News

Sharing an article from Education Review which aligns so closely with our message here at Literacy for Boys and Literacy for Kids. How ‘Reading for pleasure’ programs boost student academic achievement An academic has called to mandate ‘reading for pleasure’ at school as a new study shows the correlation between reading enjoyment and academic performance….

Every teacher who has taught an anxious child will know the challenges all too well; Fear of ‘failure’ outweighs the excitement of trying new things. Certain situations are so challenging, the child is forced to avoid them altogether. Avoidance of challenging and overwhelming situations. Instead of exploring a world of possibilities, children can be left…

I’m keen to share this article because some of the findings are surprising ~ particularly what it reveals about girls’ engagement at school. As someone who advocates strongly for boys’ literacy and learning engagement, I often focus on the barriers boys face in education. But this research is a good reminder that student disengagement is…

In a world where screens compete for every spare moment, getting boys to pick up a book can feel like an uphill battle. Yet reading is still one of the most powerful tools for building academic success and a lifelong love of learning. The good news? With the right approach, you can help your son…

No real surprises here, but still a worthwhile read. This latest Education Review article explores how social media can have both positive and negative impacts on young people’s wellbeing. Issues with social media start to rise when it is used heavily and passively, like for ‘doom scrolling’. (Credit to Erin Morley, 7th April, 2026) Young…

Sharing from The Australian over the weekend: Boys are falling further behind girls at school, triggering a parliamentary inquiry into the growing gender gap in education as decades of affirmative action sees girls leapfrogging into university. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare will announce the inquiry into “factors driving educational attainment’’, with a focus on boys’ struggles…

Sharing this insightful article from Menios Constantinou’s interview with Laura Scholes (an Associate Professor researching literacy at ACU) on challenging masculinities associated with boys’ failure in reading. “I love to read,” says Jack, a year four boy at a primary school in an economically marginalised town in regional Australia. “My best friends love reading ……

Surveyed caregivers said enrolled children developed a strong love of books and reading Dolly Parton’s book charity, which delivers free books to underprivileged children, has increased literacy outcomes, an international study found. The globally renowned singer-songwriter started her Imagination Library in 1995 in honour of her father, who couldn’t read or write. Today, the program…

I am one of the growing number of educational researchers who are concerned that schools and even preschools are trying to teach boys to read and write too soon.  Starting boys on these concepts too soon can be one of the causes for the negative attitudes boys develop toward reading and writing, and even school….

The Decline in Volitional Reading report, released last month from the National Institute of Education in Singapore, has been published in response to a global downward trend in young people’s engagement with reading. Alongside international data from both the PiRLS1 (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) and PISA2, recent Australian data has shown that one in…