Does public single-sex education have a future in the USA? Eight activist academics have just published an article in Science arguing that it should be banned.
Claiming that there is "no well-designed research" proving that single-sex schools improve academic performance, they have urged the Department of Education to "heed the evidence" and prohibit "sex-segregated classrooms" in public schools. Single-sex education, they say, "increases gender stereotyping and legitimizes institutional sexism."
Let's hope the Department of Education seeks a second opinion.
The proposed ban would not affect the affluent. Wealthy families have always had the option of sending their children to all-male or all-female academies, but parents of lesser means have rarely had the choice. That changed in 2002, when the No Child Left Behind Act sanctioned innovative programs -- including single-sex classes and academies -- in public schools. Then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, a co-author of the provision, urged that the single-sex option be broadly expanded and not limited to a fortunate few: "There should not be any obstacle to providing single-sex choice within the public school system."
http://www.guampdn.com/article/20111016/OPINION02/110160316