Six Ways All-Boys Education Can Help Your Son Thrive

Recently, the crisis of boys and young men has garnered national attention. The struggle manifests itself academically, socially, physically, and emotionally. Researchers and educators are taking notice and ideas are being generated to assist our boys as they develop into competent, thoughtful, productive men. All-boys schools have long seen the inherent value of educating boys, and below are six ways in which all-boys schools help our young men thrive!  

Both cognitive research and neuroscience has demonstrated that boys learn and develop differently when compared to girls. Executive function, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and interpersonal skills all develop at different rates and this reality has real implications for boys’ education. 

One significant benefit of an all-boys setting is that teachers can tailor their instruction to the developmental milestones associated with the boys in their charge. In this way, the instruction, assessments, and pedagogic practices can all be aligned with the ways boys learn best, as juxtaposed with the teacher who is trying to simultaneously balance the competing needs of boys and girls in a co-educational setting. The end result in an all-boys environment is teaching practices solely focussed on the ways in which boys learn.

There is no question that the social pressure assigned to boys and girls is real. Remember back to that first middle or high school dance with boys on one side of the gym and the girls on the other, both sides trying to figure it out, both sides trying to impress the other? Navigating these social contexts and the corresponding social pressures can be very taxing and often serves as a distraction to the boy who is simultaneously trying to learn new content and develop deeper understandings. 

In an all-boys school, the potential distraction of trying to impress the girl beside you is eliminated. Such an environment frees the young man to more fully focus on his educational growth and pursue academic mastery. Higher academic achievement coupled with a higher percentage of graduates pursuing college after their secondary education, is often the result. 

Additionally, in an all-boys school, the notion of gender bias is significantly reduced. This bias often stereotypes boys into thinking it's “uncool” to participate in the fine arts and those disciplines they have been led to believe typically favor girls. In an all-boys setting, a young man has the freedom to explore all aspects of the curriculum. In this way the boys’ educational horizons actually broaden, as opposed to being limited by gender bias. 

In the last few years, much has been written about the inability of men to form and maintain good, quality, male friendships. This has led to middle aged, male loneliness that is neither healthy nor productive. The research as to why this is the case is still being debated, but the greater point is that many middle aged men suddenly hit their 40s and 50s and find themselves without the benefits that accompany a core group of male friends. 

In an all-boys school, boys learn early on the value of male friendship and they come to understand the ways in which such friendships contribute to a healthy, happy life. Comradery, support, a helpful advisor, all of these benefits are gained through male to male friendships and are essential for a life well lived. In an all-boys school, the students naturally acquire a headstart on building these all important relationships, therefore setting themselves up for a more fulfilling and healthy adult life.

Not surprisingly, the alumni networks of all-boys schools and the friendships that remain are often cited as one of the major benefits associated with an all-boys education. In this sense, the “Brotherhood” is real and the sustained relationships it can provide, both during the school years and beyond, can work to enhance one’s quality of life. 

Above, we talked about the benefits an all-boys environment can provide when it comes to academic growth. But what about character formation and helping our boys grow into healthy, competent, thriving young men? In an all-boys environment, character formation can also take place according to the developmental needs of boys. 

Oftentimes all-boys' schools will stress those characteristics that are essential to developing an honorable character rooted in integrity. Traits like a healthy work-ethic, maintaining the ability to persevere through adversity, service to others, understanding what it means to be a positive leader in one’s social group, and the tremendous power of empathy, are all reinforced in a healthy, all-boys environment. These traits, along with many others, ultimately help the young man grow and develop into a responsible adult of sound character who brings benefit and value to his environment and the people around him. 

There is no question that boys need to move. Have you ever asked a boy to sit still for any length of time and then monitored the result? Before long the young man will be fidgeting with the laces on his sneaker, tapping his pen on the desk, or scrolling his phone in search of the latest version of Roblux. Simply stated, boys need to be engaged and moving. 

In a well run all-boys school, the educators understand this innate desire and often provide ample opportunity for the young man to keep moving while simultaneously engaging in their learning. Perhaps it is a woodworking activity in the school’s maker space, building a robot as part of a science project, practicing chords on the guitar, or playing sports as part of physical education class, whatever the outlet, all-boys schools understand this innate desire for boys to be in motion, and they provide ample opportunity for this natural tendency. 

By providing these physical, hands-on activities, not only are the boys benefiting from a boys-specific educational approach, but the school community often sees a reduction in discipline that accompanies the traditional expectation that a boy will sit quietly at his desk throughout the entire school day. If you know boys, you know they rarely sit still for an entire day - they need to move and all-boys schools allow for this.

Make no mistake, boys need powerful and competent male and female role models. However, in a recent study published by the National Center for Education Statistics, the data indicates that roughly 74% of all US public school teachers are female. 

That said, psychologists have long known that boys benefit from having strong male role models who they can emulate as they develop into competent, healthy, thoughtful adult men. All-boys schools realize this and place a premium on hiring strong male role models alongside equally strong female role models, which is unusual in a field dominated by women. In this sense, the all-boys environment strives to give boys an essential element for healthy development; the presence of strong and compassionate male role models for them to emulate as they grow into young adulthood.

The six themes above highlight just some of the ways in which an all-boys school environment can help young men thrive. A well run all-boys school is cognizant of the importance of these themes, and therefore works to ensure that they are recognized within the overall educational program. In this way, the school does all it can to help its young men thrive in school and beyond.