Blog Post #7 Single-Sex Education is Assailed in Report

There is a debate on whether single-sex education is effective or not. Many believe single-sex education is ineffective, and may increase gender stereotyping. The strongest argument for being against single-sex education is that it does not allow boys and girls to work together and reinforces stereotypes. Stereotypes such as boys will be more aggressive and girls are more sex-typed. Single-sex schools are on the rise after some began to believe that boys and girls should be taught differently. There are over 500 single-sex schools in 40 states, there were only two in the mid 90’s. Advocates for single sex education believe that boys and girls do not learn differently and to back up their statement they compare it to how people used to believe that races learn differently.

This is a social issue because the number of single-sex schools continue to rise and there is still questions to whether this is best for children and the effects it has on children not only academically but socially as well. I don’t think there should be a big concern about if single-sex schools are harming children’s education. There isn’t any scientific evidence that backs up this statement. The concern should be how it effects boys and girls socially. It does not prepare them for many of the colleges they will applying to and therefore will make it difficult for them socially once they go off to college. Creating more single-sex schools will eventually lead to children not having a choice in whether they want to attend a single-sex school or not.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/education/23single.html