Single Sex Schools

Student`s Name Name of Lecturer Name of Institution Date of Submission Single sex schools Introduction Single sex schools are also known as single-gender schools. This system comprises of a single gender whereby males and females attend separate schools. This practice was predominant before the mid 20th century especially in secondary schools and other institutions of higher learning. Different countries have different strategies on how they deal with the issue of single gender education. Some countries prefer having single gender schools in both the private and public schools while others prefer having mixed gender schools in their system. Either way, both have unique pros and cons that need to be comprehensively considered before embarking on a given system of education. In the Middle East for instance, it is mandatory for schools to be single-sex schools whereby each school accepts boys or girls exclusively. In places whereby the sharia is the law, students attend sex-segregated public schools. In the United Arabs Emirates in particular, private schools are mostly coeducational while the public schools are segregated (Iqbal, 1975). In the United States, the approach is somehow different from the approach given to the system by the Arab countries. The Supreme Court of America ruled on the constitutionality of single sex public education in 1996. In her ruling, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated categorically that single sex schools can only be constitutional if comparable courses, services and facilities are availed to both sexes indiscriminately (Salomone, 2005). Despite the assiduous efforts put forth by various governments advocating for the single sex schools, this concept has resulted into discrimination and in some cases have led to the neglect of the opposite sex. There are very many disadvantages of this type of educational system. This research paper is going to consider both the pros and the cons of the single-schools system and then draw a conclusion on which type of educational system is best for any given country or to the current generation and to more generations to come (Spielhagen, 2007). Before embarking on the pros and the cons of the single-sex educational system, we need to consider the influences of nature and the types of nurturing that the students are likely to get from those institutions. This will play a very important role towards determining which system is good for both genders. Research has shown that boys who are taught in single-sex schools are more likely to be divorced or separated from their partners than those who attend mixed schools by their early 40s. According to the research conducted by Dr Diana Leonard have fuelled claims from teachers' leaders and education psychologists that boys brought up in a single-sex environment are less able to relate to the opposite sex than those taught in a co-educational school. However, Mary Bousted on the other hand claimed that single sex schools are good for girls and bad for boys both in terms of the academic performance and in terms of socialization. In her research, she also states that, "Girls seem to learn what the nature of the beast is if they have been to single sex schools whereas boys taught on their own seem to find girls more puzzling."She further adds that, "Boys learn better when they are with girls and they actually learn to get on better." This study also found out that men who are taught in boys' schools are more likely to suffer from "a sense of malaise" or depression by their early 40s, this is usually developed as a result of relationship breakdown. It was also realized that men were also more likely to have spoken of a "dislike" for their school days if taught in a male-dominated environment (Spielhagen, 2007). There are very few educators who receive training that is gender specific. Most of the teacher training institutions offer education to their students that do not discriminate against any of the genders. However, when the teachers embark on the teaching process in single-gender institutions, they tend to modify their teaching tactics so as to fit a particular gender. This has proved to be ineffective. It is therefore necessary for the students to be mixed so that when the teachers are imparting knowledge, they do so indiscriminately hoping that both genders benefit at the same time. The gender differences in learning aren't the same across the board; they vary along a scale of what is considered normal. For a sensitive boy or an aggressive girl, the teaching style promoted by advocates of single-sex education could be ineffective (at best) or injurious (at worst). When the students are mixed, they will be able to share knowledge about their weaknesses and in the process learn more from each other as opposed to schools with one gender whereby the weaknesses and the strengths are similar. Students in different learning institutions have an ultimate goal of getting some form of employment when they complete their studies. When the students are through with their studies, they tend to be posted to various institutions that are not gender biased. Some of the students may be meeting people of the opposite gender at such institutions for the first time if they have been studying in single gender schools. Most of students in this category will have very difficult moments trying to cope with members of the opposite sex as they were not used to that sort of life. This can greatly affect their productivity as they cannot co-exist successfully with members of the opposite sex. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Single-sex education is illegal and discriminatory. This group filed a suit in the federal court in May 2008, arguing that Breckinridge County Middle School's (Kentucky) practice of offering single-sex classrooms in their public school is illegal and discriminatory. The school doesn't require any child to attend a single-sex class, yet the suit argues that the practice violates several state and federal laws, including Title IX and the equal Educational Opportunities Act. The American Council on Education on the other hand reported that there is less academic disparity between male and female students overall and a far greater achievement gap between students in different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups, with poor and minority students children faring poorly. Bridging that academic chasm, they argue, deserves more attention than does the gender divide. All students should be given equal opportunities and be allowed to interact freely with members of the opposite sexes so that they can be able to show their prowess in different areas of professionalism indiscriminately. Boys and girls may be considered opposites however, in the classroom setting, separating the two sexes may not be one of the best ways to tackle the problem on how they can learn and grow. Students who attend single sex schools are no better educated than those students who attend mixed sex schools. Students are also more likely to accept gender stereotypes when they attend all-girls` or all-boys` schools. According to Lynn Liben who is a professor of psychology and education at Penn State University, argues that there is no evidence that single sex schools are superior to mixed gender schools. However, there is evidence that there is some negative impacts of the single gender schools in the overall academic performance of the students and the social life of the students who attend such schools. There are some supporters of single sex schools who claim that boys and girls are wired differently and therefore require different teaching styles to maximize their education. However, they fail to address the question on whether there are teachers` training institutions that offer gender specific training to the teacher-students. Neuroscientists have on the other hand not found any evidence that show significant differences in girls` and boys` different learning styles. Research has also shown that students exposed to gender specific environments depicted some forms of s...