COED vs SINGLE GENDER SCHOOLS

COED SCHOOLS
a coed high school in boys and girls ultimately have a more enriching
educational experience when they get to learn together. There's a
cross-pollination that goes on in the academic environment. The diligence
and attentiveness of girls positively affects boys, while the liveliness of boys
inspires girls. They learn from and are inspired by each other.

Coed schools better prepare girls and boys for post-secondary school and
employment by providing ongoing opportunities to work together. They learn
to work together productively, which is what they will be expected to do
throughout their life. So there is good preparation happening for university
and beyond.

Attractions and Distractions

The possibility of attraction and distraction in the classroom. Many people say
that if the other sex is in the classroom, the other will do nothing but ogle
classmates of the other sex and not pay any attention to the teacher. Other
distractions include the injection of the other sexs breed of humor, or whether or
not particular students talk more often and longer than others.Aside from the
other sex being a distraction, a drawback about a co-ed setting is that students are
sometimes intimidated by the other sex and may be less comfortable
participating in class discussions and activities. Fear of embarrassment or
feelings of inadequacy may accompany the co-ed classroom
experience.However, many students may find that they thrive in the co-ed
environment, being able to relate to the other sex and play off of their thoughts
and ideas.

Being able to communicate with the other sex, both in and out of the classroom,
is crucial for preparing students for the professional world.

SINGLE GENDER SCHOOLS

The study found that the option helps students succeed in gender-atypical
subjects; for example, girls will perform better in math and science, and boys
will do better in English and modern languages.
For girls, much of the benefit lies in developing their personhood in an
environment free of persistent traditional gender stereotypes that can hold
women back.

Girls' schools provide not only a physical but a psychological space where
that part of our culture is left at the door, and girls have the freedom to explore
who they are and who they want to become.

In girls' schools, there is no social consequence for speaking out, challenging

ideas and being yourself, which allows girls to develop the kind of critical-
and creative-thinking skills that are essential in the 21st-century workforce.

The perspectives of the other sex are lost in discussion in single-sex classroom,
but also, the ability to communicate with the other sex may not develop as
quickly as it would in a co-ed environment. For those in a single-sex
environment, social interactions with the other sex outside of school, offer the
chance to develop these communication skills, so single-sex schools may not be
a hindrance at all.

Pros and Cons of Single Sex Schools

Many students at single sex schools point to the lack of opposite sex as an enormous advantage.
Many students find it easier to focus on academics when they arent distracted by members of
the opposite sex, and may find it easier to participate actively in classes where everyone is the
same sex. Others enjoy the camaraderie that often connects classmates at single-sex schools.
But that advantage can also be a disadvantage.
For one thing, student diversity suffers at a single sex school. In addition, although it may be
easier for students to participate actively and do well academically at a single sex institution, the
real world is not single sex. It may prove difficult for students from single sex schools to adjust to
a co-ed work atmosphere after they graduate.
Pros and Cons of Co-ed Schools
Co-ed schools are likely to offer you more in the way of student diversity. Having both men and
women in classes allow students of both sexes to interact with a wider range of people and learn
how to work with and talk to people of the opposite sex.
However, the mixing of the sexes can also serve as a disadvantage for some students at co-ed
schools. Students who are intimidated by the opposite sex may find it difficult to participate in
class at co-ed schools, while others (admit it!) simply find the opposite sex to be a distraction
from their academic work.
For a start, their social skills, in the shape of their ability to mix naturally with the opposite sex,
would be severely lacking. More seriously, in compensation for their perceived classroom
inferiority, boys could develop unrealistic and even sexist attitudes.

Parents often face conflicting advice when deciding whether to send their child to a single-sex or
coeducational school.
Despite the lack of evidence, there remains a strong and widely held belief that single-sex
schooling is better for girls and coeducation is better for boys.
There are more single-sex schools for girls than for boys in each of the three Australian
educational sectors: government, Catholic and independent.
As a consequence, more boys than girls are enrolled in some coeducational schools.
So as a parent, how do you decide which school is best for your child? And, importantly, what do
you actually want out of a school? For example, is the focus on achieving good grades, or about
making sure your child fits in and feels accepted?
There is no straightforward answer, but research has revealed there are some key things to
consider when choosing a school which might help determine where to send your child.
Single-sex or co-ed school?
The single-sex versus coeducation debate in Australia has a long history. Public perceptions can
be skewed by the media which, in presenting a view, have a tendency to cherry-pick research
findings, or simplify issues by ignoring the complexities.
To date, heres what we know:
Government schools are predominantly coeducational. Around 65% of Australian students attend
these schools, which also tend to have higher percentages of disadvantaged students than in
non-government schools.
While data show that non-government schools tend to have higher academic success than
government schools, a determining factor for this relates to the socio-economic (SES) status of
students. NAPLAN data reveal that higher SES correlates directly with higher NAPLAN scores.
Single-sex schools
Most of Australias single-sex schools are found in the fee-paying non-government sector. This
means that financially secure parents have a wider choice of schools open to them.
Of the small number of single-sex schools in the government sector, many are academically
selective.
Research suggests that girls who attend single-sex schools are more confident about themselves
as learners in subjects such as mathematics and physics than in coeducational schools. In the
absence of boys, the girls also feel less constrained in engaging in classroom discussions.
For boys attending single-sex or coeducational schools, their confidence levels in physics and
mathematics are found to be equally high, and they boisterously engage in classroom discourse.
However, there is no consistent evidence to show that students either boys or girls achieve
higher grades in single-sex than in coeducational settings.
Coeducational schools
It is socialisation, readiness for the real world, that is seen as a major advantage of coeducational
schooling for boys.
While boys may learn to develop healthy relationships, and value and respect girls, this is less
likely to occur in single-sex boys schools. For many former boys schools that have become
coeducational, this is one of the reasons put forward for the change, often together with
economic viability considerations.
Girls in coeducational schools may learn similar social lessons. But they may also learn something
else that advocates of single-sex schools for girls claim is not found in these schools: that what
they say in class, for example, is not always respected, and that teachers may hold different
expectations of girls and boys, particularly in subject areas that are considered more suitable for
males, including mathematics, physics and IT. But this need not be the case.