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PROFNET WIRE: EDUCATION & SCIENCE: Same-Sex Schools

Posted on: Wednesday, 1 November 2006, 09:00 CST

ROUNDUPS Same-Sex Schools (9 experts) ROUNDUP: SAME-SEX SCHOOLS

The Education Department recently announced rules that will make it easier to create single-sex classes or schools, stirring a new debate about equality in the classroom. Do students learn better in single-sex education environments? Do the new rules weaken civil rights? Following are experts in education who can discuss same-sex schooling:

**1. DR. JEAN KELLER, dean of the College of Education at the UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS: "There are findings that show schools serving girls allow them to hold roles and have experiences that are often afforded to males in co-ed schools. Likewise, similar findings have been found for males in schools serving boys. Education officials initially proposed the rules more than two years ago, citing research suggesting both higher student achievement and fewer discipline problems in single-sex classes, including math and foreign languages. Setting high standards and assessing if those standards are met are needed to see if single-sex classes are effective. A key to quality education for all students is to set high academic standards and performance measures, provide quality academic experiences and teachers, and evaluate and assess teaching and learning outcomes. Possibly offering various educational experiences to students and parents is a sound practice. Establishing guidelines and benchmarks to assure quality in schools and student performance, regardless of the type of educational environment, is essential." News Contact: Rafael McDonnell, RMcDonnell@unt.edu Phone: +1-940-565-4835 (10/31/06)

**2. DR. JANICE KOCH, professor of curriculum and teaching, and director of the IDEAS Institute at HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY in Hempstead, N.Y.: "It is clear from the research that achievement levels are not advanced by same-sex schooling (AAUW Report, 1999). That being said, there are reasons to expect that for girls and young women, high-quality same-sex environments contribute to their pursuing non-traditional careers. The struggle is to identify the practices in these environments that can be mainstreamed to the coeducational environment. Note the Young Women's Leadership School in Manhattan." Koch has lots of media experience, and gender in education is one of her areas of interest. News Contact: Ginny Ehrlich-Greenberg, prpgse@hofstra.edu Phone: +1- 516-463-6819 (10/31/06)

**3. DR. SANDRA SPENCER, director of the Women's Studies Program at the UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS: "Title IX (the federal regulations prohibiting education discrimination based on gender) already allows for same-sex education when there are legitimate reasons for it. 'Separate but equal' schooling fell by the legal wayside in 1954. Same-sex education could easily slip back into that category. As I understand it, the program offers limited goals and proposes no regulations. Can we afford lack of accountability in something as important as education for children? Title IX has attempted to level the playing field for the sexes in education. Disregarding this important legislation seems ill conceived and shortsighted. I am very skeptical that this same-sex education proposal will address any of the real problems in education today." News Contact: Rafael McDonnell, RMcDonnell@unt.edu Phone: +1-940-565-4835 (10/31/06)

**4. BILL CHRIST, head of HATHAWAY BROWN SCHOOL, a leader in girls' education from early childhood through high school in Shaker Heights, Ohio: "Opportunities for girls and young women have never been greater than they are today. Single-sex schools for girls are pioneering the transformative model of 21st century education, the kind of education that will enable girls to be the visionaries, the difference makers and the leaders who change the world. At Hathaway Brown, this model has been proven in practice and further underscores the fact that girls will thrive within a single-sex educational environment." News Contact: Carol Saferin, msa@stratos.net Phone: +1-440-461-6753 Cell: +1- 440-669-6325 Web site: http://www.hb.edu/ (10/31/06)

**5. NEIL CHYTEN, president of CHYTEN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, a premium tutoring and test preparation company that has helped over 10,000 students with proprietary strategies, which have earned it a reputation for excellence: "I have seen evidence that single-sex classes in schools, like The Windsor School, St. Sebastian's, Boston Latin, Belmont Hill and Zavarian Brothers, all take the social pressure off of kids and make for a successful academic environment. In addition, this arrangement does not stunt the social growth of kids because the schools go out of their way to assure social interaction through events and initiatives. Many of the kids at these schools have boyfriends or girlfriends at other same-sex schools." Chyten's background in education includes more than 20 years of developing innovative, insightful strategies for learning how to learn. He has personally taught over 3,000 students on a wide variety of subjects, and has even written books on the subject including "RANDD Reading and Development Program." News Contact: Barbara Rudolph, bjr@rudolphandcompany.com Phone: +1-781-229-1811 Web site: http://www.chyten.com/ (10/31/06)

**6. CATHY AREU, Latina pundit and owner of CATALINA, a 5-year-old, multi- million-dollar media company targeting Hispanic women: "There are no studies that prove that same-sex schooling is effective. There are recent studies, however, that prove that school's inherent lessons on social skills are certainly more important in life than general academics. That being said, society is not segregated by gender, so why should our schools be? What is same-sex schooling teaching tomorrow's leaders, that women and men can't learn and work together? I think Susan B. Anthony is turning over in her grave right now." Areu, who has a Master of Science degree in education, is a former public high-school English teacher and adjunct college professor, having taught for Palm Beach County schools in Florida, and the University of Utrecht, Holland. Areu is the author of "Latino Wisdom," and the only daily news headline "video blogger" for the Oxygen Network. She is also a professional speaker who can be seen speaking at colleges and universities around the country. Areu also sits on the board of Adelante! U.S. Education Leadership Fund. News Contact: David Jones, david@latinaleaders.org Phone: +1- 703-862-7991 Web site: http://www.shesource.org/speaker_bio.php?source_id=328 (10/31/06)

**7. LAURA BROWNE, program manager at WOMEN UNLIMITED, INC., teaches all- female workshops for Fortune 1000 companies such as Adobe, American Express, IBM, Sony and Microsoft: "Leading companies want to retain and develop high- potential women. There is a difference in a workshop with all women and a workshop with men and women. The participants say that the all-female workshops have a more comfortable and supportive atmosphere. They feel listened to and included in discussions. For some participants, this structure gives them the confidence they need to try new approaches and take risks. I strongly feel that there are benefits to single-sex classes." Browne is the author of "Why Can't You Communicate Like Me? How Smart Women Get Results At Work," which gives practical recommendations for working women so they can get better results and build stronger relationships with everyone at work. (10/31/06)

**8. NANCY OLIVER GRAY, president of HOLLINS UNIVERSITY in Roanoke, Va., is a leading advocate of the advantages of single-sex education, particularly in the realm of higher education: "I am a passionate convert to women's education, having seen firsthand the remarkable transformation that happens to young women between their first year and graduation." News Contact: Jeff Hodges, jhodges@hollins.edu Phone: +1-540-362-6503 (10/31/06)

**9. DR. CAROLE SHMURAK is Professor of Teacher Education Emerita at the CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY. Shmurak's book, "Voices of Hope" (Peter Lang, 1998), describes the results of a longitudinal study of 50 girls at four Connecticut private schools. Half of the girls were enrolled at all girls' schools while the other half were at co-ed schools. Shmurak followed them through four years of high school and the first year of college, looking at attitudes, achievements, college acceptances, etc. After the book came out, she also followed up with these young women in their senior year of college (2000); that follow-up report was given as a paper at the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Shmurak also published a study of over 13,000 alumnae of co-ed and single-sex private schools, looking at the occurrence of non-traditional careers in both populations (High School Journal, 1994). She was also one of the 12 "experts" on single-sex education invited by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) to a two-day conference on single-sex education, which is described in the AAUW publication Separated by Sex (1998). News Contact: Peter Kilduff, kilduff@ccsu.edu Phone: +1-860-832- 1791 (10/31/06)

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