school administration, teachers, the parent(s) and the students. Because my bet is that is the kind of commitment we would find in the private and Catholic all-boy schools.
C/P Jack’s Newswatch.
Filed under: All-boys/all-girls schools, Alternative Schools, Toronto School Brd | Tagged: All-boys School
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I left a very similar comment when the Africentric school debate was in the news. I have no major objection to the idea but the fact is algebra and English grammar are hard. They require time, study and effort. No amount of tailoring the curriculum is going to change that and neither is any type of “alternative school” arrangement. Until the identity politics / instant gratification generation realize that, I fear drop out and failure rates will remain high.
There is a teacher with the Dufferin Peel Catholic district school board, Michael Reist, who writes and lectures on all things educational. He has an informative website if you google his name. I had him in my town last year to deliver a talk on how boys and girls learn differently. Very convincing that for some boys a class geared to their innate and nurtured behaviours and abilities would help them learn. This is a long way from needing a whole separate school just for boys. Same as the Africentric issue. Yes, a culturally distinct program might improve their success but they don’t need a whole separate school. Isolating any sector in their own schools could do more harm than good to the cohesiveness of society, so why be so extreme. Start with offerring some specialized programs for the target population, but keep them with others who are not like themselves. I believe that the TDSB is considering all these alternative schools to avoid closing schools due to declining enrolment. As a fiscal conservative I can’t support separate fully funded schools for everyone with a self interest.
Also, discriminating on the basis of gender violates the Ontario Human Rights Code, and the ed. act. Only catholic schools are exempted from these laws. Even private schools can be for a single sex, but if a member of the other sex wants to enrol they can’t refuse. Or they can try, but they’ll lose in court. Like girls playing on boys football teams. So the boys school would have to be like the Africentric school- designed for that population, but open to all.
An interesting aspect of Michael Reist’s presentation was that gender traits fall on a continuum, which seems right when you think of yourself and the people you know. He said research shows that girls tend to fall in the mid sections of the continuum while boys tend to be at the masculine end. Again, a program designed for the way boys learn, but open to all, makes sense when you consider this research.
Rudy & Paula — Thanks for sharing. Differences of opinion are good for debate. I went to an all-girls Catholic high school (although not a Catholic myself) and I was the better for it. I was also involved in community-based drama and camera clubs that were co-ed, as was the community choir I belonged to. So, single gender schools are in no way a problem.
So, there are many ways to help the two genders excel — although I have to say that watching my great-grandson, there is no doubt about our differences. This little guy is a first child, has plenty of female companions yet is very definitely an alpha male in the making. He just turned one and just started walking. It’s a good thing his parents are in their twenties because, apart from when he is sleeping, he never stops, checks out how everything works, is quicker than the adults around him, bangs anything he can get his hands on in and laughs while doing it. While I have seen female babies act similarily, it’s all a case of intensity. As well, he is a big for his age and built like a truck, not chubby just solid. On thanksgiving weekend, I watched him interact with a female around his age. Gender differences? You better believe it!
Marc — I am glad the “crux of the matter’ of my article was obvious. Teachers can only do so much. Students have to be open to learning or at least be amenable to the methods used to inspire and challenge.
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When I teach, I don’t think of myself as a father figure; i think of myself as a teacher first. I have supply taught in a couple of experimental all-boys and all-girls classes. I did not find that the boys responded to me better because I am a man.
If the TDSB wants to help boys who are struggling with the curriculum, an all-boys school could work. If the TDSB wants to stop declining enrollment, I would suggest an all-boys school that largely consists of boys from middle-class families who might be able to afford to send their children to private schools. These boys are less likely to be fatherless than the poorer boys of Toronto.
I think Moira Macdonald from the Toronto Sun offered a link to parents, teachers, and students that lets people recommend changes to Ontario’s curriculum and learning. I do find Ontario’s curriculum overloaded with a lot of little things to learn which doesn’t allow students to go into depth in regards to parts of curriculum. Essentially, the curriculum is a mile wide but an inch high. There could be less width but more depth to learning.
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/moira_macdonald/2009/10/19/11445981-sun.html
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/curriculum.html
Thanks for those links Skinny Dipper. I missed that column. Will definitely write about “the survey” soon. Got to get the message out!
Skinny Dipper — Post is up. I have also added your blog to my “favourites.” I didn’t realize you had your own blog.