Devoted Reader Mike sent along this Brothers Judd blog link, which reveals that some public schools in the Midwest are quietly segregating classes by sex, despite the fact that this may violate federal laws - and for most students, it seems to be working out just fine:
One year ago, Clarksville (Ind.) Middle School began a quiet experiment with its seventh-graders, separating boys and girls during math, English, science and other core courses. Genders were mixed only in classes like music and art, and they could socialize in the halls and at lunch.
By the end of the first semester, most teachers and staff were sold: 78 percent of girls and 60 percent of boys passed all subjects for that semester, compared to 69 percent of girls and 46 percent of boys when they were sixth-graders.
"I don't think you can argue with those kinds of numbers," said Tammy Haub, the English teacher who suggested the change.
Tammy may be innovative, but she's naive; the ACLU and the National Organization of Women are more than willing to argue with the numbers:
Critics from organizations such as the ACLU and the National Organization for Women contend that single-sex classes are a step backward, and probably violate current federal laws and regulations that prohibit such programs in all but the most limited situations, such as physical education classes involving body contact.
Emily Martin, a staff attorney for the ACLU's women's rights project, said single-gender classes are "pretty clearly prohibited" by current federal law.
"A step backward" - even if kids prefer it, and even if testing scores go up (which would argue against any "separate-but-unequal" theories), the ACLU is having none of it. Interestingly, the US Education Department announced last year that it may amend the regulations which govern segregation of classes by sex, which explains both why some schools are confident enough to give it a shot, and why the lobbying organizations who oppose this are having tizzies.
And some of these tizzies fly in the face of empirical evidence:
In Kentucky...where there have been single-sex classes for at least three years in a half-dozen schools, some administrators argue that the benefits are clear.
Richard Dowdy, assistant principal at Paducah Middle School, said that since the program started there three years ago discipline problems have declined, and girls are doing better in math and science classes. The school separates boys and girls for all their courses.
Oh, but NOW is still mad about it. Lord knows, we can't have girls doing better in math and science classes, not if these higher scores are achieved in a politically-incorrect, non-NOW-sanctioned manner! Sheesh.
This type of segregation hasn't worked for all schools, but I believe schools should have the freedom to try it, and the freedom to drop it if it doesn't work for them. And it's important to me that the kids seem to like, and understand that this relieves them of some of the presure that Madison Avenue places on them to be sexually appealing and socially-focused as early as seventh grade:
In single-gender classes....some girls no longer worry about "looking silly" in front of boys, and some boys aren't as tempted to show off as they might be with girls in the class. "The social pressure is off,"...and boys and girls can focus their attention on academics.
In a survey last year among seventh-graders who were in the single-sex classrooms, 65 percent said the program was helping them learn.
Posted by kswygert at September 22, 2003 09:54 AM