Georgia county plans to convert to single-sex schools district wide
All of Greene County's regular public school students will be separated by gender starting next fall, a move educators hope will improve rock-bottom test scores and reduce teen pregnancy and discipline rates in the small, rural system. The school board approved the measure last week, drawing protests from students, parents and community members. School officials say they need drastic change to save the low-performing district from slipping further behind. “This school district is in bad shape,” said Superintendent Shawn McCollough. “We've made very positive incremental steps in the last two years. Our kids need help faster than what we're doing, and that's why we're moving to a faster, more innovative program.”
Leonard Sax, head of the National Association for Single Sex Public Education, said he knows of no other public school district that has switched entirely to single-gender classrooms. He called the move illegal. According to Sax, federal law allows single-sex classrooms or schools, but parents must also have the option of a publicly funded coeducational experience for their children. “This is the worst kind of publicity for our movement,” he said. “It misses the whole point. Our movement is about choice, about giving parents a choice. One size does not fit all. Even a small school district needs to provide choice.” He called the news of the school board's vote “very embarrassing.”
The U.S. Department of Education has declined to comment. However, Georgia Department of Education spokesman Dana Tofig said the district does not need state approval to convert to single gender schools. McCollough says he's been advised by the district's attorneys that the conversion is allowable under federal law. “This is entirely legal and we're moving forward with it,” he said. McCollough hopes the single-gender model will raise test scores and improve graduation rates in a district where more than three-quarters of the 2,000 students are eligible for free or reduced lunches. Just 67% of Greene County ninth graders go on to receive a diploma, compared to 72% statewide. Last year, students scored an average of 1,168 on the SAT college entrance exam, far behind the state average of 1,458 and the national average of 1,495. Research shows that when boys and girls are separated, each group performs better in school and is more likely to go to college, said Julie Ancis, a professor in the College of Education at Georgia State University. But she said single-gender schools tend to be private institutions with updated technology and ample resources. Dividing students by gender in a low-income school system might not have the same impact, she said. “There's more to this than just being with peers of your own sex,” Ancis said. “We need for schools and teachers to create better climates that create more opportunity for everybody.”
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/14/08, By Associated Press
[Editor’s Note: The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a letter in 2007 on OCR’s new Title IX regulations on nonvocational single-sex classes, extracurricular activities, and schools at the elementary and secondary education levels. For more information on the OCR regulations and single-sex schools see below.]
NSBA School Law pages on OCR single-sex program regulations