Education is the key to success. It is more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. It is one of the most important investments a country can make in its people and its future and is critical to reducing poverty and inequality; however, does the process in which an individual obtains their education matter as long as they receive one at all? This has been a topic of discussion for the federal government for the last couple of centuries. The practice was common before the nineteenth century. Single-sex education in many cultures is advocated on the basis of tradition as well as religion, and is practiced in many parts of the world. Recently, there has been an increase in interest and formulation of single-sex schools due to educational research. “Studies have shown that some students learn better in a single-gender environment, particularly in math and science” (Hutchison, 2012). Other research and reports from educators suggest that single-sex education can broaden the educational prospects for both girls and boys, and even in a co-ed classroom, gender inequities still exist in regards to which gender gets more attention (Carinci, 2006). For many in the educational community and beyond, these have become pressing issues as public upheaval has mounted for some good news about the nation’s schools.
U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) have established an op-ed endorsing single-gender education. The 2001 law simply allowed schools and districts to offer the choice of single-sex schools or classrooms, as long as opportunities were equally available to both genders. Boys and girls see, think, and hear differently; however, their abilities to process information is the same. Male and female eyes are not organized in the same way. The male eye is constructed to be attuned to motion and direction. The male eye is also drawn to cooler colors, whereas the female eye is oriented toward warmer colors. Boys and girls also hear differently. For example, when someone speaks in a loud manner, the female mind interprets it as yelling (Kaufmann, 2013). Girls can hear higher frequencies than boys and are more sensitive to sounds. “Boys will rise to a risk and tend to overestimate their abilities. Teachers can help them by getting them to be more realistic about results. Girls at this age shy away from risk. Teachers can help them learn to take risks in an atmosphere where they feel confident about doing so” (Kaufmann). Single gender programs are about maximizing the learning.
Separated by Sex: A Critical Look at Single-Sex Education for Girls (Boychuck, 1998) challenges the popular idea that single-sex education is better for girls than coeducation. In the report, the foremost educational scholars on single-sex education in grades K-12 compare findings on whether girls learn better apart from boys. There is no “officially recorded long-term impact” of single-sex education on children of different sexes. The absence of protensive reports on single-sex education in the primary and secondary educational sector makes it impossible to determine the long-term harm or benefits to any groups of students.
On an academic level, same-gender institutions would benefit a child more if the child attended during their primary school years. This is the phase in a child’s life in which their mind is easy to mold. Sex differences in the brain diminish as a function of age. Sex differences in the brain are largest between young girls and young boys; whereas sex differences between adult females and males are small (Sax, MD, PhD). The student will not be distracted during their studies. They can develop the academic skills they will occupy later in life. There will also be less drama. A lot of what we do we do in order to impress members of the opposite sex (Bohm, 2013). The social aspect in the educational system comes as a child gets older. Primary School should be focused on academics. Secondary Education should ease students into the social aspect of the “real world.” Higher Education would place the student the student in the “real world” environment where they could apply everything they have learned up until that point in their lives.
If states have a concern about whether or not same-gender education will cause a stump in their child’s learning growth, it is safe to claim that same-sex schools should be limited to only primary education. Secondary education should incorporate both academics and social events in order to prepare the child for the next stage in their life. There is no legitimate data that same-gender institutions benefits nor harms a child’s ability to learn. Even if girls and boys do not have different learning styles, are there other reasons—social or cultural, for example—that suggest that they may need to follow different paths to achieving the same educational goals? If society truly values diversity and equity, is it possible to justify a path to educational success that is based purely on the student’s biological sex? “We want a world where students are treated as individuals, rather than stereotypes, where a girl's passion for robotics will be just as celebrated as her sister's passion for fashion-design and where a boy who likes to read is just as respected as the boy who prefers football” (Danish, 2013).
References
American Association of University Women Educational Foundation. 1998. Retrieved from
http://www.aauw.org/files/2013/02/Separated-By-Sex...
-Education-for-Girls.pdf
Bohm, A. (2013) Back to School Minus the Sex Stereotypes. Retrieved from
https://www.aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/back-schoo...
Boychuk, Be. (2010). What the Constitution Says About Education. Retrieved from
http://heartland.org/policy-documents/what-constit...
Carinci, S. (2006). Examining Gender and Classroom Teaching Practices. Sterling
Virginia: Stylus Publishing.
Danish, E. (2013) Pros and Cons of Single-Sex Schools. Retrieved from
http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15958/1/Pros-a...
Hutchison, B. Mikulski, B. (2012). A Right to Choose Single-Sex Public Education.
Retrieved from http://www.singlesexschools.org/hutchison2012.html
Kaufmann, C. (2013). How Boys and Girls Learn Differently. Retrieved from
http://www.rd.com/advice/parenting/how-boys-and-gi...
Ripley, A. (2005) Who Says Women Can’t Be Einstein? New York: TIME Magazine.
Wasserman, G. (2008). The Basics of American Politics: Fourteenth Edition.
Georgetown: Pearson Education Inc.
Weil, E. (2008). Teaching Boys and Girls Differently. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/magazine/02sex3-...
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