Proposed Federal Regulations Pave The Way For Segregated Single-Sex Classrooms
 

Interesting new trend underway to segregate boys and girls in school classrooms. Opinions?



Proposed Federal Regulations Pave The Way For Single-Sex Classrooms

More public-school students may find themselves in all-boy or all-girl classes in the coming years, as federal officials work to ease the restrictions on same-sex education.

The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that it is changing its rules regarding gender-specific education -- action that would amend Title IX, the landmark 1975 anti-discrimination law that prohibited gender-segregated education.
Federal regulations require students of both genders to have the same opportunities in public schools. If a school offers an all-boy math class, for example, girls would need their own class, too.

But the department's rule change would allow schools to offer single-sex classes in scholastic subjects without having to offer separate but identical settings for both boys and girls. It also would make it easier for school districts to open entire gender-segregated schools.

Odyssey Middle School in Boynton Beach, one of two Florida public schools experimenting with single-sex education this school year, has about 270 of its 1,200 students in boys-only or girls-only social studies, math, science and English courses. Teachers already report improved behavior and better attitudes among participating students.

School administrators believe separated students are performing better academically, although the true test will come when scores are released in coming months for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which is being taken this week.

Two teachers at South Plantation High School in Broward County, who volunteered to lead 11 single-sex classes there last year, came away believers.

Donna Capparelli found her students, once freed from having to deal with the opposite sex, asked more questions and shared deeper feelings in class discussions. "It was wonderful ... Girls would open up and share what went on behind closed doors at home, " Capparelli said.

By the end of the 2002-03 school year, South Plantation's FCAT reading scores had jumped 14 points -- a 300 percent increase from the year before.

The recent move toward single-sex education, applauded by the Bush administration and female senators, came out of the 2002 No Child Left Behind education-reform act. It contended that public schools should have the same freedom as private schools to separate the sexes -- so long as the resources were equal.

The proposed changes would allow single-sex classes in most subjects, with participation being voluntary. Within a co-ed school, co-ed courses must be offered alongside gender-specific classes. Students in a neighborhood served by a single-sex school would have to have easy access to a co-ed campus.

The changes would not go into effect immediately, but would be open for public comment for 45 days. Education officials expect the final draft to be ready within several months. A copy of the proposal can be seen at: www.ed.gov/ news/ pressreleases/ 2004/03/ 03032004- single-nprm.doc.

More than 80 public schools across the country are experimenting with same-sex classrooms, which is triple the number from two years ago, said Leonard Sax, director of the National Association for Single Sex Public Education, based in Maryland.

He said educators are responding to a growing gap between the performance of boys and girls in classrooms. Girls do better than boys in language tests, Advanced Placement participation and honors courses, according to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

There is little research proving if single-sex education helps or hinders students, but feelings are strong on both sides.

Proponents say attendance, discipline and test scores improve in same-sex classes, especially for boys and minorities. But the American Civil Liberties Union opposes the divide, warning it could lead to one gender or the other receiving an inferior education -- exactly what Title IX was created to prevent.

There's no doubt in my mind that I would have dropped out if there weren't girls in my classes in high school.

I'm all for uniforms but not this crap.

It IS a fact that boys and girls learn things differently .... and it might not be an entirely bad idea to have SOME classes segregated, but all of them? Sounds like a little much... socialization is just as important.

I dont think it'll be popular

wont work

Yes, let's create a nation of social misfits starting at an early age. :1orglaugh Just think, they'll never have sex before they're 18 :glugglug

No wonder Bushco loves the idea.

Morons.

the only thing they need to be segregating is the little tards who do nothing but disrupt the classes from the beginning of the day to the end.

Sorry but I don't buy into this mainstreaming bullshit...sure all children deserve an education but if it's at a detriment to the entire class as a whole then send that kid to a padded room, give him a special helmet and a sony walkman.

I've had cousins and my nieces who have gone entire years with kids who do nothing but disrupt the flow every single day.

Hitting the kids, hitting the teachers, walking around grabbing others properties and destroying it all while the others are trying to learn.

American Schools are bad enough without you having to worry about Corky slamming your head into your desk while you learn how to add.

We're gonna pc legilsate this country into it's demise.

There are actually a long history of studies that show that single gender learning enviroments tend to do a better job of teaching the kids and don't adversly affect their socialisation.:2 cents:

Yeah maybe we should all have sex through a hole in the sheet too.

fuckin prude scumbags in our gov :321GFY

KEEP ALL KIDS SEPARATE.

ESPECIALLY THE BLUE AND GREEN ONES, THEY DONT MIX WELL

i dont think its a good idea at all

next will be the discussion on how women need to cover up more (burkahs, hint hint)


however, I have 1st hand experience on having gone to public coed schools and private same-sex only schools...

the only public school equivalent of serious learning for me happened in the Honors/AE classes (quality of teachers, classroom control issue & pace)...and there were some hotties in there, but it wasn't that bad going to an all boys private high school for a short while either...

and we got our fair share of n00kie on, don't worry about them not finding a way to get some ass... LOL

all it does is try to take the 'distraction' out , but sometimes it causes a reverse effect....


it's a coin toss, either works...if you wanna learn, you will find a way no matter what your environment....period

I went to a signle sex school growing up, just made me more active on weekends :Graucho

Talk about Regressing:(

Must be all the oral sex going on in the bathrooms

Maybe they need to do things like supply all the kids with text books first, and quit cutting back on electives like art & music. Oh yeah, and pay enough qualified teachers to actually teach.

My sister used to work for the San Bernardino County school district but they made so many cutbacks she bailed as her position was next.

The education system is so bad there and so short-handed they had her correcting papers for high school students when she was only 19/20 herself. A complete joke.

The lesson learned from racial segregation in the fifties/sixties was "separate but equal is NEVER equal."

it is all part of the master plan to help save our souls from that evil thing more commonly known as LIFE...


where is 12clicks at to tell us this was some made up liberal hype?

Segregation in the classroom should be based on levels and ability. The rest of it is just another way to make excuses for the ridiculously poor performance of students in US public schools, and the fact that the system allows them to fail.

Well said. I concur.

It's already sad how much America polarizes the sexes;
just leads to guys perceiving girls more as something foreign,
instead of real people / friends.
Segregation in schools will only make this phenomenon worse.
Rape is more likely when males can't relate to their victims.

A perfect example of allowing students to fail is joeshmo
He's been told he not stupid just different for so long he actually believes it.:1orglaugh

I bet it sucks to envy someone smarter than you ,with such an obssesive wanting eh 12clicks ole buddy?

do you and mary go to the same school for rejected , obssesed stalkers?