I've found a couple interesting articles lately on boys' education and reading preferences that are pretty interesting

"The Little Men Who Love Little House, Why boys like girls books. " Slate, 9 March 2006.
http://www.slate.com/id/2137789/
According to the author, boys look for books with humor and information more than narrative (which girls are big on) or a male protagonist (which has been the common wisdom for some time). It also recommends the site www.guysread.com, which actually has a few books I really enjoyed growing up. If you're thinking "What does that have to do with Little House on the Prairie?"....apparently, it's the how-to aspect of pioneer life in that series (such as when Pa explains how to load a musket or tap a maple tree) that adds the cross-gender appeal.

"The Trouble with Boys, " Newsweek, January 2006.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10965522/site/newsweek/
This article offers a controversial look at gender and education. It makes a interesting case for the benefit of single-sex education for boys before college, at least at some stages. From an 8,000 student Vanderbilt University study: In kindergarten, boys and girls processed information at about the same speeds. In early adolescence, girls finished faster and got more right. By 18, boys and girls were processing with the same speed and accuracy. Don't think I'm sold on the idea yet, but it's certainly something to consider.