Richard Reeves to Address ‘Silent Crisis’ Facing Boys in New Bedford

You may not agree with everything Richard Reeves says, but he certainly gets you thinking.

Who Is Richard Reeves?

Reeves is a noted author and speaker on the education of boys and men. He'll be in New Bedford March 3 as a guest of Nativity Preparatory School, a school for boys of middle-school age.

Reeves will be speaking at a community presentation from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The subject is "The Silent Crisis: Addressing the Educational Struggles of Boys and Men."

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Reeves is a leading voice nationally about boys and men's education and well-being, and currently serves as a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His career spans journalism, think tank leadership, government and public policy. I had a chance to speak with Reeves for Townsquare Sunday.

Reeves said boys are falling behind in school at a very early age.

Why Are Boys Falling Behind in School?

"The blunt fact is, boys just mature later than girls. You can see it when they're five years old, or when they're 15," he said. "There's just a difference in the pace of development. By the time they finish high school, girls are ahead of boys in reading by about a year."

So how does the nation reverse this trend? Reeves said hiring more male teachers might be one way, or investing in more hands-on learning. Or how about this idea: having boys start school a year later, in an attempt to close that maturity gap.

Could Starting School Later Help Boys?

"Boys are developmentally behind girls, and it really shows up during adolescence, so the idea is to give boys the gift of extra time to develop and mature, with an extra year of pre-K early education," Reeves said. "There is some evidence that will help level the playing field for boys."

Event Details

Reeves will share more of his ideas on the educational struggles of boys and men on March 3 at the Whaling Museum. The event is free but registration is required. A panel discussion will follow Reeves' talk.

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