Writing the Playbook
A Practitioner’s Guide to Creating a Boy-Friendly School
Foreword by Michael Gurian, Author of The Minds of Boys and Boys and Girls Learn Differently!
Your game plan for getting boys on the path to higher achievement
You've seen it in your school: boys struggling to master basic literacy skills, sitting outside the principal's office, collecting labels like "hyperactive," getting failing grades. Checked out, kicked out, or dropped out, they're benched when they should be scoring goals on the academic playing field.
As a school leader, Kelley King has walked the talk: she successfully led her own staff to close the gender gap in reading and writing in just one year. In her step-by-step, research-based leadership plan for jump-starting boys' achievement, she shares:
- Critical insight into the brain-based differences between boys and girls
- First-hand leadership and classroom experiences
- Ready-to-use activities and resources for leading a successful gap-closing initiative
With tips, anecdotes, and more, Writing the Playbook provides educators in all roles with a blueprint for creating schools where boys (and girls!) thrive.
"Finally, some practical advice from an experienced educator on how to make boys into successful students. King's credentials—mother of both a son and daughter as well as a principal who successfully addressed gender gaps at her school—are unbeatable."
—Richard Whitmire, Author of Why Boys Fail: Saving Our Sons from an Educational System That's Leaving Them Behind
"Kelley King is both impassioned and level-headed, and she starts a conversation that we desperately need to have in our country."
—Michael Kimmel, Author of Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men
SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology
"This is a highly practical and highly relevant book. Two thumbs up!"
—Eric Jensen, Author of Teaching with the Brain in Mind
"This is a highly practical and highly relevant book. Two thumbs up!"
"Finally, some practical advice from an experienced educator on how to make boys into successful students. King's credentials—mother of both a son and daughter as well as a principal who successfully addressed gender gaps at her school—are unbeatable."
"Kelley King is both impassioned and level-headed, and she starts a conversation that we desperately need to have in our country."
"This book isn't just theory—it provides the answers for why things work and how to lead a change process collaboratively. Principals, superintendents, and teacher leaders should pick up a copy of this book if they are interested in engaging their communities in leading change, getting results for all students, and making teaching fun."
"This book contains profoundly creative and engaging approaches to looking at equity in new ways as part of staff training and attaining school improvement goals."
"This book is well written, timely, and filled with practical examples and suggestions for school leaders to create a school environment conducive to educating both male and female students. It is a great book for use by a professional learning community and should be required reading in all educational leadership courses."
"Writing the Playbook provides an in-depth look at the gender differences found in schools. It provides a plethora of strategies aimed at leveling the playing fields between the sexes."
"This is a must-read for school leaders and teachers. Based on both research and the 'wisdom of practice,' it offers a wealth of teaching strategies to boost the achievement and happiness of boys in school. A new contribution is how to use the Web to find 'boy-friendly' activities. If you can only read one book about how to reach boys, this is it."
"Writing the Playbook is an incredible resource that students love, teachers appreciate, and administrators are learning from. It provides the solutions that school systems globally are desperately searching for regarding the behavior and academic performance of boys. It is written in a way that is engaging, empowering, and inspiring to those in all levels of education. If you've ever desired a positive educational atmosphere, this book provides the blueprint!"
"Boys and girls can differ vastly in how they most effectively learn. As educational leaders, it is critical that we create school environments that clearly reflect and demonstrate this understanding. This insightful book will inform, guide, and transform the way you lead in schools. This is a great resource that will definitely produce results!"
