Gender Divide In Georgia
February 26, 2008
My Opening Bell online newsletter led me to this article today, from USA Today.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-02-25-single-sex-schools_N.htm
By Dorie Turner, Associated Press Writer GREENSBORO, Ga. —
Nearly four decades after this rural Georgia county stopped segregating its schools by race, it wants to divide students again — this time by sex. Greene County is set to become the first school district in the nation to go entirely single-sex, with boys and girls in separate classrooms — a move born of desperation over years of poor test scores, soaring dropout rates and high numbers of teenage pregnancies. “At the rate we’re moving, we’re never going to catch up,” Superintendent Shawn McCollough told parents in an impassioned speech last week. “If we’re going to take some steps, let’s take some big steps.” This pine-shrouded county of about 14,400 people between Atlanta and Augusta has in recent years become a magnet for retirees moving into luxury developments along the shore of Lake Oconee. But the vast majority of longtime residents — and most of the 2,000 students in the county’s schools — are black and working class. McCollough pointed to research showing that boys and girls learn differently, and said separating them will allow teachers to tailor their lessons. Also, boys won’t misbehave as much because they will no longer be trying to impress the girls, and the girls will be more likely to speak up in class because they won’t be afraid to look smart in front of the boys, he said.
I just thought it related to our discussions.
What do you think?
One Response to “Gender Divide In Georgia”
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March 2nd, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Personally, I like this idea. I don’t see how any harm can come from separating girls and boys. While in college working on my first degree, I went to an all girls college. I just remember the atmosphere being very calm. The majority of the staff were female too, there were only 2 male teachers in the whole school. Although we had a dress code, we certainly weren’t thinking about if we were impressing anyone while sitting in class. This separation made getting up and doing presentations much easier too.