Single Sex Schools Vs Coed Schools Essay

Causes of Attending Single-Sex Schools vs. Coed Schools

Traditionally, schools have been coeducational, but in today’s world, single-sex schooling has become much more prominent. Whether the whole school consists of just one gender or classes are broken up by sex, mainly private schools are the ones that have implemented single-sex learning; but recently, many public schools have adopted the single-gender learning environment. In fact, there are now over 445 public schools that offer single-sex schooling (Novotney). Parents often debate which type of schooling exceeds the other, and they wonder what caused the other parents to pick the other type and what effects this decision will have on a child. The cause of picking either a single-sex

Both systems of schooling have negative effects and positive effects. For individuals schooled in a coeducational school, they are used to what the work environments will be like in the real world. With strong friendships made with the opposite sex, students learn to view issues from both sides of an issue, and they can have role models of a different gender. Everything will not be catered to one’s advantages like it supposedly is in single-sex schools, and coed students become familiar with realistic workplaces. Single-sex students will be used to a favorable environment where they are able to focus easily, so critics of single-sex schools question how the students will fare in a world so different to what they are used to and whether or not the students will be able to collaborate with the opposite sex when necessary, or will they be intimidated, awkward, or nervous. Because of more distractions at coed schools, specifically the opposite sex and more of a desire to impress or get the attention of these distractions, coed schools have a tremendous disciplinary problems, especially for males. In fact, actually about eighty percent of all disciplinary action is against males (National Association for Single-Sex Public Education [NASSPE]). Less disciplinary problems arise at single-sex schools because of the lack of diversions. In one study in Seattle, Washington, an elementary school transformed from being coeducational to having single-sex classrooms. It was reported that before changing the school from coed to single-sex classrooms, nearly thirty people a day were disciplined. After the switch, however, this number sharply dropped to only one or two students per day (NASSPE). With more of an individualized program, single-sex schools more directly focus on pertinent academics, so students at single-sex schools generally receive better grades and