Single Sex Education in America

Single Sex Education in America

For decades, Americans have been warned that we continue to fall behind industrialized nations in producing well-educated citizens. CBS News reported that according to a United Nations study published in 2002, “South Korea has the most effective education system in the world's richest countries, with Japan in second place and the United States and Germany near the bottom.” This continuing trend has led educators to re-evaluate the structure of American classrooms. One school of thought asserts both males and females learn more when separated in primary and secondary learning environments. This leads us to ask, “What evidence validates supporting single-sex education?”

First, studies reveal girls and boys brains develop and function at different rates. In March 2008, “The New York Times” reported the results “of the largest pediatric neuro-imaging study to date” conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health. The study found “that total cerebral volume peaks at 10.5 years in girls, four years earlier than in boys. Cortical and sub-cortical gray-matter trajectories peak one to two years earlier in girls as well.” Sensory levels differ as well. Boys’ vision is better at detecting action, whereas girls distinguish the subtle nuances of color and texture more than their male counterparts. An independent Japanese study compared the drawings of girls and boys and found girls typically drew pictures of warm things, such as people, pets or flowers in 10 or more vibrant colors. Boys utilized a smaller palette of 6 or fewer muted colors to paint action scenes. When very young, boys’ and girls’ motor development increases at different rates. Furthermore, brain scans show boys solve maze puzzles using the hippocampus, while girls use the cerebral cortex.

Second, from an early age, boys and girls interact differently within their worlds. According to education.com, “Three-day-old girls maintain eye contact with a silent adult for twice as long as boys.” They will...

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