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October 24, 2006
Same-sex education heats up ... or not?Today the Education Department announced the release of final Title IX single-sex regulations that give local communities more flexibility in offering additional choices to parents in the education of their children. The ED press release states, "Recognizing that some students learn better in a single sex class or school, the regulations give educators more flexibility, under Title IX, to offer single-sex classes, extracurricular activities and schools at the elementary and secondary education levels."
Additionally,
Title IX regulations have always permitted school districts to provide public single-sex elementary and secondary schools under certain circumstances. The new regulations expand upon this exception and make it easier to offer single-sex classes, activities or schools while ensuring that students of both sexes are treated in a manner that will satisfy the nondiscrimination requirements of Title IX. The new regulations do not require single-sex education, but make it easier for educators to offer, and parents and students to choose, single-sex educational opportunities while upholding nondiscrimination requirements. Enrollment in a single-sex class must be completely voluntary and a substantially equal coeducational class in the same subject must be provided.
Weighing in on the opposite side of the issue in an Associated Press report, "The National Organization for Women says it creates the risk of breeding second-class citizens. The American Association of University Women has said it would 'throw out the most basic legal standards prohibiting sex discrimination in education.'"
On the other hand, Thomas Newkirk, a professor of English at the University of New Hampshire, and author of Misreading Masculinity: Boys, Literacy, and Popular Culture, said in a recent Education Week online chat that he has "spoken to a number of educators who find that single sex schools have liberating effects for both boys and girls. They find boys are less likely to perform for girls and that girls are less self-conscious and more willing to talk in class." He goes on to say, "The research that I have seen is not conclusive, but I still think there is promise here."
Want to learn more? American School Board Journal tackles gender and learning challenges in this month's issue here. And read previous BoardBuzz posts here and here.
So what do you think? Is this much ado about nothing? Or does same-sex education deserve a more prominent place in today's schools? Leave BoardBuzz a comment.
Posted October 24, 2006 4:48 PM | Students
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