Briiiiing! The bell finally rings signaling the beginning of lunch. It is a typical day at Everett Middle School, a warm breeze blowing through the black asphalt yard as kids stream out of the three silver gates, eager to get away from the teachers and the schoolwork and have some free time with friends. I cover my head with my hands as seagulls fly overhead, and make my way towards "the bench" under the tree that we always sit on during lunch. I set down my backpack, slide onto the rusty orange colored bench and pull out my lunch. Along the bench I see all the people I’ve eaten lunch with for the past few years. This experience is special because if I went to a single-sex school I would not have made as many friends, both guys and girls. Coeducation allows for students to make friends with the opposite gender which is very important. The debate between whether single-sex schooling or coeducational schooling is better, both for the teachers and the students, has been a controversy in the media and among many researchers. Several experiments and research projects have been done on this topic, each researcher trying to prove or disprove the claim that single-sex schools are "better." I am trying to convince education leaders, students and teachers that coeducational schooling is more beneficial for the students than single-sex schooling so that the leaders will act upon this issue and change the single-sex school system into coed schools that will largely benefit everyone (students teachers, parents, etc). I think this because coed schools will prepare students for the "real world" by building social skills. Coed schools can help fight stereotypes and provide students with a more diverse perspective on world issues.
One of the most significant reasons why coed schools are more beneficial than single-sex schools is that coed schools build social skills that are essential to navigating the "real world." For example, the likelihood that a female student will end up working at an all women’s organization and not have to interact with any people of the opposite gender is slim. Having schools where students can interact with both sexes will improve their social skills, therefore better preparing them for their life after schools is over. In an article published in Science magazine, Rebecca S. Bigler and several other members of the American Council for Coed Schooling describe the reasons why coeducation is better than single-sex schooling. The article, "The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling" states, "Even in coeducational schools, boys and girls spend considerable time with same-sex peers, which exaggerates sex-typed behaviors and attitudes. Boys who spend more time with other boys become increasingly aggressive, and certain boys experience greater risk for behavior problems because they spend more time with boys. Similarly, girls who spend more time with other girls become more sex-typed. Institutionalizing gender-segregated classrooms limits children’s opportunities to develop a broader range of behaviors and attitudes. Positive and cooperative interaction with members of other groups is an effective method for improving intergroup relationship" (Bigler et. all. 2-3). This account confirms that coed schools allow for more interaction between genders encouraging students to develop essential social skills. This also explains how single-sex schools limit students’ opportunities and ability to be creative and be an original person. This is important because it shows how coed schools are better than single-sex schools because they create an environment where students can experience "real world" situations. These "real world" experiences benefit the students by giving them training and practice on how to work with people who are different from them. This is just one of the many ways that coeducational schools benefit students. Another article, published by the National Education Association (NEA) was written about whether students learn better in single-sex classrooms or not. In the article, "Do students learn better in single-sex classrooms?," André Boyd - a middle school teacher in South Carolina shares his opinion in this topic. Boyd writes, "In the classroom, learning experiences need to resemble real-world life experiences. How can we prepare students for future families, homes, and workplaces without exposing them to members of the opposite sex? How can we expect them to learn to respect and appreciate gender differences as adults if we do not teach them to form healthy relationships and have positive interactions and appropriate dialogues now?" (Boyd 1). André Boyd’s skillfully asked questions get right to the core of what coeducation is about and how this can truly affect students in these schools. This perspective clearly illustrates how coeducation is a way to help prepare students for being a part of the very diverse workforce and confirms the fact that coeducation is more beneficial for students than single-sex schooling. Boyd’s opinion also demonstrates how preparing students for the future is a benefit that coeducation provides. By preparing students with "real world" experiences, coeducation disciplines future adults to be efficient, hard-working and personable people.
Another reason why coeducation is superior over single-sex schooling is that coed schools can help students to fight sexism and stereotypes. An article in CNN’s opinion section, written by Michael Kimmel, explores the stereotypical environment that single-sex schools create. The article, "Don’t segregate boys and girls in classrooms" describes, "Single-sex classes reinforce harmful stereotypes about boys and girls. A 2011 article in the journal Science concluded that ‘sex-segregated education is deeply misguided, and often justified by weak, cherry-picked, or misconstrued scientific claims rather than by valid scientific evidence. There is no well-designed research showing that single-sex education improves students' academic performance, but there is evidence that sex segregation increases gender stereotyping and legitimizes institutional sexism’" (Kimmel 2). This opinion piece further confirms that single-sex education creates an unhelpful environment where students are stereotyped because of their gender. This system, by stereotyping, stunts students’ overall academic growth, therefore not benefitting the students’ education. Stereotypes have never helped anyone and this situation is no different. Coed schools can help students to fight stereotypes and be original, not trying to fit into the media’s cookie cutter student that girls and boys are "supposed to" be. This benefits students by helping them to learn how to be original and fight for what matters. In the same article Kimmel writes, "First, research in developmental psychology has clearly shown that teachers’ labeling and segregating of social groups increases children’s stereotyping and prejudice. Imagine the consequences of creating separate math classes for ‘black students’ and ‘white students.’ Even if enrollment were purely optional, the mere existence of such classes would lead to increased racial stereotyping and prejudice. As is true for race, classroom assignment based on gender teaches children that males and females have different types of intellects, and reinforces sexism in schools and the culture at large" (Kimmel 2). This evidence clearly illustrates the point that separating students by gender is another example of segregation, by gender rather than by race. Regardless of the categories in which the students are being split into, this type of discriminatory segregation is problematic. Kimmel clearly explains how single-sex schools reinforce sexism and how coed schools can help by teaching that the perspective of both genders is critical to understanding our modern world. Learning this early on is a benefit to educating the student and those around them.
The final reason for why coeducation is more beneficial than single-sex schooling is that coeducation provides students with an environment where they can learn the diverse perspectives of the other gender. André Boyd’s article (more in the second paragraph) also discusses what is lost when we choose single-sex education over coed schooling. He writes, "Perhaps the opposite gender could be a distraction for students in the classroom, but by grouping students by gender, we lose important elements of true education. In a diverse classroom, there are countless questions, different perspectives, and a variety of interests, which all add to the excitement of learning. Our students have much to contribute to each other, and students of all ages benefit from being engaged in activities and learning in the company of the opposite sex" (Boyd 1). This opinion explains exactly what coeducation creates - a safe, productive learning environment for students. It also confirms that coed schooling provides a way for students to learn the unique, diverse perspectives of the opposite sex. Boyd’s argument is important because it shows how multiple perspectives benefit students’ education and the best way to learn other people’s opinions is to go to a coed school. Overall, coeducation benefits students by giving them a diverse learning experience.
Although it’s clear that coeducation is more beneficial than single-sex schooling, others may argue that single-sex schools are better because they focus on specific learning styles. In the article, "Do students learn better in single-sex schools?" (mentioned in the second paragraph) another author writes about his perspective on the issue. The author, Robert Kirschenbaum, a school psychologist for the Clover Park School District in Lakewood, Washington writes, "Girls seem to favor learning in a quieter setting in which they work together and come to a consensus. Boys tend to favor a setting that is more competitive, physically active, and louder" (Kirschenbaum 1). Nevertheless, this is a sexist assumption, that all girls or boys learn the same way and have "learning styles." Brain scans have proven that the are very few differences from a boy’s brain and a girl’s brain, especially in teens. The sexist belief that all girls learn one way and boys learn another is false and therefore flaws the opposite argument.
Another common mistake that people make is believing that single-sex schools increase a person’s chances of becoming a successful adult. One example of this argument appears in an article called "The Many Advantages of Single-Sex Schools," which was published and written by CRC Health. The article states, "A quarter of the female members of Congress and one-third of all female members of Fortune 100 boards graduated from all-women’s colleges" (CRC Health 3). However this is a fallacious conclusion; just because some successful women graduated from all-women’s schools doesn’t mean that everyone who attends these schools will be successful or have prestigious jobs.
In conclusion, coed schools are clearly more beneficial for students than single-sex schools because coed schools prepare students for the workforce by building social skills. Coed schools can also help students fight sexism and stereotypes and provide students with a wider range of perspectives on world issues. This topic is important to consider because people’s educations affect how they interact with others and it is crucial that we give each person the best education they can get; preferably through coed schools. The quality of what we accomplish at work can and will be impacted by how we prepare for it. By sending our kids to coed schools we are preparing them in the best way possible to be the best adult they can be. In order to get all students to go to coed schools, we must increase the quality of public and private coed schools, making them more appealing to parents seeking schools that will best educate their children. By getting more kids to go to coed schools, we are increasing the potential of our society and the quality of our workforce. This will largely benefit everyone, especially the ones most involved in working with new employees. Overall, our cities, our country and the world will be better if we send everyone to coed schools.
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