In defense of single-sex schools
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Science magazine recently published an article titled "The Pseudoscience of Single Sex Schooling" by Diane Halpern and seven of her social-scientist colleagues who together founded the American Council for CoEducational Schooling. It's received a lot of attention.
We take exception to many of the conclusions drawn in this report based on our 40 years of combined experience as teachers and administrators working in single-gender independent schools.
Many educators -- ourselves included -- do not subscribe to theories of gender-based brain differences as an argument in favor of single-sex classrooms. We don't contend that all girls learn one way and that all boys learn another. Instead, we celebrate and encourage diversity among our students.
Lise Eliot, co-author of the Science article, wrote a book titled "Pink Brain Blue Brain" in which she concludes that boy brains and girl brains are fundamentally the same. The "plasticity" of the organ, she argues, accounts for most gender differences: As children grow up, they play to their strengths within the stereotypical comfort zones of ball-throwing and doll-cuddling -- behavior that is unconsciously reinforced by parents, teachers and peers.
Ironically, Dr. Eliot's conclusions make a strong case in favor of single-sex learning.
In single-gender schools, gender roles don't define participation in a particular club, sport or hobby and, most importantly, they don't limit or reinforce engagement in academic pursuits. Instead, boys and girls are more likely to choose programs based on their intrinsic appeal. This naturally leads to the development of a full range of styles, interests and abilities that are not driven by adolescent cultural imperatives.
The Science article's claim that "there is no well-designed research showing that single-gender education improves students' academic performance" is simply false.
The authors reference a 2005 review of single-sex versus coeducational classrooms commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education and offer an out-of-context quote calling the results "equivocal." Actually, this report states there is "support for the premise that single-sex schooling can be helpful, especially for certain outcomes related to academic achievement and more positive academic aspirations" and cites 15 research studies which indicate measurable academic advantages for children at single-sex schools.
First Published October 20, 2011 12:00 am
