How to Raise Boys That Read

Thomas Spence, president of Spence Publishing in Dallas and father to six sons, has written a great article as to why boys are no longer reading and are falling behind scholastically.

According to a recent report from the Center on Education Policy, for example, substantially more boys than girls score below the proficiency level on the annual National Assessment of Educational Progress reading test. This disparity goes back to 1992, and in some states the percentage of boys proficient in reading is now more than ten points below that of girls. The male-female reading gap is found in every socio-economic and ethnic category, including the children of white, college-educated parents.

Many current publishing houses are seeing the answer to the problem as doing away with boring classics and meeting the kids where they are: Scholastic offers the "Butt Books," a series that began with "The Day My Butt Went Psycho." Penguin is offering "Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger."

One school librarian throws "grossology" parties with the mindset of "just get them to read and worry later about what they're reading."

Spence looks further into the problem and offers a solution that would make most households shriek. I have to say I agree with him. Read the whole article here.