An article debunking the research behind the trend of sex-segregated schools was published in the journal Science this week. The article explains that there is no legitimate research backing the effectiveness of sex-segregated schools and that the trend “is deeply misguided, and often justified by weak, cherry-picked, or misconstrued scientific claims rather than by valid scientific evidence. However “there is evidence that sex segregation increases gender stereotyping and legitimizes institutional sexism.”
Questioning brain research, the lack of comparable studies and differences among school programs, the article says that what characteristics make a good public school lie not in sex-segregation but “the quality of the student body, demanding curricula, and many other features also known to promote achievement at coeducational schools.”
The Science journal report comes out just as the Madison Metro School District is closing in on a decision over an Urban League proposal to establish a sex-segregated charter school. The school proposal has faced criticism over its cost, lack of unionized staff and legal concerns over sex discrimination in the sex-segregated classes.
Ideally the district will find an alternative plan to make measurable steps to close the racial achievement gap by investing in public programs that are proven to work and don’t rely on sex-segregation of students, breaking teachers’ union contracts or diverting crucial funding away from local public schools. Today’s coverage of this issue can be found in the State Journal and the Cap Times.
