Banks’s talk included a presentation on the model of educational leadership used at the Eagle Academy Foundation, which is aimed at tackling the disinterest in education shown by boys from disadvantaged areas. The model, which bases its approach on single-sex schooling, is built on the incorporation of gender into teaching methodologies and the personalized counselling given to each student.

“I’m not saying that this model is better than the others, only that families should have the right to choose it”, argued Banks. He went on to contend that this educational model should be offered by the State, so that families with few financial resources are able to access it. We should remember that today, most single-sex schools are private and not everyone is able to enrol in them.

During his talk, Banks also explained the different educational needs of boys and girls and defended the model of single-sex schooling that he and his team are promoting in the United States. His model of educational leadership is reinforced through the use of a comprehensive series of school-related routines that reaffirm the students’ and their families’ commitment to the educational process. Consequently, Banks believes that education is not only a job for teachers, but should also involve the children’s parents.

The Eagle Academy Foundation was created in 2004 and comprises five single-sex schools for boys belonging to ethnic minorities from various disadvantaged neighbourhoods in New York City. The key aspects of the Eagle model are commitment to the community, mentoring, leadership, the teaching of values and a focus on lifelong learning. The foundation’s schools boast a graduation rate of 80% for its students, whereas the equivalent figure for African-American boys in New York City as a whole is less than 40%.