On Single-Sex Education

By Frances R. Spielhagen

It is no surprise that single-sex classes have emerged as a school reform that might foster student achievement. However, single-sex classes are not a “silver bullet” that will solve all problems associated with student achievement. Ideologically driven reform does not take into account the caveats that must accompany efforts to implement single sex classes.

Do single-sex classes work? The answer is a complex “Yes, no, and maybe.” While single-sex classes are not a panacea for the social ills that beset young adolescents and affect their academic performance, recent research that has examined the implementation of single-sex classes in several districts across the nation suggests that such arrangements work for some students, both boys and girls, in some academic areas. Single-sex class arrangements seem to be most effective when related to the developmental needs of the students. In fact, the younger the student, the more likely that being in a single-sex class will be a positive experience. Moreover, simply grouping students according to gender will not automatically enhance their achievement. Teachers must understand the ways in which they can address and actualize the various ways in which students learn. Such training takes place over time. There are no quick-fixes here. Finally, it is essential that equal curriculum opportunities be offered to all students, both boys and girls. The slippery slope to a curriculum that provides shop classes for boys and home economics classes for girls is dangerously real if one begins to believe that differences in style equals difference in capacity!

Should all students be taught in single-sex classes? Of course not! The very complexity of student personalities and populations precludes any “One size fits all” approach to education, especially in the middle grades. However, the more pertinent question is whether single-sex classes should be offered as a viable choice for students, parents, and teachers who strongly favor them and want to be involved in them. The answer to that question is a resounding “Yes.” Schools must involve parents in decision-making about single-sex classes. Moreover, students who opt for single-sex classes may benefit from the arrangement simply because they chose it. Their success may well be related to the chicken/egg symbiosis of choice and efficacy. Nevertheless, it is still success for those who choose the arrangement. As schools across the nation struggle to address declining achievement among all students, success is welcome wherever it can be found. Researchers who have examined the schools that have implemented single-sex classes can attest to the complexity of results that derive from separating students in any way.

Frances Spielhagen is currently an assistant professor of education at Mount Saint Mary College, in Newburgh, New York and is the author of Debating Single-Sex Education: Separate and Equal?