Preschool Expulsions and Boys

On The Child Welfare League of America website, an article about preschool expulsions describes research concluding that:

“Four year olds were expelled at a rate about 50 percent higher than three-year olds. Boys were expelled at a rate over 4.5 times that of girls.” (https://www.cwla.org/preschool-children-have-a-higher-expulsion-rates-than-k-12/)

Francis Wardle, author of the book, Oh Boy!, writes, “Many of the struggles young boys have in our early childhood programs and schools are not simply a result of bad behavior. Rather, boys struggle because of a much more fundamental problem: a mismatch between how most young boys develop, grow, and learn, and the kinds of expectations, outcomes, activities, and discipline approaches used in programs during the early years...A disproportionate number of boys compared to girls are suspended or expelled from early childhood and elementary school programs; far more boys than girls are identified with developmental delays or special needs, including ADHD and specific learning disabilities; and more boys than girls struggle with behavioral issues in our programs—often resulting in the use of punitive discipline methods. For many young boys, the early childhood experience is not a positive, empowering one. Too many are suffering, and we need to make major changes at every level of the field—from expectations, the environment, instructional approaches, and discipline methods—to policies regarding school readiness and special education. Rather than seeing these changes as simply reacting to the current early childhood practices, we need to view them as needed improvements to everything we do with young children, especially young boys."

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

© 2005 Child Care Information Exchange - All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Return to Site