What do the movies Mona Lisa Smile and Dead Poets Society have in common — apart from hip, bohemian teachers and a student roster of conveniently one-dimensional stereotypes?
Well, apparently dividing classrooms by gender could actually make kids as brainy as Ethan Hawke and Julia Stiles.
At least that’s the case at University Prep, Peabody High School, and Westinghouse High in Pittsburgh, where a pilot program has begun in which the sixth and seventh graders are divided by gender for their math, science, English and lauage arts classes.
The Pittsburg Tribune Review reports that:
The pilot program is a preface to a proposed change to Westinghouse that could occur as early as the 2011-12 school year. Under that proposal, all students attending Westinghouse would be split into two single-gender academies, said Derrick Lopez, assistant superintendent for secondary schools.
“A lot of research talks about the fact that young men and young women learn differently,” Lopez said. “What we’re seeing is that the classes are more focused, students are more focused and the teachers are really embracing the idea.”
After women were allowed into the classrooms in the 1900s, gender-specific classes in public schools all but disappeared. While they’ve reemerged with some difficulty — the ACLU filed a suit against a Louisiana school — Pittsburgh officials are confident of the success and impact of their program.
University Prep principal Derrick Hardy said students’ scores increased at least 20 percent on a Pennsylvania System of School Assessment prep test from last year, in addition to a “substantial decrease” in out-of-school suspensions and students sent to the office. Peabody and Westinghouse have reported similar results, Lopez said.
McMahon said single-gender education offers many benefits, particularly for girls, but she cautions district officials to make sure they’re giving the same quality education to all students:
“A lot of research talks about the fact that young men and young women learn differently,” Lopez said. “What we’re seeing is that the classes are more focused, students are more focused and the teachers are really embracing the idea.”
Full Story: Administrators: Single-gender classes have boosted test scores – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review