Maybe you or your child have already decided on whether co-ed or single-sex education is the right choice; maybe you’re still considering. Here are some of the important claims made for single-sex and coed education to help you know what the possible advantages and issues are. As you read, keep in mind that there are true believers arguing on both sides of the issue, and that the best school is the one that is a good match for a particular child at a particular time in his or her life.
CLAIMS FOR SINGLE-SEX SCHOOLS
Boys and girls learn differently.
It is claimed that girls and boys have different: • patterns of brain development • brain processing is different, and - in specific - has a different relationship to the center of emotion. • have differentiated hearing sensitivity • respond to stress in different ways and that these differences can best be responded to by differentiating their instruction and learning environment.
Coed settings encourage gender stereotypes
Simply put, the idea here is that if girls don’t see boys doing math and science they won’t those subjects are for boys only and if boys don’t see girls doing art and music, they won’t think it’s for girls only. Some studies have shown that both male and female students who have been educated in single-sex environments have a stronger preference for subjects that are stereotypically aligned with the opposite sex.
Teachers may treat girls differently from boys in math, science, and computer related classes, giving them less attention and fewer learning opportunities.
This kind of favoritism is impossible in a single-sex classroom.
Single-sex settings are said to improve classroom behavior.
Since girls mature earlier than