“The program is really boys book clubs at the Grade 3 and 6 level and the purpose of it is to close the gender gap in reading and writing,”

said program facilitator Debra Chabot. “The boys meet once a week on a nutrition break, at lunchtime or after school for about 40 minutes; they read for 20 minutes and then do fun, follow-up activities that relate to the reading.”

Book club members are also treated to a four-day conference in May at Brock University’s Hamilton campus, where they have an opportunity to attend interactive sessions with authors, illustrators, storytellers, performers and sports celebrities.

“It’s a day of fun-filled reading,” said Chabot. “The boys also get a chance to see that reading is not only fun and interesting, but also important as a life-long activity.”

The Boys Read to Succeed program started in January 2005, with about 300 Grade 3 boys and 125 Grade 6 boys participating in book clubs in 24 of the board’s schools.

“The program takes place in as many elementary schools as we can get a teacher/mentor coach, so most of our schools do participate,” said Chabot. “Last year, we had 98 per cent of our schools involved and we had over 1,000 boys attend the four-day conference.”

Chabot says Education Quality and Accountability Office 2008/09 results show boys are improving in their literacy skills.

“In Grade 3 reading, the gender gap was reduced from 14 to 10 per cent, placing HWDSB only one per cent above the provincial gender gap of nine per cent, so for us that’s incredible,” she said.

“In Grade 6, the gender gap was reduced by two per cent; we went from 12 to 10 per cent, equal to the provincial reduction of two per cent, but they went from 13 to 11, so in reading the gender gap in Grade 6 is essentially at par with the province,” she added.

In writing, the gender gap increased by one per cent, from 18 to 19 per cent, compared to the provincial increase of three per cent –from 19 to 21. For the first time in three years, the gender gap in Grade 6 writing for the HWDSB is lower than the province.

Chabot says the Boys Read to Succeed program is definitely making a difference.

“We also extend the program to boys and their fathers. We have two evenings in the fall term and two evenings in the spring term, where we invite fathers and their boys in and the boys do some fun-filled activities around reading, while the fathers talk about strategies they can use to help the boys at home, so we know that, from the feedback from fathers, that’s really worked,” she said.

“We know that the boys are definitely engaged and of course, it isn’t a stand alone because it’s also what the teachers do in the classrooms that make the difference, so it’s all of those things put together.”

Chabot says it’s critical to provide classroom experiences that respond to the interests, needs and learning styles of all students.

“It is essential that we explore ways to engage boys and girls equally as readers and writers.”