Helping you make sense of schooling todayFeb. 2000 • Vol. 3 • Issue 1M y husband and I recently put our oldest son in an all-boys school. It was a hard decision. After all, both of us went to “normal” mixed-gender public schools and we turned out okay. If we sent him, we wondered, would he turn into a character from Lord of theFlies? Would he becomeimpervious to women, self- absorbed, and disconnected from the real world? Our reasons were many, but the decision came down to two major factors: 1) our boy wasn’t being respected as a boy and 2) the curriculum at the new school appeared more mindful of the fact that boys and girls do differ. Thus in one of his first weeks at his new school, a science lesson was accompa- nied by a visit outside the class- room. Rather than one recess period a day and gym only twice a week, our fifth grader got daily physical education and two recesses per day. But the biggest impact became apparent within a few months. Ever the social, talka- tive, and rather not-engaged- in-academics kid, our boy was suddenly engaged, challenged, and thus, not nearly as talka- tive in class. The rich curriculum, complete with hands-on battles for history, earth-digging for science and competitions in math, coupled with a larger pool of boys that doesn’t get chastised at every turn, let us know that for this boy, this was the right decision. Oh, it’s not perfect, and it’s not for everyone. And because of my close ties to our other school community, I was still troubled with my decision. Then I visited the Women’s Leadership Academy in Harlem, New York, an all–girls public school started by entrepreneurs Ann and Andrew Tisch. Leaders at WLA talked about how much these teen-age girls in this difficult urban setting were finding great indepen- dence, creativity and confidence without boys as an impedi- ment. I asked the director her thoughts about single-sex education. She responded that clearly, it’s not for everyone. She told me about one parent who, after pulling her daughter following only a few weeks, commented that she liked the school but it wasn’t for her daughter. “We’ve lost a few girls,” says principal Judith Scott, “And that’s okay.” It is okay to decide that the school you’ve enrolled your child in is not bringing out her best. It is okay to suggest that perhaps not every school is working its best to understand the differences we share. Often the difference is as fundamental as a learning style, or it could be because of innate differences between boys and girls. Whatever the driving force, the programs and curriculum abun- dant in public schools and many parochial schools are overwhelmingly feminine. They approach education in cooperative groups, putting boys and girls facing each other at tables, expecting that boys will cooperate. Some books — now even in math and science — are laced with extensive word problems so that children with auditory or visual processing issues (more prevalent in boys) become a mess trying to figure out exactly what the problem is asking them to do. And more often than not, the basic human nature of boys is questioned as they fiddle, stare out the window, use their hands to push and wrestle. Those environments send a signal that it’s not okay to be yourself, and try to fit square pegs into round holes. Women’s school leaders say that the heterosexual environ- ment impedes a girl’s confidence and causes her to suppress what may be hiding inside. For these and other reasons, increasing numbers of educators are heralding the return of single sex schools. One of the first single sex charter schools in the country was approved by the New York Board of Regents in December 2000. The Brighter Choice Charter School will offer single sex classes to both boys and girls in Albany, New York. Meanwhile, our next two boys are “candidates” for single sex education. We struggle daily trying to deter- mine if both or either of their personalities are well-suited for this school, or at least better-suited than their present environment. It’s a struggle all parents should have, however, and one that whatever our decision, will have been worth it in the end.The Growing Support for Single Sex SchoolsFROM THE PUBLISHER
