10 ways to help the boys read beyond school life

Research consistently makes a link between students' reading skills and their attitudes toward reading. [iStockphoto]

Reading is a critical skill for school and life beyond it. Young people need strong reading skills to learn and demonstrate their learning. Reading skills are related to performance in all subjects, including science and maths.

Girls typically do better than boys. There is also a gap in terms of attitudes to reading. While more than a third of Australian girls "very much like reading" according to the recent Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, less than a quarter of boys feel the same.