Writing the Playbook: A Practitioner’s Guide to Creating a Boy-friendly School

Your game plan for getting boys on the path to higher achievement

You′ve seen it in your school: boys struggling to master basic literacy skills, sitting outside the principal′s office, collecting labels like "hyperactive," getting failing grades. Checked out, kicked out, or dropped out, they′re benched when they should be scoring goals on the academic playing field.

As a school leader, Kelley King has walked the talk: she successfully led her own staff to close the gender gap in reading and writing in just one year. In her step-by-step, research-based leadership plan for jump-starting boys′ achievement, she shares:

• Critical insight into the brain-based differences between boys and girls
• First-hand leadership and classroom experiences
• Ready-to-use activities and resources for leading a successful gap-closing initiative

With tips, anecdotes, and more, Writing the Playbook provides educators in all roles with a blueprint for creating schools where boys (and girls!) thrive.

"Finally, some practical advice from an experienced educator on how to make boys into successful students. King′s credentials―mother of both a son and daughter as well as a principal who successfully addressed gender gaps at her school―are unbeatable."
―Richard Whitmire, Author of Why Boys Fail: Saving Our Sons from an Educational System That′s Leaving Them Behind

"Kelley King is both impassioned and level-headed, and she starts a conversation that we desperately need to have in our country."
―Michael Kimmel, Author of Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men
SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology

"This is a highly practical and highly relevant book. Two thumbs up!"
―Eric Jensen, Author of Teaching with the Brain in Mind

Dr. Kelley King is a Corwin author and has been a Visible Learning consultant since the North American launch in 2013.  With over 35 years of service in K-12 schools, Kelley has worked in both public and private schools and in regular education, special education and gifted education. As an award-winning school principal, Kelley’s success in leading initiatives to close gender achievement gaps has been featured on The Today Show, in Newsweek magazine, on National Public Radio, in EdWeek, in Education Leadership and more. 

Kelley’s book with Corwin Press is titled Writing the Playbook: A Practitioner’s Guide to Creating a Boy-Friendly School and is a K-12 “how-to” guide for raising boys’ achievement, reducing discipline and fostering a sense of belonging and relevance for boys at school. Kelley has written two other books that take a brain-based approach to addressing gender gaps for girls in math and science and boys in literacy. Kelley holds a Doctorate of Education in Educational Administration and Leadership and a Masters Degree in Special Education.