Alive And Well
Same-sex schools were far and few between just a few years ago. A few generations ago, academies for boys or girls were popular. They were boarding schools where the wealthy sent their children for a good education. The families could travel around the world knowing their child was safe and sound. While the academic results were good, many girls and boys colleges are closing their doors. Boarding schools are shrinking, as well.
However, the number of same-sex schools is growing tremendously with No Child Left Behind permission. Some say that these schools are educational explosions. The formats vary. Some variations are
- Only boys in the building
- Only girls in the building
- Boys and girls in the same building but in separate classrooms
- Boys and girls in the same building and together for some classes but divided for others
Growing Pains
Just like any new idea that goes against the grain of the status quo, same-sex schools are having some adjustment problems. Cincinnati schools are adjusting well.
Cincinnati Schools
Cincinnati is one school district that has made the change to same-gender education. One school, Withrow High, was divided into two smaller schools. Making schools smaller has experienced great success in New York City. Withrow had a graduation rate of 60 percent in 2002. Withrow split students into genders and has become one of Cincinnati’s highest achieving high schools with a graduation rate of 90.2 percent in 2005-2006. While it is unknown how much of an effect can be credited for dividing the larger school into two smaller schools, the success is evident. Something is working that was not working before.
ACLU and AAUW
The American Association of University Women and the American Civil Liberties Union have voiced protests stating these formats are violations of civil rights. The Cincinnati teachers would strongly disagree. Students have the right to succeed in school. "It’s amazing, the amount of productivity I’m seeing in classes. Discipline referrals are almost obsolete at this point," says director Deland McCollough from Cincinnati.
Business instructor at Withrow, Don Lakes, says, "I get a lot more interaction in my classes than I ever got at my previous schools."
Some Abandon Format
Some smaller schools are being forced to abandon the same-sex format in spite of it working. Due to teacher cutbacks, the staff is no longer large enough to divide boys and girls into single-gender classes. Some have modified the school format to continue single-gender format in grades nine and ten, and then go co-ed in eleven and twelve.
South Carolina
This state is so convinced that single-gender classrooms work that it set a lofty goal. In five years, the state wants to offer every middle school child the opportunity to attend school in a same-gender environment. South Carolina goes state-wide.
The Future
If same-gender schools are a fad or the wave of the future is unknown. But, if you ask the teachers that teach in this format, they strongly support it. Tim Kraus, president of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers says, "Regardless of possible political or ideological opposition, single-gender classes have the strong support of teachers who have tried it. They are continuing to do it because they think it works." [Ben Fischer, Cincinnati Inquirer, enquirer.com, September 11, 2007]
Related articles: Weight, Friends, and College, School Choice, Florida Career Academies,
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
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