Coed schools not good enough?

In the cover story in the latest Time titled “Who says a woman can’t be Einstein?” experts have argued that having separate schools for boys and girls is actually beneficial; at least in the initial years. Before you cry out in horror, let me explain their logic. It is common knowledge that girls mature faster than boys; emotional, mentally, and physically. An old wives’ tale argues advises you to marry a girl at least 3-4 years younger than you because of the argued differences in the maturity level (don’t ask me where I got that from). Women like to boast about this fact and men grudgingly acknowledge. Of course, the differences converge as they grow older but in the initial years, the difference is quite marked. So, why do we group both boys and girls of the same age in the same learning environment? They definitely will have a different learning curve and ability to grasp knowledge will be significantly different. Girls will learn stuff quicker and will feel stifled while the boys struggle to catch up.

Leonard Sax, physician and psychologist, whose book Why Gender Matters argues vehemently for different learning environments. After analyzing complaints from parents worrying that their sons had attention-deficient/ hypertension disorder, he concluded that young boys and girls would be better off in separate classrooms altogether. Coed schools teach boys and girls as if their brains mature at the same time. Girls develop their sensory perceptive powers faster than boys and boys are focused more on the reasoning abilities but treating them similarly just means that “by age 12, you will girls who don’t like science and boys who don’t like reading“. That partly explains the women-men differences in science. It is not entirely biology but in fact, effect of the environment that tend to widen the biological differences.

I am not sure, this makes sense. Is there a significant difference in outcomes between students from coed schools and single-sex schools? The research results are inconclusive. Personally speaking, I went to a coed school all my life and the boys were routinely trumped by girls for being at the top of the class. But as years progressed, the differences converged and ultimately in my science-oriented junior college, the top rankers were mostly boys. This however doesn’t prove that women aren’t smarter in sciences than men but in fact, just points to prejudiced expectations.

Any thoughts?

“Coed schools not good enough?” [Short URL: http://www.ipatrix.com/?p=1102] was published Wednesday, March 2nd, 2005 at 8:00 pm by Patrix, filed under Education, and tagged as attention-deficient, coed-schools, Education, learning environments. Both comments and linkbacks are closed.

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http://phil0s0pher.rediffblogs.com Anwesha
Very good post. I’m impresed … You know I also believe that co-ed schools should be avoided in the initial years of schooling. And I see many eye-brows raising at this thought of mine. However my logic is different. Look, we can’t deny that there is a difference in the girls and boys psyche which becomes vibrant during their teen years. These years are crucial as regards their adjustments with their bodies and mind in a new way. I think here it would be good if a male and female child could well adjust themselves, without they being embarressed due to the ‘other party’ abt their puberty, and they could realize that ‘their eccentricity’ actually is a very normal thing. I personally feel it was a great experience for me studying in a girls’ school, realizing my womanhood, my softer side, my positivities and weakness before I came in touch with the ‘other interesting half’ of the world. I don’t know if this makes sense to anyone, but it always did to me.
Passerby
I too studied in an all-girls school, and i think it worked in my favour. Co-ed school would probably have distracted me too much. ;-)
As far as learning curves are concerned,I think no matter how different or not they are, a co-ed school is better for both girls and boys. For one thing, starting from college and well into their careers, people have to work in teams that have both boys and girls. A co-ed school, for all the extra stress/insecurities it causes,prepares a child to deal with the future better.
Ram
But how much further down do we go. Do we go down to the level of racial segregation if it proves to be that some races mature faster than others. Do we go down to separate teaching on the basis of eyesight, haircolour, the whole idea seems ridiculous
m
tough call……i went to a convent school and if it wasnt for my husband who perverted me i would be a gone case…….on the other hand my son goes to a co-ed school and his social skills are superb. education wise children learn at their own pace- and find their own niche within a class room. i think class size rather than gender is a determining factor in the younger stages.
http://ash.typepad.com Ash
Nice post, Patrix. Hmmm, I think gender separation in the early years of schooling probably would help. But implementation would depend on how much research supports the argument. I know we personally intuitively think its true, but what do the facts say ?
( Anyway, Im just glad that when it comes to the issue of gender, people are finally acknowledging that we cant treat men and women as equal, because we arent equal. Not in terms of skills and abilities. Yes, we should certainly offer equal opportunities, but the recognition that women are better at some things and men are better at other things, can allow us to develop our specific skill sets for mutual progress. Anyway, I went off in a tangent…. )
Being in a co-ed school does help in developing better social and interpersonal skills. So how a about a co-ed school with a common campus and break timings and social events etc, but separate classes upto a certain age, and then joint classes ?
http://gratisgab.blogspot.com GratisGab
Good read Patrix.
I have a lot to say, will be back later. (Damn job gets in the way)
http://gratisgab.blogspot.com GratisGab
No doubt there have been numerous studies that show that single-sex education is more beneficial (more so for girls)…Also apparently (studies show) that there is another variable “Breadth of educational opportunity” to be considered. Girls in all-girls schools are more likely to study subjects such as advanced math and computer science and boys in all-boys schools are more than twice as likely to study subjects such as foreign languages and music. And when you think about it, in this country especially in co-ed schools, it’s not “cool” for kids to be excited about school. The game of who likes who, who’s going out with who is what’s important and that’s seldom the case at single-sex schools.
In the end of the day though, all the results of such studies focus on grades and test scores as the parameters of interest, which are not necessarily great indicators of who will do well in life! Maybe letting kids catch on early that there are differences between men/women skills/ways is good, just like there are the rich/poor/smart/not-so-smart…and they still will all have to compete and co-exist in this world..
http://jdv.blogspot.com :-)
Interesting reason. Its true that men and women (boys and girls) learn and reason differently. I feel that should be a strong reason why they should grow up (learn)together.
They should understand that they are different and adjust/prepare themselves accordingly.
I dont think it can happen in an year or two. Living together right from the beginning is essential. (My opinion).
Being distracted and stuff is purely personal. Being distracted is good. Observing your friends boobs grow over years is good. It all helps in the future life.
Education just doesnt mean reading and passing exams.
http://chetan.ckunte.com/ Chetan
I think Coed should not matter unless you’re looking at education more in terms of competition and less by way of learning. Parents are worried about their kid’s rank in class, not about what he or she learns.
Sabra
What a lovely mental excercise this post is! I don’t think the difference in performance of children in co-ed or separated schools has anything to do with gender at all. I think it has to do with the social inclination of the person. A child who is socially well-adjusted will pefer a co-ed school because he or she has successful interactions with the opposite sex and therefore feels comfortable in a mixed environment. A child who is not socially well-adjusted will perform better in a all-girls or all-boys school because he or she is isolated from a situation in which they are uncomfortable and unsuccessful at: dealing with the opposite sex.
There are always stories about the naughty Catholic school girl who is constantly sneaking out of the convent to meet with boys. There are equally as many stories about the nerdy girl in a co-ed school who wants nothing more than to become a part of the wallpaper. Performance really does come down to distraction, but what distracts one child is different that what distracts another.
http://twilightfairy.rediffblogs.com Twilight Fairy
Maturity and classroom learning are two different things altogether so no point in educating both genders separately.. and one *needs* to have different minded ppl around oneself to grow.. likeminded ppl will always do the same things.. never even knowing that other norms exist..
I have studied in ‘n’ number of schools throughout India.. and before engg, had even joined a girls college for 1 month in DU.. have studied in convents too.. n believe me .. (well this is personally my opinion).. I have always felt that had I interacted with boys at an early age i.e. in school, I would not have felt so awkward with them later.. and would have “turned out” much earlier than what I did in life..
will
This information is very useful and helpful. Thank you for letting me use it for my school project
Maria
Coed schools can be viewed in a number of ways. It depends on how you look at your child’s learning abilities and patterns if coed is right for them.
Coed schools are very benificial in terms of males and females having different learning minds. Girls mature and learn faster and easier than boys. If surrounded in the same environment of the same gender, it will be more comfortable. Also, phycological studies show that since of different learning abilities of the sexes, if taught together from and early age it will be very influencing in regards to school concentration.
However, coed schools might make kids develop gender prejudices.
As I said, all depends on the learning ability.
(Great post by the way! Really helps me with my debate this week! ;)

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Coed schools not good enough?

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