subject: Single Sex School [print this page] Single sex schools (and, within more traditional schools, single sex classrooms) have become more common in the United States recent years, as parents and educators continue their search for the optimal learning environment for each student.
Of course, choosing a single sex school is not an entirely new concept. The single sex school has a long history both in the U.S. and abroad in fact, the single sex school was the norm prior to the 1800s, when coeducational schools began to appear.
Throughout the 20th century, though, coeducation was by far the dominant form of education. However, the single sex school remained an option, primarily in boarding schools and other residential educational programs. Yet as educators develop a better understanding of learning differences between male and female students and especially as they become more sensitive to classroom dynamics that can favor one gender of the other the single sex school model has had something of resurgence.
Parents who select a single sex school for their son or daughter often do so because they feel that the traditional model is conducive to their childs success. For example, several studies have documented the degree with which male students are often favored in class activities, which has prompted some parents to select a single sex school for their daughter.
On the other hand, boys who are not prepared to function appropriately in a traditional coeducational classroom also often benefit from enrolling in a single sex school, where smaller classes and a custom-designed curriculum puts them in a better position to succeed.For example, researchers have found that girls can hear sounds much softer than the faintest sound boys can hear which means that boys can have increased difficulty even hearing instructions from their teachers.
A 2008 study by the U.S. government (entitled Early Implementation of Public Single-Sex Schools: Perceptions and Characteristics) listed the following as among the benefits of the single sex school concept:
Decreased distractions for all students
Reductions in behavior problems among students
Additional leadership opportunities for students
Improved self-esteem among students
Improved academic achievement among students
Decreased academic problems among traditionally low-achieving students
Decreased gender bias in interactions between students & teachers
In 2001, a British study documented similar results. This study involved an assessment of nearly 3,000 high schools and about 1,000 elementary schools. The British researchers found that low-achieving boys almost always improved in a single sex school, and that just about every female student (regardless of prior achievement level, age, and socio-economic status) improved when placed in a single sex school.
Clearly, the single sex school is not the ideal option for every student or every family. Coeducational institutions have produced tremendous successes over the past few centuries, and the odds of single sex schools returning to their previous position of dominance is infinitesimal at best.
