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- The consequences of single-sex education are vastly debated
and vary quite a bit, but the pros and cons of this issue can be broken down into a few key points.
- Benefits of Single-Sex:
- A
non-gender biased environment, academic advantages, and a comfortable learning environment are three of the most distinct
benefits.
- Right around the age of puberty, the abilities of boys and girls change
in the classroom, and by the time students graduate high school the gap between boys’ and girls’ abilities is
even greater.
- The comfort benefits of
single-sex education are endless. Students can focus on school rather than their hormones. (Sadker & Zittleman, 2001,
p.151) Neither sex is afraid to make mistakes or stand out in the classroom because they are not trying to impress the opposite
sex. Adolescent girls generally have lower self-esteem than adolescent boys, and a single-sex environment helps to not pit
girls against girls. On the contrary, single-sex education encourages bonding and support. The academic and personal advantages
of single-sex education are clear, but there are also a few cons to this type of environment.
- Arguments against
Single-Sex:
-
The main concern pending single-sex education is that students do not
learn how to function in a coed environment. Once they attend a coed college, they will be less likely to adapt to the coed
classroom. Some argue that learning should teach about the real world, and in the real world males and females need to learn
to coexist.
-
Single-sex high school students
may miss out on the traditional high school experience. Sports are different, homecomings, and everyday life is very different
for those in a single-sex high school. While different does not necessarily mean better or worse, students may feel that they
missed out on the traditional high school experience.
-
Perhaps teaching males and females
differently simply reinforces the stereotypes that already exist. It is then also unfair to claim that any single group can
be defined by such limitations. It is very difficult to claim that all females should be learning one way when males should
learn another; it is similar to classifying groups based on color.
-
Lastly, most single-sex high schools are private schools. This generally means that those
whom attend these schools are of high income, which means a lack of diversity. Although scholarship programs exist, for
the most part, there is a lack of economic diversity within these schools.
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