The Bush administration recently enacted a bill called "The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001." This bill seeks to re-interpret the nations educational laws and encourage the creation of single-sex classrooms in public schools. What will this legislation mean for children? Are single-sex classrooms beneficial or detrimental? U.S. Secretary Rod Paige announced on May 8, 2002, "his intention to provide more flexibility for single-sex classes- (Murphey, 2002). Since Mr. Paige believes it is important to receive input from those affected by this new legislation, it is imperative to understand what it means and how it is likely to affect children.
There are several proponents of single-sex classrooms and their arguments are impressive. In a recent report published by the Republican Policy Committee, those favoring the amendment declared that offering every parent, regardless of income, a choice between single-sex and coeducational schools should be allowed. In an effort to provide a quality educational experience, some schools have elected offering same-sex classes only to be denied federal funding. This can be a frustrating experience for those parents who do not have the money to send their children to private schools that may offer single-sex classrooms. Several studies have found that both boys and girls perform better in single-sex classrooms than those taught in traditional classrooms. Up until now, only wealthy parents have been able to decide which is better for their child (Elementary classes, 1994).
John Fairhurst, a teacher at Shenfield High School in Brentwood, Essex thinks boys and girls different learning styles make single-sex classrooms work. Instead of trying to teach their different learning styles in the same class, single-sex classes have allowed the school "to develop a range of 'girl-friendly' and 'boy-friendly' strategies that staff deploy in single gender groups" (Dickinson & Fairhurst, 2002).
