Exploring Boys' Education

International Boys' Schools Coalition
  • 4.3 (6)
  • Education

The International Boys’ Schools Coalition champions boys’ education. Join us for this regular podcast that delves into and examines current issues affecting boys, teachers of boys and boys’ schools.

  1. 4d ago

    S8/Ep. 02 - Building Skills for Boys' Success

    Navigating the complexities of growing up can be challenging for boys, especially in a rigorous academic environment. At St. Mark's School of Texas (United States), Gabby Reed and Eliza Rosenbloom are dedicated to helping boys develop critical life skills, particularly around executive function. Reed, the director of the Marksman Wellness Center, and Rosenbloom, the middle school counselor, emphasize the importance of these essential skills. Drawing from the expertise of Sarah Ward and Peg Dawson to better understand how to teach executive function effectively, their holistic approach ensures that boys can apply what they’ve learned across various aspects of their lives, fostering a sense of responsibility and independence. The work being done at St. Mark's is a testament to the importance of nurturing boys' emotional and academic well-being. By focusing on executive function and life skills, boys are not only prepared for school but are equipped for what comes outside of the classroom. For a deeper dive into their insights and strategies, listen to the full episode. New episodes of the IBSC Exploring Boys' Education podcast are available exclusively to IBSC members on the IBSC website for the first two weeks. Afterward anyone may access them from all popular podcast platforms. We encourage you to share this resource across and beyond your school community! IBSC Exploring Boys’ Education music composed by Tom DiGiovanni. IBSC

  2. Sep 28

    S8/Ep. 01 - Breathe, Move, Learn

    Season eight of the Exploring Boys’ Education Podcast opens with a conversation on boys, focus, and the body. Laura Ambrogi (St. Christopher's School, United States) and Mugsy Quinn (St. Stithians Boys' Preparatory School, South Africa), winners of the 2026 IBSC Action Research Award, discuss the classroom tools they built to help boys regulate their emotions and refocus. Both researchers noticed the same pattern: boys labeled as behavior problems were often struggling to regulate emotion, not misbehaving. Ambrogi’s proprioceptive exercises and Quinn’s breathwork card game both work the body first, calming an activated nervous system so the “thinking brain” can re-engage. In both projects, the real turning point came when boys were given ownership of the techniques, choosing, leading, and teaching them to each other. IBSC members can access Ambrogi's report, Quinn's report, and the entire collection of 2025-26 Action Research reports now. Applications for the 2027-28 IBSC Action Research Program, on the theme “Building Community: Boys as Readers, Thinkers, Innovators, and Contributors,” are open now and close November 1, 2026. New episodes of the IBSC Exploring Boys' Education podcast are available exclusively to IBSC members on the IBSC website for the first two weeks. Afterward anyone may access them from all popular podcast platforms. We encourage you to share this resource across and beyond your school community! Listen on your favorite podcast app. IBSC Exploring Boys’ Education music composed by Tom DiGiovanni. Laura Ambrogi's IBSC Action Research Report · Mugsy Quinn's IBSC Action Research Report · Apply to join the 2027-28 IBSC Action Research Cohort · Access all 2026-27 IBSC Action Resarch Reports · IBSC

    S8/Ep. 01 - Breathe, Move, Learn

  3. Jun 24

    S7/Ep. 09 - The Schools Boys Need

    In this episode of the IBSC Exploring Boys' Education Podcast, educators, researchers, and school leaders from around the world reflect on what boys actually need from the institutions that shape them. Across season 7, three themes emerge from the conversations: the environments schools create, the inner lives boys conceal, and the adults who choose to pay attention. IBSC Exploring Boys' Education music composed and performed by Tom DiGiovanni. IBSC

    S7/Ep. 09 - The Schools Boys Need

  4. Jun 18

    S7/Ep. 08 - Boys, Connection, and a Changing World

    In this episode of the IBSC Exploring Boys' Education Podcast, Bruce Collins revisits a year of IBSC online programming, pulling together the ideas that ran through session after session. Three themes emerge from the year: connection as the foundation of boys' development, the digital world boys now navigate, and the case for boys' schools as the institutions best built to respond to both. Tune in for a tour through the year’s most useful ideas on boys, connection, and the schools built to deliver both. IBSC Exploring Boys' Education music composed and performed by Tom DiGiovanni. IBSC

    S7/Ep. 08 - Boys, Connection, and a Changing World

  5. Jun 1

    S7/Ep.07 - Boys’ and Girls’ Schools Working Together

    In this episode of the IBSC Exploring Boys' Education Podcast, Anna-Louise Simpson, head of Wadhurst at Melbourne Grammar School (Australia), and Kerry Oldman, middle school executive director and acting deputy principal at Melbourne Girls' Grammar School, discuss what genuine, sustained coed collaboration between neighboring single-gender schools can look like. Just 700 meters apart, the two schools have built a deliberate partnership that goes well beyond the occasional joint performance or school dance. Discover how the Melbourne Experience, a weeklong, student-led documentary project set across the city, creates the conditions for boys and girls to build real trust, take responsibility, and see past stereotype. Simpson and Oldman also walk through their Healthy Relationships Programme, which brings together year 8 students for structured—sometimes challenging—conversations about consent, online behavior, and gender equality. Tune in to learn what it takes for a boys' school to approach a neighboring girls' school with the humility and preparation that make collaboration genuinely worthwhile. IBSC Exploring Boys’ Education music composed and performed by Tom DiGiovanni. IBSC

    S7/Ep.07 - Boys’ and Girls’ Schools Working Together

  6. May 8

    S7/Ep.06 - Behind The Mask

    In this episode of the IBSC Exploring Boys' Education Podcast, writer and Towson University lecturer Andrew Reiner discusses the "1.0 script" of masculinity and what genuine resilience looks like for boys today. Drawing on his extensive research and interviews with students globally, Reiner explores the hidden emotional landscape boys navigate and the chasm between their public personas and private struggles. Discover why reframing behaviors—such as excessive gaming, pornography, and online betting—not as moral failures but as self-medication for crisis-level stress is essential for modern educators. Reiner shares insights from a "mask exercise" conducted in schools, revealing the pervasive feelings of loneliness and confusion that often sit beneath a confident exterior. Tune in to learn the "four C's" framework—compassion, curiosity, commiseration, and context—a practical road map for any teacher or school leader looking to build the emotional safety nets boys need to flourish. Explore how schools can move beyond traditional notions of independence to foster genuine connection and belonging. IBSC Exploring Boys’ Education music composed and performed by Tom DiGiovanni. Andrew Reiner · IBSC

    S7/Ep.06 - Behind The Mask

  7. Mar 26

    S7/Ep.05 - Redefining High Performance in Boys’ School Sport

    In this episode of the IBSC Exploring Boys' Education Podcast, Chris Ekron challenges the win-at-all-costs culture that still dominates many boys' school sports programs. The Playbook Ed cofounder and former head of sports performance at Bishops Diocesan College (South Africa) draws on his PhD research and Paul Wylleman's four-pillar model of student-athlete development to make the case for redefining high performance around the whole boy—not just the Saturday scoreboard. Discover why the real metrics of a successful sports program are process wins during the week, character growth, and whether boys still love the game long after they leave school. Ekron shares practical strategies for relational coaching, from 30-second corridor conversations to breaking down the silos between coaches, teachers, and pastoral staff, and explains how a simple schedule-mapping exercise can reveal just how little time boys have "just to be a boy." Tune in to learn how schools can build sports environments where well-being forms the foundation for performance, stakeholder expectations are managed with clarity, and every student—not just the A-team athlete—is developed to reach his personal best. IBSC Exploring Boys’ Education music composed and performed by Tom DiGiovanni. PLAYBOOK ED · IBSC

    S7/Ep.05 - Redefining High Performance in Boys’ School Sport

  8. Mar 10

    S7/Ep.04 - Boys and the Deepfake Landscape

    In this episode of the IBSC Exploring Boys’ Education Podcast, Pathos Consulting Group President Evan Harris details the complex and rapidly evolving world of deepfakes. An expert on emerging AI risks in schools, Harris moves beyond the headlines of digital abuse to reveal how the realm of synthetic media is fundamentally altering the way boys interact with reality, consent, and each other. Discover a practical "order of operations" for school leaders to follow to advance from feeling overwhelmed by technology to building institutional resilience. Harris discusses the critical need for digital discernment and explains why the primary creators of this content—and increasingly its victims—need a new "sales pitch" for healthy masculinity. Tune in to learn how schools can move past scare tactics to empower boys with the ethical framework and trusted adult support necessary to navigate the disappearing line between real and fake. IBSC Exploring Boys’ Education music composed and performed by Tom DiGiovanni. The Pathos Group · The Pathos Group’s free Student Safety Course · IBSC

    S7/Ep.04 - Boys and the Deepfake Landscape
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Ratings & Reviews

4.3
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

The International Boys’ Schools Coalition champions boys’ education. Join us for this regular podcast that delves into and examines current issues affecting boys, teachers of boys and boys’ schools.

Information

  • Creator
    International Boys' Schools Coalition
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    86
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © International Boys' Schools Coalition
  • Show Website
    Exploring Boys' Education

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