Stevens, Kathy 1949-

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Stevens, Kathy 1949-

PERSONAL:

Born August 28, 1949; married; husband's name Don; children: two sons. Education: Old Dominion University, B.A.; University of Colorado, M.P.A. Hobbies and other interests: Birdwatching.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Colorado Springs, CO. Office—Gurian Institute, P.O. Box 60160, Colorado Springs, CO 80960-0160.

CAREER:

Writer, entrepreneur, educator, and trainer. Gurian Institute, Colorado Springs, CO, training director; Rocky Mountain Learning Enterprises, LLC, owner and operator. Worked in a variety of areas in nonprofit organizations and social services, including in early childhood care and education, juvenile corrections, domestic violence, adult community corrections, teen pregnancy prevention, cultural competency, and women's issues. Worked as a trainer for government and nonprofit organizations.

WRITINGS:

(With Michael Gurian) The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling behind in School and Life, Jossey-Bass (San Francisco, CA), 2005.

Contributor to periodicals, including Reader's Digest, Newsweek, Educational Leadership, Education Week, and Library Journal.

SIDELIGHTS:

Kathy Stevens is an author, trainer, and business owner based in Colorado. She has more than twenty-five years of experience as a trainer and presenter in the nonprofit sector, focusing on families, children, and women's issues, according to a biographer on the Gurian Institute Web site. She is the owner of a training company, Rocky Mountain Learning Enterprises. She serves as the training director of the Gurian Institute, a training and education company dedicated to exploring the different ways that boys and girls learn, and how men and women work and lead, and teaching those differences to educators, parents, social service providers, and workplace professionals. Much of her work with the Gurian Institute focuses on helping parents and teachers understand the differences in learning styles between boys and girls, and helping professionals "adapt curriculum to help both boys and girls maximize their potential in the classroom and in life," the Web site biographer stated. Stevens has also been a training designer and presenter for a variety of government and nonprofit organizations, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Virginia Department of Corrections, the U.S. Navy Ombudsman Program, and the Girl Scouts. Additionally, Stevens has served as a cultural educator and diversity trainer.

In The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling behind in School and Life, Stevens and coauthor Michael Gurian present "a strong case for an educational crisis" in the teaching of boys in elementary and high schools throughout the world, noted Library Journal contributor Kay Hogan Smith. Gurian, founder of the Gurian Institute, and Stevens demonstrate that there are very distinct differences in the ways that boys and girls learn, and they suggest that the modern classroom is not structured to fully accommodate boys' learning styles without diminishing the learning opportunities afforded to girls. Boys, they report, do not perform well in a classroom environment in which a single teacher lectures to a group of students who are, in general, expected to remain still and attentive. In some cases, this structure puts boys at a distinct disadvantage, making their educational experiences unfulfilling, often miserable, and sometimes even harmful and counterproductive.

Stevens and Gurian present some alarming statistics to bolster their findings about boys' learning. Boys, they report, receive the majority of D and F grades; they make up eighty percent of the discipline problems in schools; they comprise seventy percent of the students labeled learning disabled; they account for eighty percent of high school dropouts; and represent only forty-four percent of the college population. The authors have found similar statistics not only in the United States, but in Canada, Germany, England, Australia, France, and Japan. Stevens and Gurian find two causes for the educational disparity between genders: one, educational techniques are geared more toward the learning styles of girls, and two, there are distinct biological, biochemical, and physiological differences in male and female brains that mean boys are less likely to respond well to current teaching methods. They present a survey of these differences, then offer multiple detailed suggestions for helping boys reap greater benefit from their schoolroom experiences. Among those suggestions are providing increased attention to boys; getting boys more deeply involved in activities; allowing boys more physical latitude and permitting them to move around during academic activities; providing hands-on activities; giving boys soft objects such as sponge balls to squeeze, which results in greater brain stimulation; and providing mentors for unmotivated students. They encourage parents' involvement in setting school curricula and reading requirements, advocating for changes that will better accommodate boys' learning styles, and ensuring that their sons have healthful, protein-rich diets and plenty of water. Stevens and Gurian provide suggestions, background, and exercises that can be utilized by both parents and teachers to help tailor learning to the genuine needs of male students.

"The Minds of Boys gives a wealth of information for all parents and professional educators for immediate implementation in homes and classrooms," noted An- drea F. Rosenblatt, writing in Childhood Education. Smith called the book "logically organized, readable, and meticulously documented." "Parents and teachers concerned about teaching and disciplining boys will appreciate this thought-provoking perspective," commented Vanessa Bush in a Booklist review. "Gurian and Stevens are to be commended on this timely book," Rosenblatt stated.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 2005, Vanessa Bush, review of The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling behind in School and Life, p. 29.

Childhood Education, annual, January 1, 2006, Andrea F. Rosenblatt, review of The Minds of Boys, p. 306.

Library Journal, August 1, 2005, Kay Hogan Smith, review of The Minds of Boys, p. 114.

Scouting, November-December, 2005, Mary Jacobs, "The Minds of Boys: What's Going on inside Your Son's Brain? Author Michael Gurian Has a Good Idea and Gives Advice to Parents, Teachers, and Scouters on How They Can Improve Boys' Chances for Success in Both School and Life," pp. 25-28.

Times Educational Supplement, January 13, 2006, Geoff Barton, "Can't We Solve It with Words?," review of The Minds of Boys, p. 17.

Washington Post Book World, October 30, 2005, Mark Trainer, review of The Minds of Boys, p. 5.