Boys will be boys, and girls will be girls. Such is the mantra of a growing group of educators and policy makers who argue that boys and girls are so different from one another that they should be taught in separate classrooms—single sex classrooms. A few public schools in Albuquerque have already implemented such a scheme. It may be that, on an individual basis, some students perform better in gender-segregated environments. However, before we move to institutionalize this radical approach to public education, we should consider the serious questions that have been raised about the constitutionality, legitimacy, and effectiveness of gender-segregated teaching methods.
By Micah McCoy