OH YEAH! WELL, YOU GIRLS ARE DUMB!

US public sector learning lessons from single-sex private schools (Alex Massie, The Scotsman, August 28th, 2004)

Kristielle Pedraza has chosen books over boys - she’s so busy with the former she has no time for the latter. Boys are for losers. Winners read books.

The 13-year-old is adamant that she will not miss the boys while she attends the Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, Dallas’ first all-girl public school and one of a growing number of such schools nationally.

"Usually it’s the guys that distract the whole class. They’re usually the class clowns," says Kristielle, who began the new school year last week. "With no guys in the school, I can know we will really get busy without much distraction."

She is not alone in thinking that. At least 11 more single-sex, publicly funded schools will open this autumn in six states - Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, South Carolina and Oregon.

Advocates maintain that separating the sexes can improve learning by easing the peer pressure that can lead to misbehaviour as well as low self-esteem among girls.

"John Kerry, George W. Bush, his father and Al Gore all went to all-boys schools. We don’t think that’s a coincidence," argues Dr Leonard Sax, a Maryland physician and psychologist who has founded a nonprofit group that advocates single-sex public education.

"We think single-sex education really empowers girls and boys from very diverse backgrounds to achieve."

Not everyone agrees. Indeed, some women’s groups and the American Civil Liberties Union say segregation of any kind is wrong.

"We think segregation has historically always resulted in second-class citizens," says Terry O’Neill, a National Organisation for Women vice president.

Dr. Sax might be a tad more careful with the role models he trumpets, but anyone who has taught or worked with children in their middle-school years knows full well that boys and girls generally are very different in aptitude, interests and emotional make-up. They respond to completely different kinds of discipline and encouragement. They have little to gain and much to lose from each other’s constant presence, and the smart ones don't even like each other much. Ideological progressives and feminists can try to force silly parallels with civil rights all they want, but at least the black leadership isn’t embarrassed by Afro-Americans calling publically for a return to Jim Crow.