Singlesex schools and classrooms in public education: Why people want and don't want them

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Single-sex schools and classrooms in public
education Why people want and don't want them

• Howard Glasser (hglasser_at_napequity.org) NAPE
• Jocelyn Samuels (jsamuels_at_nwlc.org) National
  Womens Law Center
  
• National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity
  (NAPE) Women Work!
  
• 2008 National Conference - Wednesday, April 9,
  2008

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Outline

• Group activity and Introduction
• History of single-sex education
• Reasons people support/oppose these classes
• Concerns with prior single-sex studies
• Legal issues
• My Study
• Science classes participants
• Reasons for the single-sex classes at this
  school
  
• Same curriculum? Same science?
• Questions and Discussion

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Group Activity

• Work with others to compile lists for
• What might be some potential benefits to
  single-sex education?
  
• What might be some potential drawbacks to
  single-sex education?

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Introduction

• Varied reports and commentaries have claimed that
  boys are in crisis or girls are being
  shortchanged
  
• Both might be true, or maybe neither sex is
  disadvantaged
  
• Regardless, many have pushed to change policies
  in hopes of improving schooling for girls, boys,
  or both
  
• One change that some say could address concerns
  with each sex, or both sexes, has been single-sex
  education
  
• Dept. of Ed. has attempted to expand the
  circumstances in which single-sex (SS) classes
  are permissible
  
• Project involved one teachers SS science classes
  (one all-boy, one all-girl) in a public, coed
  middle school

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History of Single-Sex Education

• Today, many Americans view coeducation as a
  natural, unquestioned aspect of schooling
  
• But coeducation (CE) is not more natural than
  SS education
  
• Almost all primitive societies taught males and
  females separately
  
• In many countries today (e.g., England and
  Australia), a sizable number of public schools
  are single-sex
  
• U.S. schools taught sexes separately until CE was
  adopted due to financial concerns, not beliefs in
  democracy or equity
  
• CE schools created separate classes for girls in
  response to concerns that academic education
  adversely affected their health and families
  
• Social and legal movements in 60s and 70s
  altered policies such that boys and girls now
  take similar classes
  
• Studies note boys girls different experiences
  in US schools

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History of Single-Sex Education

• People who support SS schooling have said that
• girls should be separated because boys dominate
  discussions and activities and their behaviors
  prove distracting to girls academically
  
• boys need to be taught separately in order to
  address their academic underachievement and the
  rise in boys behavioral concerns
  
• People who support CE schooling have said that it
  will
  
• more likely disrupt essentialist notions of
  maleness/femaleness (e.g., that all males or
  females are the same)
  
• lessen sexism and enhance equity between the
  sexes
  
• better reflect real world where males and
  females regularly interact
  
• introduce students to unique perspectives members
  of the opposite sex bring to academic material
  
• be less heteronormative than SS policies
• SS often implies that boys girls main
  interactions should neither be platonic nor
  academic and the only times they interact are for
  romantic purposes, such as for dating or school
  dances

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Concerns with Prior SS Studies

• Public SS schooling in U.S. is not supported by
  research
  
• NCLB only supports scientifically-based
  research
  
• Almost no studies have explored SS classes in
  U.S. public education
  
• Among completed U.S studies, results have varied
• Riordan (2002) Single-sex schooling didnt
  impact achievement of advantaged students, but
  increased achievement of disadvantaged students
  
• Hubbard Datnow (2005) Successes were due more
  to things like resources and relations between
  students/teachers, than to separating the sexes
  
• Methodological concerns
• Confounding variables (does design solely
  investigate impact of SS?)
  
• Random assignment into SS is difficult
• Inconsistency in measures explored (e.g.,
  achievement, attitude)
  
• Results from other countries private schools
• Results from other countries might not translate
  to U.S.
  
• Students at private schools are often from higher
  SES groups or specific religions and therefore
  the findings might not translate to public
  schools
• Single-sex schools vs. single-sex classes
• Results from SS schools might not translate to
  similar results for SS classes

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Legal Issues

• Prior to amended regulations to Title IX, SS
  classes were legal only in certain classes in
  public schools (sex ed physical ed)
  
• The amended regulations, which took effect
  November 24, 2006, permit schools to provide
  single-sex nonvocational classes and activities
  based on the schools important objective.
• Student enrollment in any SS class must be
  voluntary and schools must provide a
  substantially equal CE, or a single-sex class
  to students of the excluded sex, in the same
  subject

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Legal Issues

• Concerns raised with the proposed regulations
• Phrase substantially equal was too vague
• They didnt include review procedures or
  safeguards for ensuring or evaluating whether
  girls and boys received equal educations
  
• The policies might disadvantage girls such as by
  leading schools to place best teachers in boy
  classes because these teachers are viewed as most
  able to handle the management issues associated
  with boys
• In accordance with NCLB, amendments should be
  postponed until pilot projects and research
  explored the effectiveness of SS education (in
  accordance with Title IX requirements)
• Ultimately, the Department moved forward with the
  regulations and said the amendments were
  nondiscriminatory

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My Study - SS Science Classes

• Focused on middle school science classes. Why
  science?
  
• Sex differences have been reported in science
  education
  
• These concerns arise in various CTE STEM
  courses/careers
  
• These differences have economic and social
  importance since science is a gateway to many
  professional opportunities
  
• Reported sex differences in science education
• Boys outperform girls in science and take more
  science classes
  
• More boys complete undergrad. doctoral science
  programs
  
• The suggested reasons for these differences vary
  
  
• Behavioral and cognitive differences between boys
  and girls
  
• Teachers treat boys and girls differently in
  science class, in ways that might communicate
  negative messages to females
  
• Science is viewed as masculine
• Masculine nature of science can be unwelcoming
  to many females

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Participants

• School P. D. James Middle School grades 6-8
• Students 941, 48 female 88 White 23
  free/reduced lunch
  
• Faculty 38, 84 female, 90 White
• Team and classes studied
• School consisted of coed teams, except for one
  7th grade team
  
• Mrs. Frost (Language Arts and Mathematics)
• Ms. Small (Science and Social Studies)
• Pushed for SS team and initiated the program in
  00-01
  
• Neither the school nor district had pre-prepared,
  easily accessible (e.g., online), information
  about this program
  
• Students are randomly placed into this team
  (except for advanced math students or those with
  special needs)
  
• No letters are sent home to parents
• Mrs. Kinsey (long-term substitute for Ms. Small
  since day 1)
  
• No history with SS program still teaching there
  now

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Reasons for SS classes

• Sex reasons Too much sex talk in coed classes
• Mrs. Frost Ms. Small were stunned with the
  sexualized talk...about having sex with people
  and who was doing who
  
• Concern 1 These actions interfered with
  academics
  
• Concern 2 Students werent ready for sexual
  relationships
  
• They did not know if it was just talk, but Mrs.
  Frost said her daughter didnt have to deal with
  this at a SS private school
  
• Principal allowed SS classes as an educational
  experiment

• Brain reasons Boys and girls are different
• No training about SS teaching. Learned from
  readings/workshops
  
• If you give boys strong powerful high-fives it
  helps develop dendrites
  
• Boys have many testosterone spikes during the
  dayIf you're aware of that, let them get up and
  move so its used that way instead of with
  erections
• In terms of verbal capacity, boys are about 18
  months behind at this ageThis is their ability
  to communicate thoughts and ideas verbally.

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Reasons for SS classes

• No data was collected by school, but they
  preferred these classes
  
• Our focus was initially just to let them be
  12-year-old kids andnot feel that pressure to be
  too grown up too early and I think that we've
  accomplished that. We've had many parents come
  and say, Oh I'm so glad that my daughter was not
  in with some other kids that would push her into
  a situation she just wasn't ready for. --
  Mrs. Frost
• What other kids are no longer in class with
  peoples daughters?
  
• Theme 1 Girls (hetero)sexual innocence should
  be protected
  
• Students dont need to be too grown up too
  early
  
• Nobody with a 12-year-old daughter really needs
  to be worried that she's not going to learn how
  to date and be a normal woman
  
• Girls sexuality neednt be explored in 7th grade
  (done by removing boys)
  
• Normal woman involves heterosexual urges and
  relationships

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Reasons for SS classes

• Sex reasons were primarily aimed at protecting
  the girls, whereas the brain reasons seemed to
  focus on boys
  
• Mrs. Frost said she and Ms. Small learned,
  really interesting things that are just for the
  boys that may help them come along.
  
• Theme 2 Boys need help
• Changes needed to be made to help boys
• Current teaching already meshed well with girls
• Boys were seen through deficit lens. Teachers
  must counter boys
  
• poor verbal capacity
• inability to control testosterone spikes
• poor hearing

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Reasons for SS classes

• Students were initially unhappy to be in SS
  classes
  
• would be away from their friends of the
  opposite sex
  
• saw nothing wrong with their mixed classes
• thought the classes might make them or others
  gay
  
• Tyronne said, When it first started, I was like,
  I dont know about an all-boys class. People in
  this class might turn a littlefruityjust from
  being around boys all the time
• Students echoed Mrs. Frost for why the classes
  exist
  
• Susan There was things going on between girls
  and guys that shouldnt be happening at
  school...And they wanted to see what would happen
  if girls and guys were separate in classes
• Ted Boys were talking really sexual things and
  girls were too. So they decided to split it up
  one year.
  
• Did not note any academic, or gender equity,
  benefit

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Reasons for SS classes

• Students echoed Mrs. Frost for why the classes
  exist
  
• Jason Girls develop their cerebral cortex
  faster and get better
  
• Tammy Since the connector thing grows slower
  for boys, They mature at a slower pace than
  girls.
  
• Anna As a result of boys immaturity they dont
  understand the proper way to actYou want them
  to understand whats right and wrong, but you
  really cant.
• Boys girls said girls are months ahead in
  brain development
  
• Boys girls said boys are ahead in muscle
  development
  
• Students reasoned that girls could perform better
  than boys in all school subjects, except for gym
  cause boys are more strong.
  
• Steven said the sexes were, equal in different
  waysThey girls have a better brain-wavicle
  thingBoys have a better way of growing
  muscles
• Keith said, guys are all musclesgirls are like,
  have all brainsAll boys brains are in our
  biceps.

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Same curriculum? Same science?

• Teachers claimed students were taught the same
  benchmarks
  
• Separating them could enable students to be
  taught in ways that might better accommodate
  their distinct needs or interests
  
• For boys, have three footballs that we were
  trying to find the mass, the volume, and the
  weight ofAnd for girls, lets use makeup
  compacts.
• Could allow girls to feel comfortable and to
  be excited about learning about science in a
  girls wayto make it more interesting and to
  make them get good grades in it, to help them
  wanna learn more about it and to go into science
  fields -- Mrs.
  Kinsey
• Statements talked about the sexes as uniform
  groups, without within-sex variability and seemed
  to reinforce gender norms
  
• But Mrs. Kinsey suggested that the use of
  gender-specific items might enhance gender equity
  in science education and careers
  
• Were lessons messages that were communicated
  comparable?

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Same curriculum? Same science?

• Now Ill discuss similarities differences from
  analogous portions of the same activity in the
  2 classes
  
• Similarities
• Objectives both were introduced to the same
  transparency about the five characteristics of
  living things
  
• Lesson structure (students record ideas, compile
  list of these ideas, then correct answers were
  introduced)
  
• Rules (one speaker at a time, dont evaluate
  contributions)
  
• Became talkative and less focused at similar
  points in lesson
  
• Mrs. Kinsey tried to get both classes to quiet
  down and shift their focus

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Same curriculum? Same science?

• Differences
• Different discourses and approaches toward
  science
  
• Girls class listed items w/o discussing their
  contributions
  
• Boys challenged responses, thereby analyzing
  them
  
• More patient with girls behaviors and girls
  class
  
• Girls were told Ill wait four times
• Boys were told Ill wait once
• Girls were treated as individuals boys as a
  uniform group
  
• Girls were individually given (false) option of
  leaving the classroom
  
• Boys were all told to place heads down and,
  later, enter hall
  
• Discipline comprised different amounts of time in
  each class
  
• Girls class Option comprised 30 seconds of
  class
  
• Boys class Hallway excursions comprised 8
  minutes of class

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Same curriculum? Same science?

• Classes covered similar lessons and benchmarks
  
  
• But behaviors during these and other lessons
  differed
  
• Might impact students understanding of science
  themselves
  
• Boys class got greater experience with
  argumentation
  
• Greater likelihood to challenge, question, and
  defend claims
  
• Could grant them more opportunities and comfort
  with a skill that is valued within scientific
  communities
  
• Girls class got less experience with
  argumentation
  
• Could be detrimental to their science education
  futures

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Same curriculum? Same science?

• Boys were sent messages that they were worse
  students
  
• Might become less engaged in schooling
• Boys had to place heads down seven times, girls
  twice
  
• Boys were sent into the hall six times, girls
  never
  
• Brian said, The teachers dont really like guys
  that much
  
• Girls were sent messages that they were better
  students
  
• Might increase, or maintain, their engagement in
  school
  
• Heather recalled Mrs. Frost telling the class, I
  dont want the guys to come in here. You guys
  the class of girls are so good.
  
• Mrs. Kinsey surmised that no other teams taught
  single-sex classes because, Maybe they think 32
  boys in one classroom, What are they thinking!
  Kind of like I think sometimes.
• Mrs. Kinsey said both classes were off-task the
  same amount, They just do it in a different
  mannerIt just depends on your tolerance or what
  bothers you...The boys distract me more.

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Questions and Discussion