
Why Are Boys Falling Behind On Reading?
From The Book Case by ABC News | Charlie Gibson, Kate Gibson
April 16, 2026 · 36 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges boys face in reading and features experts and a young boy who has benefited from initiatives to improve literacy.
The Book Case is largely about talking to authors, yes, but we believe that reading is critical for everyone. We believe it is most important for kids, that raising readers is one of the most important duties a parent can perform. But we read a study recently that said boys reading scores are lower than girls. And not just in the US, boys reading scores are lower internationally as well. Why? What is the key to teaching boys to read, and to love it for life? We are joined by Dr. Sean Reardon at Stanford author of the study as well as Dr. Nakia Townes President of Accelerate, which is studying how to turn and research into action for our kids. Finally, we are joined by Brayden Piper and his mom Lauren, who have been helped by Accelerate’s efforts to elevate boys love of reading. We had a piece on Good Morning America a few weeks ago that touched on these issues, but in this podcast we take a deep dive. Join us for this important discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People in this episode
Hosts: Charlie Gibson, Kate Gibson
Guests: Dr. Sean Reardon, Dr. Nakia Townes, Brayden Piper
Topics covered
- reading
- education
- boys
- literacy
- parenting
- studies
Keywords
- boys reading scores
- literacy
- education
- parenting
- reading habits
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Stanford, Accelerate
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