Single-sex SchoolI.【T1】______【T1】______— Co-ed: the【T2】_____ of sexes, politic

Single-sex School
Good morning, everyone. Today, we are going to talk about a special type of schooling, single-sex school. Some people are interested in the questions like: what are the advantages of single-sex education? Is single-sex education better than coeducation? What does available research have to say about the subject?
First of all,[1]let’s look at the background of single-sex school.[2]We have spent several generations advancing the equality of the sexes. Beginning with the women’s suffrage movement and continuing through to the present day many legal and social barriers to women’s equality with men have been removed. Much progress has been made. With that in mind coeducation which is based on that laudable theme of equality seems like the right way to go. That’s why most private and public schools use the coeducation model. Most of the time that works well. On the other hand some research seems to suggest that boys and girls learn in different ways. Research shows that a girl’s brain is different from a boy’s brain. If you accept that premise, coeducation probably will not work satisfactorily for every child. Coeducation does have the advantage of being politically acceptable. Recently public schools have begun to experiment with single-sex classes, and, in some cases, single-sex schools.
Now, more about the research about single-sex school. Perhaps the most revealing research on single-sex versus coeducation is Single-Sex Versus Coeducational Schooling: A Systematic Review.[3]This study was commissioned by the Federal Department of Education and was released in 2005. What were its conclusions?[4]Basically it seems to conclude that there is not enough evidence to suggest single-sex education is better than coeducation or vice-versa. Another national study from UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies claims to show that[5]girls from single-sex schools have an edge over their co-ed peers.
Thirdly, is single-sex school the right setting for your child? Some children thrive in a single-sex school. Why?[6]For one thing, the social pressures can be gentler. Your child can grow at his own pace. This often is a good thing for boys as they mature later than girls. The faculty at single-sex schools understand how their students learn. They adapt their teaching styles to those specific needs. There are other advantages as well.[7]For example, since a single-sex school is basically homogeneous, that simplifies planning events and activities as you only have to consider boys or girls as the case may be. The conventional thinking thirty years ago was that coeducation would somehow break down gender stereotypes. But that didn’t always happen. The proponents of single-sex education argue that boys in coeducational settings are less likely to take courses in the arts or tackle advanced academic subjects simply to avoid being typecast as a nerd. Similarly girls avoid the sciences and technology subjects because they don’t want to appear to be tomboys. Single-sex schools are flourishing once again as parents realize that allowing their son or daughter to learn in his or her own individual way is a very important consideration in choosing a school.
Now, let’s look at three reasons for choosing a single-sex school. Your child’s happiness is one of the most important factors in selecting a school. Equally important is finding a school with inspiring, gifted teachers. But parents also need to consider three other factors: letting your child be herself, the teaching style and what’s being taught and, finally, the socialization of your children.
First, let them be themselves.[8]Boys tend to soften their competitive edge and become more collaborative in a single-sex setting. They can just be boys and not worry about what the girls might think. Boys enjoying poetry and playing in an orchestra as opposed to a marching band are the kind of thing you will see in a boys’ school.[9]Girls drop their shyness and begin to take risks in a single-sex setting. They become more competitive. They embrace sports like field hockey and soccer with gusto without worrying about appearing like tomboys.
[10]Second, academics. If the teacher understands how to teach girls,[11]they will quickly feel comfortable exploring non-traditional subjects such as mathematics, advanced sciences, computers and technology, wood-working and so on.[12]Boys participate in choirs and orchestras and learn Latin in single-sex settings.[13]Children will break out of their stereotypical roles and behaviour when they are left to their own devices. Single-sex education has a delightful way of encouraging children to be fearless, to be curious, to be enthusiastic—in short, to just be themselves.
Thirdly, socialization. Children are subjected to an avalanche of pressures from every quarter to become adults before they are ready to do so. They grow up too quickly. Why not let them be children for a few more years?[14]Single-sex education with its gentler, more controlled social outlets is just the ticket for many children.
Last but not least,[15]I want to briefly talk about the blended or co-institutional schools. Many Roman Catholic schools offer their own unique approaches to single-sex schooling by offering co-institutional or blended schooling. Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado, has two distinct high schools operating under the same roof: one for boys, the other for girls. This is the co-institutional approach. St. Agnes and St. Dominic School in Memphis, Tennessee, blends its single-sex education with co-educational depending on the grade level involved.
All right, today we have covered the single-sex schools and the co-institutional or the blended schools. Any one approach might be right for your son or daughter. We may make our choice on the parameters of maximizing the benefits of our children.