Learning With All Girls Is Way Better for Girls

on September 29, 2011 at 2:38 PM

Single sex education is taking quite a beating with a new study showing that it actually hurts children and promotes gender stereotypes rather than helping children overcome them. But as someone who was in co-ed schools my whole life, I do wonder how valid these studies really are.

Most people I know who went to single sex schools actually thrived because of them. They felt more comfortable raising their hands, speaking out, and being themselves in an environment where the drama of the opposite sex didn't exist. The study, however, concludes:

Sex-segregated education is deeply misguided, and often justified by weak, cherry-picked, or misconstrued scientific claims rather than by valid scientific evidence. There is no well-designed research showing that single-sex (SS) education improves students' academic performance, but there is evidence that sex segregation increases gender stereotyping and legitimizes institutional sexism.

And though personal experience does not a study make, teachers are also having some success by dividing classes along gender lines. One middle school teacher in Arizona did just that and has seen the girls take on many more leadership roles because of it.

In some ways the study is right. It certainly does reinforce the idea that boys and girls learn differently, and if that is "sexist," well maybe it is. But I don't think it's sexist. It's true.

At certain ages, many girls (and boys, too) spend a whole lot more time and energy on the opposite sex than they do on their studies. Girls become self-conscious of being smarter than the boys or speaking up in class and boys do the same even though it's less well publicized.

Still, as a woman who has always gotten along better with men than women, I would have hated the idea of not having boys around. But I do love the idea of single sex classrooms in co-ed schools. Best of both worlds, no?

Personally, I would love to see us get past the idea that boys and girls are exactly the same. They may be equal, but they aren't the same and that's a good thing. Children benefit from having classmates of the same sex, and yes, they also benefit from having opposite sex classmates, too. So why not have some learning be segregated and some together? Isn't that the best of both worlds?

Do you believe in single sex education?

Image via ShuttrKing|KT/Flickr

About the author Sasha Brown-Worsham

can't decide whether she is a mother, writer, or runner, but is usually all three at some point each day. She has written for dozens of print magazines, newspapers, and websites. She rarely ever writes on bathroom walls.

Filed Under: high school, girls

Comments (47)

Facebook comment from Rachel Schiller

on Sep 29, 2011 at 2:56 PM

If I could send my boys to an all boys school I would. If I had girls I would also want them in a girls school.

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Nonmember comment from Liz

on Sep 29, 2011 at 3:46 PM

There's a lot about your post I disagree with. First, ALL children learn differently. African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and white Americans all have different learning styles, but segregation in schools ended a long time ago for a reason. Second, even though boys and girls are different, that doesn't mean all girls or all boys are the same. There will be boys who learn more like girls, and vice versa. If the goal is to make girls and boys reach their full potential, this will never be accomplished through gender segregation. At some point school ends, and life isn't separated by gender. Eventually these men and women will need to learn how to deal with the opposite gender effectively. The answer should be to teach students that even though everyone learns a little differently, all students are equal and should strive to do their own personal best, not compete with personal best of someone else. Teachers can have students work in smaller groups, either with students similar to themselves or different from themselves, to achieve a wider variety. But single-sex education doesn't leave that option the way mixed-sex education does. Personally, I believe separating classes by advancement is MUCH more beneficial for a child's education. Those who are excelling will not be held back by those struggling, and those struggling will not be glossed over by those excelling.

RhondaVeggie

on Sep 29, 2011 at 3:52 PM

None of the women I know who went to all girls schools can function in mixed society now. Most went in to female dominated careers like nursing and teaching lower grades. One went to all girls schools right through college and wanted to go to law school but decided against it because she couldn't handle being in a classroom with men. That's not girl power, powerful girls don't give up on their goals just because they'd have to interact with humans who have testicles instead of ovaries.

Girls and boys do learn differently but we should use that information to develop a system where there are single sex lessons (tutorials or study groups), not to segregate completely and leave both sexes screwed up.

Rnae1

on Sep 29, 2011 at 3:55 PM

I definitely agree with you. Boys and girls are equal, but certainly different.

leomommy1325

on Sep 29, 2011 at 4:09 PM

Boys and girls do learn differently, but that is not to say that a girl isn't just as capable as a boy and this is what I am trying to instill in my daughter who is 6. I, personally, will not now or ever have her in a segregated school. She needs to learn how to interact with the opposite sex. One of my cousins went to an all girl college and quite frankly, for the longest time, we all thought that she was a lesbian since she had so few boyfriends in that time.

Lynette

on Sep 29, 2011 at 5:37 PM

I loved the book "Boys and Girls Learn Differently! " by Michael Gurian. They do and both tend to do better in same sex schools.

lehoffman

on Sep 29, 2011 at 7:43 PM

While I think that perhaps boys and girls may do better without the other gender in school, part of school should be socialization. My boyfriend went to an all boys school and could hardly interact with women at all straight out of high school. Also, it's important to think about other factors that make kids to better when educated apart. Do they go to private schools where they are more likely to come from wealthy backgrounds?

momavanessa

on Sep 29, 2011 at 8:04 PM

Yeah I really don't agree with you. They learn differently but should not be taught apart. My dad tried to put me in an all girl school. Yeah that didn't happen!!

Then again I don't agree with like 95 % of what you write...

Facebook comment from Emily Surdasky

on Sep 30, 2011 at 8:46 AM

I went to an all girls high school which was fantastic. However, when I went to college I was TERRIFIED to be in class with boys. While the actual experience was great, the aftermath led me to be really insecure in a learning environment with boys.

Facebook comment from Payton Irwin

on Sep 30, 2011 at 7:17 PM

I went to coed schools through elementary, middle, and high school, and currently attend an all women's college. I went to community college for a year first, and the difference is amazing! The women at my college speak up more frequently, are willing to participate more readily, and seem much more comfortable. The campus is even quieter.

Personally, I believe I've always made friends easier with boys than with girls, but at this time in my life I'm not headed to school to make friends -- I'm there to build my future. The friends I'm making are a nice bonus.