Boarding Schools for Girls

In an effort to increase educational opportunities for all students, a coeducational public primary school in New Zealand's Central Otago district is implementing single-sex classrooms for the first time, according to a Jan. 30 article by Rosie Manins of the Otago Daily Times:

Central Otago Principals Association chairman Doug White said it was the first time a school in the district (where all schools are co-educational) had separated gender classes.

Mr White said such separations had been successfully implemented at other schools throughout New Zealand &

Teachers and school staff had been toying with the idea for the past two years, and decided to implement it after analysing the performance of pupils heading into year 7 and 8 this year.

"It appeared to us that the boys and girls worked and learned differently, and this was a way in which we could address those different needs," Mr Bell said.

Labels: public-schools

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Sixty-five high school students from three Rochester, N.Y.-area schools are participating in innovative single-sex science classes that are taught by graduate students from the University of Rochester.

According to a Nov. 30 article by Democrat and Chronicle staff writer Nestor Ramos, the program  which began in 2003 as an after-school opportunity for middle-schoolers  is provides the girls with hands-on learning opportunities, high-level instruction and a supportive environment:

The girls meet for 90 minutes every Thursday to work on hands-on projects, answering science questions of their own devising. This years theme is "Shrinking Our Footprints: Exploring the Science Behind Walking in Balance." The students will present the results at a public forum Dec. 5. &

Keeping Science STARS all female makes sense because boys in science classes tend to dominate the equipment, and teachers involuntarily focus their attention on the boys, asking challenging questions and directing more instructional energy their way, [UR assistant professor April Luehmann] said.

Its easier to focus in an all-girl class, ninth-grader Cornelia Joseph said. "It's a girl thing."

Labels: single-sex education, public-schools, science

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An effort to introduce single-sex classrooms into public elementary schools in South Carolina is proving to be popular with students, parents and school administrators. A Nov. 13 article by Jerrita Patterson of MidlandsConnect.com provided the following information about this educational initiative:

Statewide more than 5,000 students take part [in single-sex classes]. And a new survey indicates more parents would like their kids in the program.

"Educationally we put boys and girls together, but what do we do in the sports world and the athletic world?" said Killian Elementary Principal Eric Brown. "We don't necessary put kids on the same football field, we don't put boys and girls on the same baseball field."

Brown is using a new game plan, and more than 150 other South Carolina schools are doing the same. Single-gender classes get the passing grade from students and teachers. &

"We believe in educating the whole child, we focus on character building," said Taylor. "And one of the things that increased with the single gender classrooms was confidence and that's so important."

Labels: single-sex education, public-schools

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A new public school within the Los Angeles Unified School District has the unique designation of being the only LAUSD school to provide single-sex classrooms for all academic subjects.

According to an Oct. 5 article by Los Angeles Times staff writer Connie Llanos, the only time the 750 students who attend Young Oak Kim Academy Middle School will be in a mixed-gender environment will be during lunch:

"This is yet another element of reform," school board President Monica Garcia said. "We have to try as many strategies as possible to see what helps our students excel and grow ... We cannot continue to do one-size-fits-all."

A three-year study conducted by Stetson University in Florida found that ... students in all-girl classes earned a 75 percent score, compared with 59 percent proficiency among girls in coed classes.

At YOKA, educators have taken the program a step further, creating separate lesson plans for boys and girls.

Because research shows that adolescent girls thrive in groups and learn well in lectures, teachers at YOKA assign the girls a lot of collaborative projects. There's also an emphasis on math, science and technology [for girls] because girls traditionally do not pursue these fields as aggressively as boys do.

Labels: single-sex education, public-schools

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According to a Sept. 6 article by Kristen Sell of channel WOWK-13, some students at Van Devender Middle School in Parkersburg, W. Va., will be taught in gender-specific classrooms beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year:

Starting in 2010, sixth grade students will be involved with gender based education in core classes.
Boys will be taught one way, while girls will be taught another because of the way we learn. The staff has gone through intensive training and the changes will be phased in slowly in order to ensure the success of the program.

"There are more than 500 public schools across [the country] that currently used gender based education as a way to teach students," Sell reported.

Labels: single-sex education, public-schools

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A May 22 editorial in the Dallas Morning News indicates that the paper's leaders are impressed with the results that have been achieved by students of the state's first all-girls public school:

Five years after the Dallas [Independent School District] embarked on a controversial experiment in single-sex education, the all-girl Irma Lerma Rangel Leadership School is about to graduate its first senior class. Judge for yourself whether the experiment has paid off:

• Last year's Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills score averages for this class ranged from a low of 94.1 percent, in science, to 100 percent, in writing.
• One hundred percent of the senior class, 21 girls, will receive diplomas.
• All 21 graduates are college-bound.
• The total value of scholarships they've received will exceed $1 million.

Such results have failed to halt a national debate over the merits of educating boys and girls in separate schools, but they nonetheless suggest this South Dallas magnet school has a success formula worth emulating.

As single-gender education makes small inroads within the nation's public schools, a number of private boarding schools for girls -- such as the Bromley Brook Boarding School for Girls in Manchester Center, Vermont -- continue to set the standard for offering a wide range of academic support, intensive therapeutic services, and an unmatched level of comprehensive care for adolescent and teen girls.

Labels: single-sex education, public-schools, girls

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The Iowa state public school system plans to crack down on junk food sold in schools. New rules for 2009 eliminate sodas, French fries, fried foods, and low-nutrient, high-calorie snacks in cafeterias. As for vending machine offerings, beverages must have a nutritional value and snacks cannot have more than 200 calories.

Many school food service directors worry about a drop in sales if students decide to leave campuses to go to restaurants for lunch.

Fruits and vegetables just do not sell well, according to Ann Feilmann, food supervisor for Marshalltown schools. "If it's an open campus," she said, "we're going to become a less interesting place to shop for lunch and they'll leave."

Labels: public-schools, nutrition, junk-food

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According to the Houston Business Journal, an all-girls school will be coming to the Texas city as early as next school year:

The board of the Houston Independent School District late Nov. 11 approved the creation of an all-girls school in the district.

The plan is for the school, which has yet to be named, to be open in time for the fall 2011 semester with sixth and ninth grade students, according to Sarah Greer Osborne, a HISD spokeswoman. Other grade levels will be added in subsequent years.

Every student in the district is eligible to attend, and there will be an application process.

 Single-sex schools and classrooms have proved to be successful for both public and private students (boys and girls) in many locations throughout the United States and in other nations.

Labels: public-schools

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