Gilroyans mull changes that allow classrooms to be split apart
by gender
Gilroy – A new conversation is on the horizon for parents, teachers and members of the school district now that recent changes in government regulations make it possible for public schools to separate classes by gender.
The changes, which took effect in late November, allow public and private coeducational schools to offer single-sex classes and extracurricular activities. Enrollment in such classes would be voluntary and the segregated classes would be “substantially equal,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.
“It’s something that’s never come up as long as I’ve been on the board, but I would certainly explore it if it ever did,” said Tom Bundros, a trustee on Gilroy Unified School District’s board. “It’s a different way to approach education. I’d want to look at the whole package and see if it could work for us, but I certainly see how in certain applications the benefits would outweigh any drawbacks.”
One of Bundros’ daughters went to an all-girls school and he said if it was “appropriate to the conversation,” he’d mention single-sex education at a board meeting.
In 1995, just three public schools in the United States offered single-sex class alternatives. This year, at least 253 public schools offer single-sex options, according to the National Association for Single-Sex Public Education.
One of the two schools in California that segregate classes by gender is The San Francisco 49ers Academy in East Palo Alto for 6th to 8th graders. Founded in 1996, the school began as an all-boys school. In 1997, they opened their doors to girls, but kept the genders separated during classes. Boys and girls are able to congregate before and after school and during lunch.
“We have the same set of teachers for both the boys and girls classes, so they have the same curriculum, same teachers, same everything,” said Michele Sharkey, executive director of the school. “Parents love it. It’s a voluntary program, so they opt into our model. The kids get to socialize at recess, after school and at dances, so there’s plenty of co-ed activities. But in class, the kids focus on their studies. The girls aren’t shy and the boys aren’t busy puffing out their chests.”
Sharkey said no parent has ever withdrawn a student because they didn’t like the single-sex model.
Gilroy resident and mother of four Felicia Stone said she’s heard about studies that have shown girls do better in classrooms without boys and she’s be willing to have her children try a single-sex classroom program.
“I definitely don’t think it could hurt in our schools,” she said. “I don’t think it matters too much with younger children, but when they hit that junior high age and the hormones all come out, I think it could be very beneficial.”
Stone’s 10-year-old daughter, Nicole, a 5th grader at Luigi Aprea Elementary School, said she wouldn’t mind trying all-girl classes.
“I would be OK with that because a lot of boys in my class bug me all the time,” Nicole said. “I think I would do better in school because sometimes the boys make fun of my answers and they laugh at me. I think I’d do better at P.E., too, because a lot of the boys think they’re better at games than the girls.”
Research on the effectiveness of single-sex classes varies. Some reports show girls are more assertive when boys are not in their classes and boys are less distracted without girls, according to the California Dept. of Education. Other studies show that single-sex classrooms have a negative effect on the social skills of both genders when they are segregated at school.
“I’m not sure that separating boys and girls is a good idea,” said Tony Mannino, Gilroy resident and father of three. “There may be more peer pressure, especially among the girls. They can be really judgmental about who’s wearing what, how their hair looks– they’re really tough on each other. I think that would magnify if there wasn’t a balance of boys and girls. And I think the boys would see an opportunity to have fun and get a little crazy. The teachers in classes of only boys would probably be ready to tear their hair out.”
Mannino’s daughter, Angela, an 8th grader at Ascencion Solorsano Middle School, said she’s not sure how segregated classes would work out.
“I would have to try it out; I have lots of friends who are boys and lots of friends who are girls, so I don’t know how it would affect me,” Angela said. “It depends on the social status of the person. Popular kids aren’t really afraid to talk in class. Other kids might be afraid of looking stupid.”
The one class Angela did say she wanted segregated was physical education.
“That’s where it gets hard because some people don’t run as fast or they can’t do push-ups and you don’t want to be embarrassed,” she explained. “The other classes aren’t so bad.”
