Single-Sex Education - Research Paper Example

In most topics, there will be people who are supporting and others who are disagreeing. The topic of single-sex education is one of these topics. The research’s goal is to have a wider view of the topic, and also to have a wiser solution for it. Writing and researching about single-sex education is going to help me to understand which system is better. I’m curious to find out because I have tried both of single-sex education and coeducation. From parents to students, every person can benefit from reading about single-sex education. Because all students have the right to get a good education, the readers can identify the advantages and disadvantages of each system to develop the current education system. Introduction Single-sex or gender-separate education relates to education that involves members of the same sex attending the same classes. This may occur in elementary, secondary schools or even in higher education. This is in contrast to the more conventional coeducation style of education where students of both sexes attend the same classes and schools. This single-sex education has been used in so many countries where it is considered as an appropriate style from the view of religion, or cultural tradition. Also, it was a worldwide style of education before the nineteenth century (Wikipedia, n.d.). According to The New York Times magazine, the number of single-sex schools had increased to forty-nine in 2008. In 1995, this number was only two in the whole United States (Silva, 2008). Each student has the right to get better educated and the solution is to have a coeducation system which offers single-sex classrooms to approach the advantages of both. Title XI Title IX was the first law that seemed to support the learning of both boys and girls together. It stated that boys and girls should be educated equally and together. Nevertheless, in 2006, the Department of Education removed these boundaries that only supposed on single-sex education. Since then, single-sex schools and classes was split across the country(Stanberry, n.b.). The change to Title IX to allow single-sex education in public schooling provided more choices in the public schools. Parents from then on have variety of options in the public schools for their children’s education. For example, Prestige Academy was going to open in 2008 in Wilmington, America for boys’ only public charter school. This was an important step to help black and Latino boys that come from low-income, and scored lower than the average score in most of the school’s requested goals (Stanberry, n.b.). The debates will determine if the state law should permit single-sex education in public schools, since it is common across America to help some schools that did not succeed helping students who have some difficulties.The agreement decision to open the Prestige academy has been debated in the government for almost a year (Silva, 2008). History of Single-Sex Learning The practice of single-sex education was widespread prior to the 19th century, especially in higher and secondary levels of education. Single-sex education in a number cultures in endorsed on the grounds of traditional and religious values, plus is exercised in most parts of the world (Stanberry, n.b.). Of late there has been an upsurge of both interest and establishment of single-sex, otherwise known as single-gender, education because of educational research. It is thus significant to understand its importance (Wikipedia, n.d.). Prior to the 19th century, single-sex education was widespread. However, during the 19th century, coeducational schooling institutions began to be developed. In addition to mass education, coeducation practice was universalized in almost every part of the world. In areas such as the Soviet Union, coeducation was mandated in 1917. By the end of the 19th century, coeducation was the main form of learning in United States elementary and secondary schools. After the 20th century, in addition, it was mainly across the globe. Research shows that by 2003, just a number of nations the world over have more than 2% single-sex schooling institutions. However, in most of these studies, there were exceptions where the percent of single-gender sex schools went over 10% such as Singapore, Chile, Belgium, The United Kingdom, Israel, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Korean, Australia and a majority of the Muslim nations in Asia and Africa (Wikipedia, n.d.). Of late, nevertheless, there has been a widespread resurgence of concern in single-gender school in the contemporary society the world over, both in public and private institutions (Wikipedia, n.d.). Relevant Facts The National Association for Single Sex Public Education (NASSPE) states that now there are 506 public schools in the United States where single-sex classrooms are offered, and only 116 schools of them are pure single-sex schools (Sesp.northwestern, 2013).These numbers show that there are about 390 mixed schools where single-sex classrooms are provided, which means about 40 mixed schools opened theses kind of classes in the last three years. Moreover, NASSPE shows how the type of classroom has affected students through the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), where 37% of males who are studying in mixed classrooms scored proficient while 75% of all-boys schools scored proficient, and 59% females from mixed classrooms scored proficient while 86% females of all-girls classrooms scored proficient. These percentages show the improvement of single-sex classrooms (Singlesexschools, n.d.) The Debate In her article, “The Boy Factor: Can Single-Gender Classes Reduce the Over-Representation of Boys in Special Education?” Kathy Pechora states many other studies and statistics that show the need for single-sex classrooms(Stanberry, n.b.). These studiesreveal which is the different behaviors and stereotypes of each gender does. They concur that the physical and mental of each gender should be consider in the style and method of teaching.The activity, as well, of each gender could be utilized in a much better way for anenhanced learning style which will be much easier through separating male and female learners in the classroom.All of that will seek a better education for each student because it is the student right to be good educated (Pechora-Couture, Heins, Tichenor, 2013). A recent research about single sex education shows the different environments cause boys and girls to learn differently, since boys’ brains are different from girls’ brains. Therefore, information should be given in a way that students can better understand and where the environment is proper for each gender to have the best education. This research has covered topics beyond the academics level and starts to include sociological rights, economics, and legalization. In addition, there are a lot of talks ongoing with regards to which is more beneficial to learners and to education in general, single-sex education or coeducation (Stanberry, n.d.). Recently, a number of coed education schools have started to offer single sex classes as suitable educative elements from K-12.In the late 1960s and the early 1970s, in some coed schools in the United States, girls and boys were separated in some of the class every day. In some cases single sex classes were different(Stanberry, n.b.). For instance, girls and boys were attending separated classes with different but similar subjects. In high school, girls took cooking classes whereas boys took workshop or agriculture classes. These classes were mandatory to all students and separated by sex. The theory behind this type of class was that they were needed to prepare girls and boys for chores and jobs that they might take on as adults. Another example was separating girls and boys even if the subject and the curriculum was the same. Two more examples for classes that has been created for each gender individually are the physical education and the sex education(Stanberry, n.b.). The reason behind that is the different in the physical body and the mentality of each gender. Thus, the separation is done with the sole reason of their functionality in particular classes. These types of single sex classes are not existing any more these days in the coed schools from k-12 (Pollard, 1999). There are people who disagree with the idea of single sex education; such as Elena Silva who is a former senior policy analyst at Education Sector. Silva states that the relation between gender and education is not strong enough (Pollard, 1999). Also, it does not make sense to link between improving education and the gender. Because if their claim is that each gender would learn differently, the fact is that each individual person has a different way of learning which has nothing to do with his/her gender. There are facts that say there is no definite proof that single sex education has resulted in better learning. In addition, the U.S Department of Education has reviewed 44 research studies on single sex education. Furthermore, there is some doubts on the research that has been done on successful single-sex schools because it concentrated on Catholic and all-girl schools. These supported research shows that single-sex learning raises independence amongst students who gain more confidence in improving their skills. However, there was research conducted by Cornelius Riordan which shows that even for successful single-sex schools, the reason for that success is an effective academic orientation which focuses on a curriculum that has a great influence on students. Also, because most of the single sex schools have few students, it led to more concentrate on the academic curriculum for a specific gender (Silva, 2008). Advantages of Single-Gender Schools Supporter of single-sex school claim that such institutions can address the diverse ways boys and girls learn, provide much fewer distractions and offer less pressure for these sexes to select various courses (Sesp.northwestern, 2013). The problem is especially timely due to the fact that legislation passed in 2006 makes it much simpler to offer single-gender education all across the United States. In simple contrast to learners with quite similar traits, research finds that learning in a single-gender school is connected to better educational outcomes. This evaluation is rooted in comparing scores from two countrywide tests, taken in 5th, as well as 10th grades (Sesp.northwestern, 2013). Nevertheless, more comprehensive investigation shows that the positive outcomes are mainly due to being admitted to preferred institution instead of being at a single-gender school. This research shows that girls who prefer to go to single-sex schools enjoy more benefits compared to those who are forced to attend such institutions without their own will (Sesp.northwestern, 2013). Jeff Gray, the headmaster at Foust Elementary School based in Owensboro, KY claimed that it was after he had separated the boys and girls at his school to single-gender classroom is when the performance of his students began to go up (Pollard, 1999). Disadvantages of Single-Sex Schools Research shows that single-sex education is basically unhelpful for males (Eliot, 2013). Most of the studies that have supported single-sex education only refers to girls leaving out information for boys. There are no thorough studies in America, which find that single-gender education is better for males, and, in fact, a number of studies (Eliot, 2013; Tyre, 2005; Campbell& Evans, 1997& Stanberry, n.b.) have show that both males and females exhibit much greater cognitive development over the school year rooted in the dose of females in the classroom. In reality, boys benefit even more than females from having more number of female classmates. Therefore, single-sex schooling is in reality not the answer to the recent "boy crisis" in education. Other disadvantages include that few educators are seriously trained to use gender-specific teaching methods. Nevertheless, it is no secret that well experienced educators normally comprehend gender differences and are skillful at accommodating many learning styles in their mixed-gender classrooms (Pechora-Couture et al., 2013). Sex differences in education are not the same across the board. They differ along a continuum of what is regarded normal. For an assertive girl and a sensitive boy, the teaching method promoted by supporters of single-sex education could be ineffective or detrimental (Pechora-Couture et al., 2013). For instance, a sensitive boy may be intimidated by an educator who "gets in his face" and talks loudly believing "that is what males want and should learn." Finally, students who study in single-sex schools will one day enter the job market and will need to work with people of the opposite sex, thus this needs to be nurtured early enough. Coeducation Learning Mixed-sex education, also referred to as mixed-gender education or coeducation, is the integrated learning of boys and girl in the same environment. This and single-gender education are options, and both are widely utilized across the globe (Eliot, 2013). There have been a lot of arguments and studies, which contrast single-sex to mixed-sex education to support one over the other. Many early established institutions of higher education were formerly kept for one sex but as time passed, they chose to endorse both sexes and now are coeducational (Eliot, 2013). The oldest still existing mixed-sex institution of higher learning in the U.S. is Oberlin College based in Oberlin, Ohio, that was set up in 1833. Mixed-gender classes were formerly admitted in 1833 to the preparatory department at Oberlin, as well as in 1837, at the college department. The first four females to earn a bachelors degrees in the U.S. earned them at this institution in 1841. Afterwards, in 1862, the first African American female to earn a bachelors degree also earned it from this institutions. She was called Mary Jane Patterson (Eliot, 2013). Later after the 1840s, a number of colleges in the United States started admitting both males and females and after that, this trend migrated into both secondary and primary schooling institutions. Critics have argued all over about the importance of these institutions as well as the disadvantages. However, there is no denying that of late coeducation has taken over single-sex education as almost every institution is coeducational (Pollard, 1999). Only a handful of institutions these days go the single-sex way, thus it is important to understand why they do so. The next two sections will look at the advantages and disadvantages of coeducation learning (Pechora-Couture et al., 2013). Advantages of Coeducational Learning Campbell & Evans (1997) wrote that in subjects such as math, girls in coeducational schools perform much better rather than girls in single-sex schools. They claim that this is as a result of the stereotyping of girls that they cannot do well in math and that in a female-only school, they lack the proper motivation to challenge in subjects such as math and also other sciences. In a coed school, boys and girls give each other the needed motivation to work on these subjects together for the betterment of the two parties. It is as if the girls want to show that they can perform too in these subjects over the boys (Campbell& Evans, 1997). Another reasons why coed schooling is considered significant is that it prepares both sexes for world situations that happen around them when they are in school and after they have also completed schooling. For instance, in the job setting, there is mixed gender. One can hardly find a place where only boys work their or just girls. Even if you find such a place, you will still be required to interact with someone of the opposite sex while conduction the activities of your job (Singlesexschools, n.b.). Therefore, enrolling in a coed school with give a student the vital skills to work mutually with both sexes in order to achieve a desired work goal. Finally, advocates of coeducation claim that females without males classmates have social problems, which might affect their adolescent development. Girls might have lower, more traditional ambitions and might choose occupations, which tend to be more customary in nature in contrast to science-linked occupations (Silva, 2008). They claim that the lack of the opposite sex develops an unrealistic or idealistic environment that is not duplicated in the real world (Silva, 2008). Disadvantages of Coeducational Learning One of the main reason that stands out due to the disadvantage of coed education is the effects of adolescence. This mostly happens during the secondary school level and it affects almost every teenager (Stanberry, n.b.). Critics claim that students might be more distracted by the opposite sex in a coeducational environment. This distraction might negatively affect how frequent a learner is willing to answer a question in class or simply just raise his or her hand up and urge learners to be less concentrated on the lesson (Singlesexschools, n.b.). However, to ignore something that is biologically put in children is like choosing to act on the smaller problem and ignoring the wider problem. The smaller picture is that boys and girls might distract each other in these institutions and affect their education, but the wider picture is that the two parties will need each other in the future to function effectively after school, in the labor market (Silva, 2008). The next disadvantage is that, in classes which are distinguished with gender, female and male students learn and work on the same level as their peers, the conventional mentality of the educator is removed, and females are expected to have more self-belief in the classroom compared to the way they would in a coeducational class (Tyre, 2005). The puts the female in a more disadvantaged position in the coed school than the male, thus working in favor of the male gender rather than the female. Statistics shows that girls perform better in single-sex schools rather than coed schools and boys perform better in coed schools rather than single-sex schools (Singlesexschools, n.b.). Solution The best solution that can be reached to ensure comprehensive learning for our students it to fully adapt coed system of education, but maintain a few single-sex classrooms still in coed schools. What is particularly significant is presenting educational opportunities and school structures in a manner, which can appeal to and draw on individuals’ aptitudes, interests, as well as motivations, as opposed to their class membership (Tyre, 2005). Because many students do better in coed schools and others also do better in single-sex schools, setting up single-sex classrooms in a coed schools would be the best option as these would teach the single-gender classroom how to relate with others of the opposite sex, who are in the coed classrooms (Tyre, 2005). Conclusion The bottom line is that a majority of single-gender education advocates do not believe that single-gender education is best for every student. There is a huge variation among females and a huge variation among males and for that reason, variety is a good thing. It is vital to consider the saying, "one size does not fit all." Successful teaching frequently relies on getting children engaged and happy about learning the curriculum and for that, each educator has to work with each students motivations, preferences and interests. References Campbell, K. T., & Evans, C. (1997). Gender issues in the classroom: A comparison of mathematics. Education, 117(3), 332. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&sid=cf0e9f58-1a78-48f7-8eed-f1e19af4243c%40sessionmgr4002&hid=4114&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=a9h&AN=9705294245 Silva, E. (2008). Boys and girls are more alike in school than they are different. Retrieved from http://www.educationsector.org/publications/boys-and-girls-are-more-alike-school-they-are-different Ed. (2005) .Single-sex versus coeducation schooling: a systematic review. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/other/single-sex/index.html Eliot, L. (2013). AEI debates: should single-sex education be eliminated? Retrieved from http://www.american.com/archive/2013/september/aei-debates-should-single-sex-education-be-eliminated/article_print Pechora-Couture, k., Heins, e., & Tichenor, m. (2013). The boy factor: can single-gender classes reduce the over-representation of boys in special education? College Student Journal, 47(2), 235-243. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&sid=1d473746-b157-4b4d-a209-47712f13f537%40sessionmgr4005&hid=4201&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=eue&AN=884134550 Pollard, S, D. (1999).Single-sex education. Retrieved from http://www2.edc.org/womensequity/pubs/digests/digest-singlesex.html Sesp.northwestern. (2013). Do single-sex schools improve learning?. Retrieved from http://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/news-center/news/2012/03/kirabo-jackson-do-single-sex-schools-improve-learning.html Singlesexschools. (n.b.). Single-sex schools / schools with single-sex classrooms / whats the difference?Retrieved from http://www.singlesexschools.org/schools-schools.htm Stanberry, K. (n.b.). Single-sex education: the pros and cons. Retrieved fromhttp://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/defining-your-ideal/1139-single-sex-education-the-pros-and-cons.gs?page=all Tyre, P. (2005). Boy brains, girl brains. Newsweek, 146(12), 59. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&sid=cf0e9f58-1a78-48f7-8eed-f1e19af4243c%40sessionmgr4002&hid=4114&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=p6h&AN=18202424 Wikipedia. (n.b.). Single-sex education. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-sex_Education Read More