The Associated Press

Where the boys aren't: Single-sex schooling is gaining traction.

Featured Topic | Posted 1 year 49 weeks ago

Is it time for single-sex education?

The long-simmering debate over single-sex versus co-ed schooling is heating up again. A rural Georgia school district is set to become the first school district in the nation to go entirely single-sex, with boys and girls in separate classrooms -- a response to years of poor test scores, soaring dropout rates and high numbers of teen pregnancies.

The argument is that boys and girls learn differently, so they should have different classroom settings. But the idea runs counter to long-cherished notions of equality and non-discrimination.

Should public schools be free to segregate by sex? Would boys and girls benefit? Or are the benefits negligible?

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Ben likes: Chartering success

Matthew Clavel/City Journal

In October 2006, the New York Times reported that the Bush administration had given public school districts “broad new latitude to expand the number of single-sex classes, and even schools.” Schools are responding to the new flexibility, which represents a remarkable change from past policy. “You’re going to see a proliferation” of single-sex schools, Paul Vallas, who is now in charge of the New Orleans Recovery School District, told the Times.

Let’s hope so, because both boys and girls stand to benefit, especially in urban areas.

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Joel likes: Single-sex schools no cure-all

Women's News

"Single-gender, public academies need to guard against becoming a new form of tracking or resegregation," a 2001 California study said. "Segregation might lead to a safe or comfortable space for some populations, but they clearly create tensions for race and gender equity."

The academic success of both girls and boys was influenced more by small classes, strong curricula, dedicated teachers and equitable teaching practices than by single-sex settings, the researchers said. This finding reinforced those of a 1998 study by the American Association of University Women that concluded that separating the sexes does not necessarily improve the quality of education for girls.

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