Bill Text: MI HR0145 | 2009-2010 | 95th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: A resolution to encourage the Michigan Department of Education to recognize the psychological differences between how boys and girls learn and to communicate this finding to the state's K-12 education community.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-08-26 - Referred To Committee On Education [HR0145 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2009-HR0145-Introduced.html
Reps. Sheltrown, Dean, Haugh, LeBlanc, Leland, Spade, Valentine, Ball, Booher, Durhal, Haines, Marleau, Pearce, Polidori and Walsh offered the following resolution:
House Resolution No. 145.
A resolution to encourage the Michigan Department of Education to recognize the psychological differences between how boys and girls learn and to communicate this finding to the state's K-12 education community.
Whereas, Educating our children to prepare them for a changing economy and to make them ready to adapt to future changes through life-long learning is a vital goal to achieve. Even in challenging financial times, Michigan has striven to shield education spending as much as possible from the realities of our economic situation. A curriculum that pushes our children to succeed and testable standards that demonstrate that our children are succeeding are crucial components in preparing our children for their future; and
Whereas, Unfortunately, standardized curricula and tests risk treating our children as standardized pupils. There is a growing realization that the learning styles of boys and girls, based on real psychological differences, are not taken into consideration in a school system historically optimized to educate girls with their distinctive learning styles. Too often, the natural tendencies of boys to seek physical outlets for their energy are viewed as disruptive or even treated as a disability; and
Whereas, The result of failing to understand and adapt to the learning styles of boys is to make normal behavior seem like a problem that deserves punishment or medication. The statistics are troubling. Four out of 5 children diagnosed with learning disabilities are boys, and boys are one and one-half times more likely to be held back a year. Boys are two and one-half times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). After years of such treatment, is it any surprise that 90 percent of high school dropouts are boys? If we are to reach our goal of teaching all of our children to be ready for the future, we must address the failure of our institutions to account for the psychological differences between boys and girls that affect how they must be taught; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we encourage the Michigan Department of Education to recognize the psychological differences between how boys and girls learn and to communicate this finding to the state's K-12 education community; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education.
