Dive Brief:
- Feeling the pressure of increased scrutiny on test scores and the perception of a “failing” national education system, some public schools are turning to an old tactic: single-sex classrooms.
- According to the U.S. Department of Education, there are currently 750 U.S. public schools that offer at least one single-sex course and 850 that are completely single-sex.
- In response to a complaint by the American Civil Liberties Union, which argues single-sex education perpetuates sexism and stereotypes, the Obama Administration is issuing a guidance on single-sex education. The instruction says schools can continue offering gender-segregated classes, but they must provide evidence that doing so will improve academics or discipline in a way co-education could not.
Dive Insight:
The New York Times zeros in on schools prescribing to the belief that boys and girls learn differently. One such school is Charles Drew Elementary, outside Fort Lauderdale, FL, where about 25% of the classes are segregated by gender.
Many social scientists are skeptical about the claim that boys and girls learn differently, but Charles Drew Principal Angeline H. Flowers thinks otherwise. According to Flowers, her school went from a D to a C on the state report card after it started offering single-sex programing two years ago.
