More Success

The Gurian Institute was founded by Michael Gurian and his associates with the mission of helping parents, educators and other professionals to understand the needs of boys and girls, and women and men.   Kathy Stevens became Director in 2002.  The Gurian Institute offers on site training for parents, schools and school districts, and other professionals.  The Institute has now trained schools, parents, businesses and other professionals in nearly every state of the U.S., in four provinces of Canada, with expansion this year to Australia. Schools and communities that utilize our resources have been featured in Newsweek, U.S.
News and World Report, People Magazine, the Washington Post, on the Today Show and PBS, and in Educational Leadership, and other public and professional media. For articles see www.gurianinstitute.com/articles.html.


Click on the links below to read of their success
with Gurian Institute Resources



STATE OF ALABAMA, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
In 2003, Carol Crawford, Director of Programs for the Alabama State Dept. of Education, initiated statewide training by the Gurian Institute for Alabama administrators and school principals.  From this training, administrators then took Gurian Institute resources and methods into their individual schools.

Within six months, these schools began reporting increased test scores and grades for both boys and girls, as well as decreased discipline referrals.

In the summer of 2004, Principal Jackie Dye of Rudd Middle School, in Pinson, Alabama, brought the Gurian Institute training to her middle school.  Faculty, administrators and parents were trained in how boys and girls learn differently. According to Jackie, “We immediately see teachers reporting decreased disciplinary referrals and improved academic performance for both our boys and the girls.”

At Warrior School (a K-8 public school), in Warrior, Alabama, Pam Horton, principal, implemented gender specific teaching strategies and reported, “We saw fewer discipline problems and we saw higher grades.”

Horton is now principal of the brand new North Jefferson Middle School, where she is piloting gender-specific teaching strategies and classes in core subjects, utilizing Gurian Institute methods and training.

THE REGIS SCHOOL, HOUSTON, TX

In 2003 and 2004, the Gurian Institute provided on site training for teachers and parents to this small Catholic school for Boys.   According to Anne Storey Carty, Head of School:

“As a result of our Gurian Institute training and the strategies we have implemented at The Regis School, our discipline and academics have improved, the students are more motivated, and they are more involved in their learning.”

Significant Improvement in Academic Performance

According to Dr. Carty, “Our grade records show improvement in our students’ learning and retention.  This has followed training and coaching from the Gurian Institute staff in new brain based methodologies.  Some examples of our applications include:

“The Second Grade learns while walking (moving) in mid-afternoon, a time when their brains have, in the past, been generally “sleepy.”  This peripatetic teaching methodology has improved their schoolwork.

“The Seventh Grade now constructs the actual cells that they study in science, bringing new excitement to science classes, and improvement in academic performance in these classes.

“The Eighth Grade performed Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, instead of simply reading it.

“The boys’ memory of detail, which is especially necessary in their writing work, improved dramatically.  As a result, their grades showed improvement in each area.

“We have found that the multi-sensory approach taught by the Gurian Institute enables the boys to focus better, thus they are able to produce more, and what they produce is far better than before.

Significant Improvement in Discipline Referrals

“Following the Gurian Institute on site training, we find that we correct the boys less than before.  We also find that if/when they start to get out of hand, it is easier to calm them down.

“Part of the improvement has come from our change in expectations.  We understand, as a result of the training, how the boys’ minds work.  We understand their behavior better than before.  Our expectations are now reasonable.

“We believe that these factors are the reason for our significant decrease in discipline problems this year.”


HICKMAN MILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

 In 2000, Hickman Mills School District contracted with the Gurian Institute to provide gender training on behavioral issues.  According to Discipline Coordinator Michael Boothe (2001), “Hickman Mills has noted an appreciable drop in discipline referrals to the principal.  In reviewing the middle school discipline statistics from first semester of the ’98 ‘ 99 school year with the first semester ’99-’00 we can see significant drops.  For example, we see 35 percent drops in fights, 25 percent drops in cafeteria misconduct.  As we look at the variables, the only major addition to the mix this year was the district’s participation in the Gurian Institute.”


CAROLINA DAY SCHOOL, ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
The Middle School of Carolina Day School had two days of training for their staff and administration facilitated by the Gurian Institute in April 2004, including a parent session.  After a year of research and study, they implemented single-gender instruction in their core classes (language arts, social studies, math and science) for 6th and 7th grades.  In addition, the faculty has used what they learned from their training to make significant changes to enhance their advisory program. Peggy Daniels, Middle School Principal reports positive outcomes for both gender populations as well as significantly improved dynamics—less social anxiety.

According to Daniels, “Everyone agrees that this is one of the best things we’ve ever done for our school. Students, parents and teachers are more engaged—learning more, accomplishing more. There is a contagious excitement in the air among faculty that gets passed down to our students.

Sixth- and seventh-grade girls in single-gender classrooms thrive in an environment that feels more nurturing. They are better risk takers when boys are not in the classroom and teachers can directly address girls’ lack of confidence (typical for the age) in the single-gender environment. Teachers are better able to honor the girls’ need for connection and relationship, without boring the boys.

The boys have loved the freedom to relax and learn and also to feel that they are not being compared to girls.  They tend to be more supportive of each other and open to discussing what works and what doesn’t work for them.  They are using more words as they discuss and as they write. One teacher mentioned that her boys were not into 'journaling,' but seemed to have little hesitation when asked to write in their 'captain’s log.'

The whole experience has been fun and rewarding.”
Peggy Daniels reports these key outcomes:
Stronger mentoring relationships among students
An environment which promotes trust and a sense of belonging
Teachers who feel more connected with students and with each other
A stronger and more knowledgeable community of educators who better understand adolescent learners
Decreased stress for students and teachers
More direct ways to deal with the social and emotional pressures of students
Classrooms that allow for more teaching and quality learning experiences
A new energy that causes teachers to be more creative and also more reflective about their teaching.
Further Comments

 Abbotsford, British Columbia

Bruce Ivany, Assistant Superintendent of schools in Abbotsford, British Columbia supervised on site Gurian Institute training for teachers in his district.  In his words,  “Data clearly showed that we needed to target interventions specifically towards boys and those who care for boys. As a result of training in the Gurian Institute method, our community is changing how we work with boys, and the boys are gaining lost ground. 

We are already seeing grade improvement and increased motivation among our males to learn.”

 

Peace River North School District #60 Fort St. John, British Columbia

Ken Forest, Principal of Robert Ogilvie Elementary School, has reported positive academic and discipline referral data as a result of Gurian Institute Training.  “We have instituted new strategies as a result of the trainings and noticed fewer discipline problems and improved grades.”


Perth, Australia

 Michael Nagel, formerly a teacher, now a school consultant, wrote in 2004:  “Boys and Girls Learn Differently! and The Gurian Institute’s training methods are improving grades and decreasing discipline referrals to such an extent in schools here in Australia that a group of teachers and administrators has begun the paperwork to form a Gurian Institute-Australia.”