America’s boys are in trouble. They are the most violent in the industrialized world.

Surprised? I didn’t think so. It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that American boys are in crisis. For years now we’ve seen the statistic; lower grades, lower graduation rates, higher crime rates – than girls.

So when I caught this two-hour documentary on PBS tonight I was glued to the TV (didn’t even switch off for E.R.). It’s called Raisin Cain: Boys in Focus. If you get a chance, I suggest you watch it.

It covers the problems boys face – from attention deficit to bullying to drugs and academics – and at every turn attemps to put the issues in new light. Should we stop violent pre-school boys, or let them sort it out on their own. Does an an aggressive imagination lead to aggressive actions? There’s an established way of thinking about these things in our culture, and this documentary suggests our way of thinking may be wrong.

This is important not only for parents, but for teachers who must decide how to address the behavior of boys in the context of our culture and their own development.

Learn more about the narrator, Michael Thomson, and how the documentary got its start here.