Dr. Joseph Lazilotti on the Sex Difference in Education

Months ago, Heights teacher Joe Lanzilotti took up a prodigious project: reviewing the body of popular literature on boys' education.

Partway through his journey, Dr. Lanzilotti catches us up on the diversity of scientific, biological, psychological, and moral perspectives—and how they cohere into a bigger picture of boys and where their developmental needs differ from those of girls. Framing the evidence with papal guidance from the last century gives us a solid starting-point to consider the education of boys according to their nature.

Chapters:

00:04:09 The timeline of research on boys 00:08:26 Why attend to the sex difference 00:10:36 Definition of a man: fatherhood, sonship 00:15:06 Sex differences manifest early 00:21:05 The secular evidence supports natural law 00:28:51 The importance of role models 00:32:10 Single-sex education 00:34:55 Athletic trials 00:36:10 Male friendship 00:42:11 The collaboration of men and women 00:50:25 Parents, teachers: be not afraid 00:59:40 Educate boys according to their nature

Links:

The Male Brain by Louann Brizendine

Defending Boyhood by Anthony Esolen

No Apologies: Why Civilization Depends on the Strength of Men by Anthony Esolen

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

The War Against Boys by Christina Hoff Sommers

The Two Sexes: Growing Up Apart, Coming Together by Eleanor Maccoby

Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax

How to Raise a Boy by Michael Reichert, which Dr. Lanzilotti critiques

"Letter to the Bishops on the Collaboration of Men and Women" by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

"Letter to Women" by Pope John Paul II

Mulieris Dignitatem by Pope John Paul II

The Gurian Institute, training programs on boys' and girls' academic development

American Institute for Boys and Men, advocates for evidence-based policy solutions

Also on the Forum:

What Parents and Teachers Need to Know about The Male Brain by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti

Raising the Boys: Saving the Difference by Dr. Joseph Lazilotti

Featured opportunities:

Convivium for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)

January Workshop at The Heights School (January 7-9, 2026) link coming soon

May Workshop at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) link coming soon