News for Parents.org - Same-gender education

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Editorial

Same-gender education: Does Johnny learn better with Johnny?

If you walk in to an average public school classroom in the United States, what would you see? In addition to a teacher, desks, books, supplies, and science reports stapled to the wall, you'd probably notice an equal amount of boys and girls. But some experts suggest it may be time for a change. Don't panic. The teachers, the books and, yes, the science reports would stay. The change proposed by many experts involves the gender composition of most of our country's classrooms.

A researcher in British Columbia recently studied the presence of male dominance in the classroom. She observed subtle teacher signals emphasizing boys' significance over girls. Boys, she said, were encouraged for talking and girls were rewarded for their silence.

This finding may come as no surprise to advocates of single-gender education who suggest that boys and girls are regularly treated differently in coeducational classrooms and that both boys and girls could benefit from single-gender classrooms.

Many experts believe that boys and girls are not only treated differently by teachers in coeducational classrooms, they are actively encouraged to pursue interests and behave in ways that are considered "typically male" or "typically female." Boys, they say, are generally encouraged to answer more questions than girls, and are expected to excel in math and science classes. While girls are expected to be better behaved and pursue more artistic and verbal interests such as literature and music classes.

Studies suggest that when boys are in single-gender classrooms, they are more successful in school and more likely to pursue a wide range of interests and activities. Girls who learn in all-girl environments are believed to be more comfortable about responding to questions and sharing their opinions in class and more likely to explore more "non traditional" subjects such as math, science and technology.

In 2000, the Australian Council for Educational Research released a study comparing single-gender and coeducational schools. Their findings, based on a longitudinal study of over 250,000 students, demonstrated that both boys and girls educated in single-gender classrooms scored on average 15 to 22 percentile ranks higher on a range of achievement outcomes than boys and girls in coeducational settings.

In addition, students in single-gender environments scored more favorably on behavioral measures, and scored significantly higher on self-reported ratings of school enjoyment, teacher responsiveness, and other measures.

Closer to home, many private schools in the United States have a demonstrated commitment to single-gender education, citing favorable cognitive, emotional and behavioral outcomes. However, for almost 30 years in this country, the law has stated that single-gender education was only allowed in private schools.

Now, taking a cue from the research, and buoyed by recent changes in the educational reform movement (specifically, the No Child Left Behind Act and the recent change in the U.S. Department of Education's Title IX), more and more public schools are experimenting with single-gender education.

Same-gender education advocates believe that when children learn with same-gender peers, they are more likely to attend to their studies, speak more openly in the classroom, and feel more encouraged to pursue their interests and achieve their fullest potential. Some researchers suggest that boys and girls simply learn differently, and should be taught differently, as well.

Of course, these beliefs have been challenged, as well. For example, some researchers suggest that the effects of K-12 single-gender education are inconclusive. Additionally, there are those who worry that the dialogues promoting single-gender education perpetuate harmful stereotypes about boys' and girls' interests and abilities.

What do you think? Do your children attend single-gender classrooms? What are the advantages? Disadvantages? Should single-gender education be available in public schools? We want to hear from you. Contact us. Responses will be posted on the Sound Off page.