Some gain advantage from single-sex education

Lehen Hezkuntzako zebait irakasle harrituta geratu ziren genero bakarreko geletan jadetsitako emaitzekin. Hona hemen horietako baten testigantza.

By Hannah Lodge | hlodge@reportert.com

MARTINSVILLE

The teachers were initially skeptical of the impact single-gender classrooms could have on students, they said. They were surprised, however, by the differences they noticed in their students when they divided the boys and girls for physical education and reading classes last year.

"We were astounded," Fendley said.

Fendley said in physical education, many of the girls who were not previously involved in games or activities became more active and enjoyed class more when they were separated from the boys.

Lanam said she saw huge differences in writing class. Girls, she said, wanted to have discussions and make sure they understood everything before beginning a project, while boys "needed to just get started," she said.

The teachers said they were interested to see what effect there would be in other classes, such as math, science and social studies.

Jan Gearhart, principal of Smith Elementary, said the school was interested in trying to increase sixth-grade ISTEP tests by separating the genders. She said if the program is used in the future, the school would monitor the progress of the students to see if it impacts their test scores.

The U.S. Department of Education’s systematic review of research on single-sex versus co-ed schools in 2005 found the findings were mixed. Some were pro-single-sex classrooms and others found no major differences between the two.

"A majority of studies favored SS (single-sex) schools on the outcome of higher educational aspirations, as evidenced by SS students showing more interest in taking more difficult courses. SS schools fostered higher educational and career aspirations for girls," according to the executive summary of the review. The review is available at http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/other/single-sex/index.html.

Lanam said she doesn’t think all boys and all girls learn exactly the same way, but it would be a step in the right direction.

"Of course we’re speaking in generalities here," she said. "There are exceptions to everything. But it appears that being able to take out one element, taking out those innate differences that the other sex has... it gives you more of an opportunity to deal with the individuals’ differences within that sex."

Smith Elementary fourth-grader Hannah Long, who could be affected by the program if it is used next year, said she wouldn’t miss having boys in her classroom.

"I think it’d be really cool, because we’d have no more boys to bother us anymore," she said.