Girls-Only Schools

Author : Gabriel Rise
What's true is that the concept of girls-only schools had undergone a revolution in recent
years. Not only are they nondiscriminatory and competitive in
offering programs, but also understand girls' unique learning styles.
The sixties were the time when a shift towards coeds occurred. It was
the time when feminism and other forces compelled many all-girl
establishments to close or merge with boys-only schools. The
educational system in the United States seemed intent on "homogenizing
education". This discouraged diversity by stamping out
schools that are off the beaten track. Girls-only schools were all but
eliminated, baring a few exceptions. Coeds were perceived to be the
progressive and informed choice. But recent decades has seen a
reversal of that trend.Academic performance in all-girls schoolsIt is widely understood that in coed schools, girls are called on less
often and speak up less frequently than boys. By the time they reach
high school, their interest in science and math is especially
weakened. Though girls "high-school grades are higher than boys",
they perform poorer in high-stakes tests that are taken for college
admissions.When, in the seventies and eighties, feminist educationists began to
draw attention to the question of girls' underachievement in areas
such as physics and math, it was noticed that their exam results were
much better in single-sex schools. Of the various setups, Girls'
schools are generally found to perform best, mixed schools next, and
boys' schools least effectively."This has resulted in increased popularity of girls-only schools.
After the segregation policy was widely implemented parents, staff and
even pupils attested to its merits. Of course, the only people who
dissented were 13 and 14-year-old boys "disgruntled at being separated
from the girls". There is also the theory that coed
classes are difficult to teach than single-sex ones. This is so
because teenagers are more involved in trying to impress each other
than concentrate on what is being taught. This assessment is generally
true. Even the pupils agree that they "work better without the
distraction of the opposite sex".Girls display more self-confidence and participate more in typically
male dominated subjects like mathematics and pure sciences in
single-sex schools. However, single-sex schools prove more
advantageous to girls than boys. Girls are discriminated against in
coeds. This happens less in girls-only schools. Girls also benefit from lack of harassment and intimidation by boys. Most importantly, teachers found it more comfortable to handle
single-sex classes as opposed to mixed-classes.There is strong evidence for the following facts. Girls, by their
nature are more disciplined and less disruptive and thus are better
learners. Girls generally do better in regular exams, which reflect on
their average grades. This performance is diminished in a coed setup,
where boys tend to do better. High and middle-ability students do
well irrespective of the system. There is a notable correlation
between grades and social background of girls. Also, schools vary in
the overall effectiveness of education that they provide.Personal and Social DevelopmentGirls are also subject to sexual harassment and the beating their
self-confidence takes as a result can haunt for the rest of their
lives.Single-sex schools offer girls the chance to develop a sense of
themselves as leaders, risk-takers and strong individuals; a respite
from the bombardment of demeaning or overly sexualized cultural
messages; and state-of-the-art learning facilities, especially in the
crucial areas of science and technology, where girls continue to lag.
They built an arsenal of teaching strategies that capitalize on girls'
learning preferences and encourage intellectual daring. As the decade
went on, the effectiveness of these techniques was reinforced when
independent research confirmed distinct differences in boys' and
girls' learning styles.There is strong evidence supporting both long and short term
advantages with regard to achievement, self-esteem and leadership
qualities". It is also asserted that the three C's of
competence, confidence and connectedness flourish in such a setup.To be a successful adult in today's world requires that girls and
boys master a complex, ever-growing set of skills.
So, it makes a lot of sense to give them the psychological and
physical space they need in order to do so.It is claimed that single sex schools encourage gender stereotyping,
but such claims never come from women who actually attended the
schools. To the contrary, these schools dispel gender stereotypes by
giving pupils a chance to do everything and be everything, from being
the editor of the paper to taking administrative positions within the
academy. Another reason supporting single-sex schooling is that it
takes away the anxiety of how pupils look, which aids in
concentration.Another valid reason to support girls' schools is the protection it
offers young women from the hyper-sexualization of our society, which
is propagated mainly through television. These schools also keep teen
pregnancy in check. An interesting fact is girls have less
confidence and more negative views of their appearance than boys,
irrespective of the kind of school they attend.The quality of teacher-student interaction has a significant impact
on personal and social development, including stress. Stress levels
were found to be high. Reported positive input by teachers (e.g.
frequency of giving praise) has significant effects. Coeducation has
little impact on student stress levels. Girls report much higher
levels of stress than boys within both single-sex and coeducational
schools. And the absence of boys means girls hold every leadership
post, from editor of the newspaper to school president.Psychological and Emotional FactorsGirls prefer collaboration over competition when solving problems.
Taking this into account modern girls-only schools keep the classes
small, which allows for plenty of speaking time. This also fulfils
their need for staying emotionally connected. For example, girls pair
up to study math. In the science classroom they form groups around
tables for hands-on experiments, which research has shown, play a
large part in helping girls to learn science.The world moves quite fast nowadays and children are under pressure to
grow up too soon. In this situation single-sex schools allow girls to
be themselves a little while longer. What girls' schools offer best is
the passage of time when a teenage girl can focus entirely on herselfher dreams and aspirations, her emerging sense of who she is.Some are skeptical about single-sex education, claiming that its
accomplishments can also be attained in coed schools, provided other
conditions are the same. Those conditions are good teachers, small
classes, plentiful funding and highly motivated students, parents and
staff.Though the conditions may be the same in coed schools, it is also
believed that the mere presence of boys has a repressive effect. Girls also find it easier to speak up in class when boys are not around. There are some less important advantages as
well. For instance, girls take less time to dress up for a girls'
school as opposed to an hour for a coed school.This suggests that feeling integrated in the school community does
function as a buffer against the stress-inducing processes of a coeducational
environment.
A segregated schooling environment, then, might be socially more
desirable and beneficial for girls because of the fact that by virtue
of a presumably higher level of cohesiveness, it provides better opportunities for
meeting their need for group acceptance.
Girls-only schools also are more selective in their admission of
students, which creates a socio-economic as well as academic
differential when compared to coeds. Single-sex schools also offer a
specialized curriculum and employ innovative methods of imparting
knowledge.The negative effects of segregated schooling are relatively small and
are mainly confined to a few specific aspects of school experience.
Factors such as socio-economic background and individual ability as
well as quality of the school continue to matter most, even if they
are not as visible as the gender composition of a school. Single-sex
setups display a contemporary nature and provide girls with more
benefits.Gabriel Rise has been experiencing in custom research papers and dissertation writingfor several years. Now she is consulting writers and customers on term paper writing.
Keyword : girls-only schools, education, benefits