Catherine Jordan, Executive Director of AchieveMpls with Dr. Leonard Sax

Thanks to AchieveMpls and their funding education partner Comcast I was fortunate to attend an afternoon session on factors leading to the current loss of ambition and resilience in today’s male youth. Our presenter was Leonard Sax, MD, PhD, a noted family physician and research psychologist and the author of author of the book "Boys Adrift: What's Really Behind the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys."

After speaking to parents and teachers through his years of practice, Dr. Sax repeatedly heard the message that the girls seemed to be more driven that the boys. Girls were also matriculating to college at a higher rate and graduating in bigger numbers. It led him to wonder what was happening with our boys.

Dr. Sax’s research came to focus on 5 factors he felt were affecting the culture of underachievement in boys and men:

1.) Changes in education in the last 30 years - Teaching practices that set boys up for failure
2.) Video games - Game pursuit causing boys to separate from the real world
3.) Medications - Prescribed drugs causing irrevocable damage
4.) Endorphin Disrupters - Chemicals found in everyday objects bringing harmful physical changes
5.) Decline/disintegration of the masculine ideal - Role models for manhood lacking authority & intelligence

As a mother of two boys, ages 12 and 8, I found the talk a bit unnerving and very helpful. The presentation gave a glimpse into what to look for in the schools and teachers that are educating my sons (teachers understanding of differences in how boys learn), along with enforcing parenting objectives that will help the boys grow in a healthier direction (ex: less video games, more physical action).

I would encourage parents to lake a look at the written works of Dr. Sax which include the well-received book, “Why Gender Matters - What Parents and Teachers Need to Know about the Emerging Science of Sex Differences."

If you would like to learn more, Dr. Sax has a very insightful blog: http://www.boysadrift.com/blog.php. On his blog he sites many articles and studies on the topic of gender in education.