Same gender schools.

[CCTAU 3,346]

Does the school board have the right to implement this? I don't have a problem with it in this case. The scores are so bad that they must do something. This may just work. I promise those parents who are worried about their children interacting with the opposite sex that it will come naturally when the time comes.

Ga. county going to all single-sex public schools

Associated Press

Published on: 02/14/08

Students in all of Greene County's regular public schools will be separated by gender starting next fall, a move educators hope will improve rock-bottom test scores and reduce teen pregnancy and discipline rates in the small, rural system.

The school board approved the measure last week, drawing vocal protests from some students, parents and community members. It exempts only a charter school, which is public but operates independently from the rest of the system and has a limited attendance zone.

School officials say they need drastic change to save the low-performing district from slipping further behind the rest of the state.

"This school district is in bad shape," said Superintendent Shawn McCollough. "We've made very positive incremental steps in the last two years. Our kids need help faster than what we're doing, and that's why we're moving to a faster, more innovative program."

Districts nationwide have been scrambling to implement single-sex education, since federal officials finalized rules to ease the process in 2006. But officials in Greene County, east of metro Atlanta along I-20, say they believe they are the first in the country to convert the entire district to a single-gender model.

Leonard Sax, head of the National Association for Single Sex Public Education, said he knows of no other public school district that has switched entirely to single-gender classrooms.

He called the move illegal.

Federal law allows single-sex classrooms or schools but parents must also have the option of a publicly funded coeducational experience for their children, Sax said.

"This is the worst kind of publicity for our movement," he said. "It misses the whole point. Our movement is about choice, about giving parents a choice. One size does not fit all. Even a small school district needs to provide choice."

He called the news of the school board's vote "very embarrassing."

U.S. Department of Education officials did not return several request for comment. Georgia Department of Education spokesman Dana Tofig said the district does not need state approval to convert to single gender.

But McCollough says he's been advised by the district's attorneys that the conversion is allowable under federal law.

"This is entirely legal and we're moving forward with it," he said.

Under the model approved by the school board, boys and girls in Greene County will be split into different classrooms in the district's two elementary schools and will attend separate middle and high schools, McCollough said.

The county's one charter school – Lake Oconee Academy – will remain coed. It is public, but has autonomy and is governed by a committee of parents and community leaders.

The charter school, unlike the rest of the county's public schools, has an enrollment zone focused on the predominantly affluent, white lakefront community south of I-20. The rest of Greene is mostly black and middle class or low income.

The charter school opened last fall amid protests by black citizens who said the enrollment zones created de facto segregation. Attending the charter school would not be an option for the majority of families in Greene County, who live north of the interstate.

McCollough hopes the single-gender model will raise test scores and improve graduation rates in a district where more than three-quarters of the 2,000 students are eligible for free or reduced lunches.

Just 67 percent of Greene County ninth graders go on to receive a diploma, compared to 72 percent statewide. Last year, students scored an average of 1,168 on the SAT college entrance exam, far behind the state average of 1,458 and the national average of 1,495.

Less than a third of the system's 69 graduates got the B average required for a state HOPE scholarship last year. Statewide, 38 percent of graduates qualify for a HOPE award.

Research shows that when boys and girls are separated, each group performs better in school and is more likely to go to college, said Julie Ancis, a professor in the College of Education at Georgia State University.

But she said single-gender schools tend to be private institutions with updated technology and ample resources. Dividing students by gender in a low-income school system might not have the same impact, she said.

"There's more to this than just being with peers of your own sex," Ancis said. "We need for schools and teachers to create better climates that create more opportunity for everybody."

Greene County parents appear to be split over the move.

Dwain Evans said he's thrilled that his three children will have a chance to attend single-gender schools.

"If we continue to do status quo, we can't expect any better outcome," he said.

But Eula Davis is angry she wasn't consulted before the vote. She was even angrier when her sixth-grade daughter, Miranda, was suspended for two days last week for passing out a flier encouraging students to protest the conversion by wearing white T-shirts and jeans on a specific day of the week.

"I would like to have more input. I would like to know more about it," Davis said.

Karen Lewis – who has a daughter in the senior class, a son in 10th grade and a 3-year-old – said she wants her children to learn how to interact with the opposite sex before completing high school. She wants options for her children, she said.

"This is the only public school system in Greene County," she said. "It was almost like, 'You do what we say. This is how it's going to be."LINK

[bigsixfive 328]

If you want to guarantee an inequality in received education, its a good idea.

[TitanTiger 20,511]

I think single-sex classrooms would probably work just as well, but it can't hurt to try this. But to get the real benefit out of it, they need to implement some of the teaching techniques that they've found work better with girls vs boys and not just rely on single-sex as being some panacea.

[bigsixfive 328]

I'm guessing they'll see a shift of the better teachers to the all girls school.... and I can't say I blame them.

[pensacola tiger 0]

As a concept I don't have a problem with this. And I believe that local school boards should have control over their schools. Who knows, this could work. Having said that, what's the difference in this plan and racial segregation? There have been in the past arguments made that black students need to be taught differently than white students. Counter to that is the argument that students need to attend intergrated classes in order to learn to interact in the real world. And the additional argument, that "separate but equal" isn't accurate. Who's right on this ? Who knows ? Who will win ? The federal government, because they will be involved before the same sex schools ever come about.

[Bama Possum 0]

I have a bit of experience in this area.

I taught in an all male military academy for nine years. I now teach in a co-ed public school, but I teach one single sex class. The 7th grade class is divided by gender.

1. Single gender classrooms ARE considerably less disruptive and require fewer classroom management techniques to control. Once you remove the female element from a classroom, the guys do a lot less posturing and are more attentive.

2. Girls are NOT necessarily more teachable than teenage boys. They tend to spend more time socializing, primping, and writing notes rather than participating in class. Boys tend to try and impress the girls when they are there with disruptive behavior.

3. Unlike racial segregation, gender segregation is not done out of hate or distrust, it is done to make the school environment more conducive to learning. Most parents that I have spoken with prefer gender separation in the classroom environment, especially the parents of girls.

There are no silver bullets. No manipulation of the learning environment is ever going to guarantee 100% success. The modern school is reflective of the current social environment rather than the chief architect of that environment. The bottom line for success in the classroom is the same bottom line that has always existed. You must have competent, skilled, and caring teachers who are supported by a strong administrative presence. Those teachers and administrators must then be supported by caring and genuinely interested parents and guardians who insure that the students come to school prepared to work and learn. Finally, the student must be willing to learn and work to achieve. Unfortunately, getting all those elements in place is rare.