What is the Nature of the gaps in reading between boys and girls at the high school level? By Susan E. Hess

Brief Review of Literature In 2010, the number of boys who were rated as proficient or higher on state tests was far below girls at almost every grade level in most states that collected data (Center on Education Policy, 2010). Males in Illinois posted percentages slightly lower than females in reading as recorded by the 11th grade Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) testing (CEP, 2010). The Pan-Canadian Assessment Program revealed “a persistent literacy gap between boys and girls: girls outscore boys by 23 points” (Canadian Council on Learning, 2009).

Literature Continued Boys prefer different reading material like action stories, magazines, sport stories, and science fiction (Merisuo-Storm, 2006; Sadowski, 2010; Moeller, 2011; Canadian Council on Learning, 2009; Taylor, 2004). Girls prefer to read fiction, best-sellers, romance books, and books about contemporary issues (Canadian Council on Learning, 2009). More role models for reading are women, since mothers usually read to their children and most teachers and librarians are women (Sokal et al, 2009; Scieszka, 2002). According to Taylor (2004), boys need educators who will broaden their view of literacy to include areas outside of school-based reading and include the interests of male readers.

Method I would give an interest inventory to approximately 400 students at Conant High School. I would also administer a modified version of Bozack’s High School Literacy Project Questionnaire [HSLPQ] (2011) for interest and motivation. HSLPQ Questionnaire These same students will be given the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test (Northwest Evaluation Association, 2011). I would compare the two typically weakest areas of the MAP which include reading strategies and comprehension; and word analysis and vocabulary.

Because students are inundated by other interests, reading has taken a backseat to those interests.

New Questions What can be done to increase boys’ reading? What can teachers do to help close the gap ? Can we increase reading for boys and girls with more digital reading? i.e. iPods, Kindles, Nooks How do teachers improve the book choices in their classrooms even with budget cuts? Teachers have to always ask questions about the reading their students do and what they as teachers can do to increase the reading their students find interesting.

Kelly Gallagher, high school teacher, reading specialist, and author of Readicide questioned; “When was the last time your faculty had a substantive discussion about whether students have sufficient access to interesting reading material?” (Gallagher and Allington, (2009) How can we start to have that conversation so all students are interested in reading, and we start to close the gap on reading achievement?