Study Cites Flaws in Single-Sex Public Schools

By Debra Viadero

California's precedent-setting experiment to set up separate public schools for girls and boys largely ended in failure, concludes a report released last week.

The state made national headlines in 1997 when lawmakers set aside $5 million to spur the creation of single-gender academies for middle and high school students. Then-Gov. Pete Wilson's primary motivation in pushing for the new structures was to expand schooling options for parents. Policymakers, though, also hoped that the new academies would follow in the tradition of elite private schools in building self-esteem in girls and providing role models for boys.

But researchers Amanda L. Datnow and Lea A. Hubbard report that, in practice, the academies inadvertently reinforced gender stereotypes, squandered opportunities to address issues of gender inequity, and exposed students to teasing from peers in coeducational classes. Only one of the six districts that took part in the program still operates a sex-segregated academy today, the San Francisco 49ers Academy...