 FLORIDA
SCHOOL SUCCEEDS WITH GURIAN INSTITUTE TRAINING AND NEW MODELValue of single-sex classes still debated
The Daytona Beach News-Journal (Daytona, FL) February 15, 2005 By Linda Trimble (staff writer) The future of single-gender classes in public schools is matter of hot debate at the national level. Supporters say it can help children learn better and expand their educational horizons. Opponents fear it will erode 30 years' progress in providing equal educational opportunities for girls and reinforce gender stereotypes. Fueling the debate are proposed federal regulations released last March that would ease restrictions on separate boys' and girls' classes that have been in place since the passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The new regulations were an outgrowth of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act, which lists single-gender schools and classes as one of the "innovative" programs eligible for federal funding. "While the research in this area is incomplete, it does indicate that single-sex educational programs produce positive results for some students in some settings," former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige said in releasing the proposed regulations. The rules still haven't been finalized as federal education officials continue to analyze more than 5,800 comments they drew from interested individuals and organizations. The American Association of University Women, the National PTA, the National Organization for Women and the American Civil Liberties Union oppose the change. They argue research on the benefits of single-gender classes is inconclusive and that there are more reliable ways to improve education through smaller classes, additional funding and better-trained teachers. "Even with the best of intentions, it can be difficult to maintain true equality between two separate single-sex environments," according to a National PTA position statement. But just the prospect of loosening the Title IX restrictions on single-gender classes encouraged many schools, including Woodward Avenue Elementary in DeLand, to try them out. Dr. Leonard Sax, executive director of the National Association for Single Sex Public Education, predicts an "explosion" in the number of public schools offering singlegender classes once the final federal rules are released. Sax and Michael Gurian, an educator and family therapist who founded a Colorado training institute that two Woodward representatives attended, said appropriate teacher training is the key to making single-gender classes work. "Boys and girls learn differently, and once you know they learn differently, you'll know what to do" whether it's in a co-ed or single-gender class, Gurian said. Single-gender classes are "not something that will take over education because coeducation is something that works for millions of kids," he said. "Single-gender classrooms are an innovation that ought to be available to any school district that wants them." He and Sax maintain single-gender classes, done right, will break down gender stereotypes rather than reinforce them. Sax cited the example of a Canadian private school that switched from co-ed to singlegender classes and activities. Students' choices of instruments in band classes suddenly expanded, with girls picking up trumpets for the first time and boys trying flutes they wouldn't dare touch in a co-ed setting. Pending final approval from county school officials, Woodward plans to offer singlegender classes as a choice for parents in kindergarten, first, fourth and fifth grades next school year.
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