School: Single-Sex vs. Coed?

[Cheetah]

So I came over this link today: http://www.singlesexschools.org/evidence.html

First point to remember, when you consider evidence regarding the effectiveness of gender-separate classrooms: Simply putting girls in one room, and boys in another, is no guarantee of anything good happening. On the contrary: some public schools which have adopted single-sex classrooms, without appropriate preparation, have experienced bad outcomes.

[..]

The single-sex format creates opportunities that don't exist in the coed classroom. Teachers can employ strategies in the all-girls classroom, and in the all-boys classroom, which don't work as well (or don't work at all) in the coed classroom. If teachers have appropriate training and professional development, then great things can happen, and often do happen.

[...]

Percentage of students scoring proficient on the FCAT*
boys in coed classes: 37% scored proficient
girls in coed classes: 59% scored proficient
girls in single-sex classes: 75% scored proficient
boys in single-sex classes: 86% scored proficient

Remember, these students were all learning the same curriculum in the same school. And, this school "mainstreams" students who are learning-disabled, or who have ADHD etc. Many of those boys who scored proficient in the all-boys classes had previously been labeled "ADHD" or "ESE" in coed classes.

*Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test

[...]

Of course, as you all can see, the source is biased. I haven't bothered looking up counterarguments either at this point.

I do, however, want to hear what everyone else's opinion is on the matter.

What are your thoughts around single-sex vs. coed education? Regarding academic development of course, but also social development. Are there some classes where you think it would be better to go single-sex or go coed?

 

[LucyDuke]

Maybe we should segregate men and women in all aspects of life.

 

[Antilogic]

Pre-puberty, I didn't think boys and girls were so different as to require vastly different teaching styles that could not be worked into a co-ed classroom.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

The numbers here seem rather surprising, because most of the studies I'd seen before showed girls doing better in single sex classrooms and boys doing better in coed groups. The difference was most pronounced in classes like math, where there is a stereotype of girls doing worse. In coed classes the girls seemed to live down to the stereotype, but when segregated by gender there was no difference between the performance of either gender.



I know that I would not want to go to an all boys school. I act the same regardless of the company, but it seems like most males become more crass when females are not present.

I have always hated the way people try to pit the sexes against each other. Frankly I tend to be more comfortable around girls (especially those who are not particularly attractive) than guys, perhaps because I was raised with a sister rather than brothers. (I do have two half brothers, but they are nearly twice my age and have never lived with me.)

 

[Flying Pig]

The marks are generally better at single-sex schools (although to what extent that's because single-sex ones are far more often the preserve of traditional upper-class parents is debatable) but co-ed schools have the advantage (here my male perspective takes over) that boys learn to mix with girls because, frankly lads, you're going to have to learn to deal with them some day. We don't want young men who think that girls are some strange other species (which really does happen; I've seen it with more young officers that I can count) being thrown into workplaces and offices with women and acting as if they're working with E.T: which is why so many sixth forms at single-sex schools are now co-educational.

 

[Slobadog]

True co ed is fine as long as everyone stops complaining about teen sex. you put such people together in the same building all day. Chemicals get released in the brain and stuff happens. Sheesh. Its like people want everything.

 

[Disgustipated]

I think same sex schools are a good idea, but maybe organize events outside of school with a sister school (with girls in it of course) to encourage social contact outside the classroom. They could do field trips together (and of course dances), things like that.

This would be a great thread to have a poll in it, oh well. I'd like to see the results.

 

[Traitorfish]

The article in the OP said that it controlled for academic ability and "other background factors", but to what extent do they mean? If I understand correctly, most single-sex schools are private or religious, which naturally skews the ground in their favour, both in that they draw on a higher-performing body of pupils, and in that they have a greater level of discretion in which pupils they permit to study there. I went to a single-sex Catholic school for a bit, and because it was a semi-private institution, they could sling delinquents far more quickly and easily than the state school down the road.

Plus, I'm sceptical that the standardised tests results provide meaningful inside into very beyond an ability to take standardised tests, which is presumably not all you want out of an education. At the very least, as Flying Pig says, you want to give a bit of attention to healthy socialisation.

 

[innonimatu]

So, not content with unnaturally jailing kids throughout their infancy and early adolescence, training them to go the gilded cage (and too often the "gold" has all flaked away...) by themselves for a few more years afterwards, some people want to again segregate them by sex also?

 

[Truronian]

Generally boys do better in mixed sex schools while girls do better in single sex schools. I'm inclined to believe mixed sex schooling has a slight edge as it better mimics the working environment most kids are going to go into.

 

[Zack]

Maybe having the option for a student to enroll in a single-sex class? I certainly don't want all of my classes to be sausage fests...

 

[innonimatu]

Generally boys do better in mixed sex schools while girls do better in single sex schools. I'm inclined to believe mixed sex schooling has a slight edge as it better mimics the working environment most kids are going to go into.

Slight edge? Slight? No, you just hit what is supposed to be the single most important point about schooling! It's not about test scores, it's about preparing people to fit into a society. And unless we ant a society like that of, say, Saudi Arabia, we'd better do away entirely with the outdated idea of single-sex schools.

 

[Disgustipated]

Kids don't have trouble fitting in. Americans don't have sociability problems. They have lack of intelligence problems, and separating the sexes is the best way to improve test scores. In case you guys haven't noticed, we have a lack of job skills problem in the U.S. Despite high unemployment, many jobs cannot be filled because Americans lack the skills to perform those jobs. Schools now days focus too much on fun, and not enough on learning.

 

[JollyRoger]

We will soon have a population problem if the skill set is reduced to standardized tests.

 

[Narz]

Maybe we should segregate men and women in all aspects of life.

That's solve overpopulation pretty quick.

Anyway, I went to an all boys boarding school when I was 13 & it sucked & I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

 

[aronnax]

Kids don't have trouble fitting in. Americans don't have sociability problems. They have lack of intelligence problems, and separating the sexes is the best way to improve test scores. In case you guys haven't noticed, we have a lack of job skills problem in the U.S. Despite high unemployment, many jobs cannot be filled because Americans lack the skills to perform those jobs. Schools now days focus too much on fun, and not enough on learning.

Please, the problem with the American Education System is not because you have children in co-ed schools but because you have a terrible education system and a terrible curriculum.

No amount of shuffling them into same-sex classes is going to fix the broken American schools.

 

[downtown]

I've visited a few single sex public schools that dealt with more at-risk populations, and the kids (and staff) there swore by it. I think gender segregation might have helped a few of my classroom management problems, but in the long run, it might have created others. I don't really think the totality of research is clear one way or the other on this issue, but in a large city, I'm perfectly fine with a school or two offering this option (at the public level) if a parent thinks it would benefit their kid.

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

It seems we have not learned the lesson of history that segregation does not lead to equality.

 

[madviking]

As I've pointed out several times irl, I'm not sure whether most of the difficulty of school is from the actually difficulty of the curriculum, or that I'm constantly distracted by women [or alcohol in the case of university].

 

[timtofly]

How about smaller one room school houses? Instead of peer preasure we have more mature students setting the example for the younger less mature, but not the competition or authoritarian extremes. Most work places have a range of experienced jobs, and instead of being competitive should be building skills, not gaining them cheaply or narcissistically.

Have competitive sports, but somehow get the competition out of the learning.