Single gender versus co-educational schools pros and cons

Single-Gender Vs. Co-Educational Schools

I believe that co-educational schools are a better choice compared to single-gender schools. I don't see any harm in single sex schools, but I don't see any real overwhelming benefit either. I don't think that anything is to be gained by separating the genders. People in the world are male and female. School is a part of the world. It shouldn't be hiding real-life scenarios, schools should prepare them for these situations by having boys and girls work together in a constructive environment.

I think that boys and girls should grow up, interact, and live through similar situations together, before adulthood. And even though there are differences among the sexes, kids should become accustomed to those differences and learn to accept them. Why should we try to persuade our youth that the sexes are so different that they can't learn together in the same environment? What are we teaching them then?

The idea of a co-ed school sounds like the best learning and socially growing atmosphere for a few reasons. First of all, girls and boys should be expected to perform up to their potential no matter who is sitting next to them in class. Secondly, if separating the sexes is a measure to academically shelter girls in the name of nurture, what happens to them when they're faced with a classroom full of guys once they reach college? Or a meeting room full of men when they start work? If it shouldn't matter then, then why should it matter in high school geometry? Another reason is that if one of the most important arguments for why single-gender classes are more beneficial is to eliminate romantic distraction, what about gay and lesbian students? Should we send them off to the opposite class? And finally, romantic socialization may not be hindered in a single-gender school, but from what I've seen with kids who went through single-gender schooling, their friends seem to be the same-sex gender. Not surprisingly, they aren't so good at being friends with the opposite sex, which does affect their dating relationships.

It's been proven time and time again that single-gender schools tend to have better grades than the co-educational schools. This is true. But when faced with this information, a good question to ask yourself is, which is more important, book learning or developing an understanding that members of the opposite sex are people. So the scores may slip a little due to a bit of inattention, but society, at least to me, is more important than achieving 100% proficiency in any high school subject. I realize that some people don't agree with me and believe that they are both important. So is it possible to find a way to maximize either one without damaging the other?

Some people have brought up the idea of having a co-educational school, but with some single-gender classes. I can definitely see a few advantages of having single-gender classes, especially during the teen puberty stage. I think that it would do both the genders a little bit of good

to have some time away from hormonal stimulation. Separate classes for those "sensitive topics" such as sex-ed and health would especially be beneficial. I'm not saying that we should separate the sexes entirely, because I don't see much point in separating students before 12 or after 16. The time period before kids are 12 is too precious a time to separate the girls from the boys. Growing up, kids need each other to help respond to the world that they all are just growing accustom to. After the age of 16, there comes the point when boys and girls are growing into men and women. This time period is also very delicate in that it is right before they all are thrown into the world without much guidance from parents. They need to begin working together as equals so as to better prepare them for the challenges they will face in the work force. Besides kids between the ages of 12 and 16, I just really don't see any tremendous advantage in separating the sexes. If anything, it will only make learning the way the real world operates even more difficult.

In the long run, co-educational schooling will benefit both the sexes socially and help them to learn to adapt in a difficult environment. As previously stated, there is nothing hugely wrong with single-sex schools, but also there is no tremendous benefit either. I think the most valuable factor in schools is how it provides a way for kids and teens to learn about and face everyday real life scenarios. What better way to explain and introduce these real-life situations than to have the kids learn in the same environment and learn the social traits needed to survive in such a competitive world?