More Schools Trying Separation of the Sexes

Howard asked parents last year if they were interested in single-gender classrooms for core academic subjects. To her surprise, "I couldn't fill the classes fast enough," she said. She chose to start with sixth-graders because the adolescents were starting to "fall in love with each other" every spring, and second-graders because she wanted to follow their progress over time. Next school year, the initiative will expand to fifth- and third-graders.

To help teachers prepare for the new format, Howard bought them copies of "Boys and Girls Learn Differently!" by family therapist Michael Gurian. The book cites brain studies showing, among other things, that boys don't hear as well as girls and that girls are more sensitive to light. Boys often need to fidget and move to stay alert, Gurian writes, while girls are more likely to behave and pay attention. The book suggests teaching techniques to address such differences.

David Sadker, an American University professor and co-author of "Failing at Fairness: How Our Schools Cheat Girls," said Gurian's findings are "stereotypes of the first order" that will limit children's creativity and options.

But many teachers say the findings match what they see on a daily basis. More than 40,000 have received training from Gurian's Colorado-based institute in learning differences between boys and girls.

Teacher Jean Demshur sometimes dims the lights in her all-girls class, and she said she gives students frequent chances to work in pairs or groups to cater to their social strengths. The extra X chromosomes influence her classroom, with potted flowers on the windowsill, a closet full of pink backpacks and a notebook paper cut-out heart taped to a desk inscribed in pink Crayola script: "I like your hair."

Demshur said her students were more relaxed than in previous school years, and more likely to share opinions or volunteer for challenges. Rhys Spencer, 8, threw her hands in the air and exclaimed, "It's paradise!" to be with only girls.

Teacher Todd Reynolds tried giving boys hacky sacks to help them release energy and stimulate thinking. But after the room became "a popcorn popper," Reynolds said, he took them away. His room's sprawling seating arrangement gives boys space to move around. Reynolds said the layout occurred to him in part because the boys, exhibiting what's often considered a female trait, were "chitchatting" all day.

Reynolds said boys were more likely than in previous years to ask for help, and some often-shy students "seemed to shine." He said he's excited to see a contingent of boys excel at writing, sharing ideas and "feeding off each other."

The school has no test data yet by which to judge the experiment, but Howard noted that grades for children in same-sex classes improved in many subjects. A parent survey found that almost half the boys and almost two-thirds of the girls in the classes had better attitudes toward school.

Some schools have given single-gender classes a try without success. Twin Ridge Elementary School in Frederick County began offering all-boys classes in 2004 but phased them out last year because of lack of parent interest. Students in the school's all-boys classes did no better on tests than boys in coed classes.

Frances R. Spielhagen, an assistant professor of education at Mount Saint Mary College in New York who has studied same-sex classes at a public middle school for three years, said she found some gains for boys in language arts and for girls in math. But as the movement expands, Spielhagen said she is concerned about whether teachers thrust into the new programs will have more than a superficial understanding of how boys and girls are different.

"You can't simply separate kids by gender and think magic is going to happen," she said.