"One of the fastest growing trends in educational landscape of 21st-century America is single-sex education." Not only is America falling behind as a whole but the disparity between boys' and girls' achievement is growing greater.
In the 1990s, focus was drawn towards girls who were struggling against their male counterparts in school. Math and science tended to not be their strong suits while it was more seen as a "guy thing". So coming into the 2000s, the emphasis began to be more towards reading, writing, and creativity. The boys are now the ones behind. The pendulum has swung the other way. Parents are looking for alternative options to conventional classrooms. Out of this need, same-sex education has gained popularity.
While I don't believe that same-sex education (separating boys and girls into different classrooms sometimes different school altogether) is a one size fits all fix to our gender disparity gaps, I do think that it will help with many of the problems were seeing in both the character of students and their grades.
One thing that research indicates is the moral values and behavior of students over the past years have grown increasingly worse. Cheating is at an all time high and started rising 50 years ago. Students have trouble paying attention and many students are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. Researchers have noted a continuing degeneration in behavior of students. I think that single-sex education could not fix, but improve every one of these problems.
It is undeniable that boys and girls are a distraction to each other. They act differently around children of the opposite sex and their learning potential can be affected by that. Boys may not be as enthusiastic to answer question for fear of getting them wrong in front of girls who tend to be more vocal and quick. Since boys tend to mature slower than girls, for years there can be a lot of embarrassment in a plethora of subjects. Girls may not participate as much in sports or "outdoor" activities because they feel they cannot compete. Single-sex education would allow teachers to focus on the specific levels of each group and allow them to express themselves in a like-minded group setting. I think having co-ed recess and lunchtimes would be a great idea but separating the sexes for class time would allow them to focus on their own learning experience instead of comparing themselves to those of the opposite gender.
As children grow older and go through puberty, a whole new world of awkwardness, flirtation and competitiveness ensues. Boys suffer from ADD and ADHD more than girls and this can be exacerbated if they feel left behind in school or if they are further distracted by girls. Girls sometimes try to perform worse in the schooling so as not to be seen as a "brain" by the boys. Same-sex education can allow the teacher to focus on the specific learning abilities and needs of both sexes. In an interview on single-sex schools, some of the boys said all boy classes were more challenging and they could "be themselves". One girl said she isn't picked on by the boys for being smarter than they were. I think that same-sex education isn't for everyone nor do I think it should be done all through high school. But it does offer a lot of different options when the conventions ones fail.
