One of the most common topics discussed in society today is education. Many things are debated, including charter schools, the teaching of cursive writing, how much homework to be assigned, and how long school days are. Another topic debated is same-sex classrooms and schools. Some people believe that same-sex schools and classrooms are good because they encourage boys and girls to go out of their comfort zone in their education. Matt Kwong, the author of “The Gender Factor” from Toronto Star also believes that these schools “take away that edge of trying to impress girls” for boys.
Other people believe that same-sex schools should not allowed because they promote stereotypes and “deprive kids of equal opportunities”(Bonner and Hollingsworth). The Toronto Star and Pittsburgh Post- Gazette both provide strong arguments on the pros and cons of same-sex classrooms. One of the biggest reasons for same-sex schools is that boys tend to think and learn differently than girls. Nick Szymanis from Kwong’s article claims, “ If I go to a coed classroom in grades 2 or 3, girls’ hands are going to shoot up first, they have that foundational literacy. The boys push back early, feel they can do it and lose interest.”
Same-sex schools and classrooms are also said to improve girls’ skills in science (since the boys usually do the experiments while the girls write down the data), and boys’ skills in math and reading. They quicken boys’ maturing level, and take away the need to impress girls. Unlike coed schools, same-sex schools have different learning environments, “from the blue chalkboards in the boy classrooms, to the red paper hearts that decorated the wall of one of the girl’s classrooms”(Bonner and Hollingsworth). With the suited environments, the children tend to learn and think better.
According to Kwong, “Students in all-girls schools had a ‘higher academic self-concept’ than girls in coed schools when it came to self-reporting proficiency in maths and sciences. ” Therefore, if these schools and classrooms improve boys’ and girls’ skills mentally and physically, why should there be coed schools? In 2006, the U. S. Education Department “relaxed restrictions” on education, single-sex schools and classes multiplied. A few months later, though, critics were already decrying the movement as “promoting harmful gender stereotypes and depriving kids of equal education opportunities”(Kwong).
Adding to that, the “ACLU claims many schools offer the classes in a way that conflicts with the U. S. Constitution and Title IX, a federal law banning sex discrimination in education. ” Mr. Bonney claimed that same-sex education can harm both boys and girls from forming sex stereotypes, most of them being false (Bonner and Hollingsworth). Unlike same-sex schools, coed schools are a “better snapshot of what the real world is like,” and teach kids how to “interact with each other, work together, collaborate, problem-solve, and how to be respectful to members of the opposite sex”(Kwong).
Due to this socialization, the bonds between boys and girls tend to be stronger, and they all get the same, equal education. There are both very good and bad points to same-sex schools and coed schools. Both types have had a very long history. When it comes down to deciding where to send children, the parents are the ones who make the decision. Almost all same-sex schools also have coed schools in the area. Both same-sex and coed schools have many advantages and some disadvantages. It is up to the individual families to decide.
