Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 6, 1995 TAG: 9502060083
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
It happened by coincidence, but English teacher Jean Ellerbe came away convinced that single-sex classes can benefit boys just as much as girls.
In the past school year, Ellerbe taught ninth-grade English to a class of boys at Gar-Field High School in Prince William County in Northern Virginia.
That there were no girls in the class was the result of a scheduling quirk, but Ellerbe said it taught her the benefits of single-gender classes.
She found that the boys spoke up and voiced their views more readily. The boys gave full attention to the course work because there was no one to flirt with, she said.
``It was so successful. I had the backing of all the parents,'' Ellerbe said.
Studies have shown that some boys are hesitant to participate in discussion in English classes because they fear embarrassing themselves. Traditionally, girls do better than boys in English and other language arts.
At a time when Virginia Military Institute is coming under attack for being an all-male school, ironically some educators are saying that public school students can learn more in single-sex classes.
The discussion has centered mainly on the creation of all-girl classes in math and science - subjects in which girls generally don't do as well as boys.
It's being tried in a few places. In Portsmouth, N.H., school administrators are preparing plans for separate math classes for boys and girls. And in Presque Isle, Maine, a high school already has separate ninth-grade math classes for boys and girls.
Some researchers have found that boys generally are more aggressive in math and science classes and tend to dominate class discussions. They believe that girls are shortchanged because, they say, boys monopolize teachers' time and harass the girls.
Single-sex education in public schools has stirred a national debate among educators in recent years, but it has attracted little public attention in Western Virginia. But in the coming year, the issue could be pushed to the front of the school reform debate.
Gov. George Allen's Commission on Government Reorganization has recommended that the state Board of Education study the potential advantages of single-sex classes in elementary and secondary schools.
A few schools are using single-sex classes on a limited basis in Virginia. At Bowling Park Elementary School in Norfolk, pupils can choose between all-boy, all-girl or coed classes in kindergarten through the fifth grade.
Laguna Foster, a fourth-grade teacher at Bowling Park, said the single-sex classes are the most popular.
``Many of the boys and girls want single-sex classes,'' said Foster. As a teacher, Foster said, he can be more candid with an all-boy class.
Many of the boys come from single-parent families. ``With all boys in a class, it provides more opportunity for bonding with them,'' Foster said. ``It keeps the kids focused.''
Most school superintendents in Western Virginia are taking a wait-and-see attitude before embracing the concept.
``From the things that I have heard and read, there seems to be a good argument for it,'' said Clarence McClure, Botetourt County's superintendent.
But some school divisions are wary of single-sex classes because they could trigger discrimination complaints, McClure said.
Elizabeth Hawa, a gender-equity specialist for the state Department of Education, said single-sex classes might run afoul of federal laws banning discrimination in education.
Hawa said the American Association of University Women has focused attention on the issue.
The AAUW is lobbying for federal legislation that would provide training for teachers on how to be ``gender fair'' in the classroom, help school divisions recruit math and science teachers and combat sexual harassment.
Advocates for the legislation said it would recognize that girls have been shortchanged.
The legality of single-gender classes remains in doubt. There have been few court cases over the issue because it is relatively new.
A few years ago, Detroit established a public elementary and middle school for boys. But a judge ruled that admitting only boys violated federal law, and the school system was forced to admit girls.
In Montgomery County, school administrators have worked with the AAUW on the issue, but they are still gathering information.
Some research has shown that some boys and girls take on different attitudes and personalities when they are in single-sex classes, said James Sellers, assistant superintendent for instruction for Montgomery County.
``It is something that we are thinking about, but we are not ready to make any recommendations'' to the School Board, Sellers said.
James Jones, chairman of the state Board of Education, said the state has no policy on single-sex schools and classes, but the board will have to address it soon.
Some school divisions have been reluctant to establish single-sex classes, Jones said, because of the threat of lawsuits challenging their legality.
He said the board may establish guidelines for single-sex classes, but it might wait until the legal and legislative issues have been resolved. The General Assembly might ask the state board to address the issue, Jones said
Lewis Nelson, a board member from Roanoke, said there might be occasions when single-sex classes would be appropriate, but he believes they should be the exception rather than the rule.
``I would generally favor [co-ed] classes,'' Nelson said.
Although Roanoke has no single-sex classes, it has a program that pairs middle school girls with high school girls and college women in a mentor relationship to help build their self-esteem.
``It provides positive role models for the younger girls,'' said Lissy Runyon, public information officer for the Roanoke school system.
Like other school systems in the region, Roanoke has no plans for single-sex classes soon.
The Virginia Education Association, which represents 50,000 teachers has taken no position on single-sex classes.
While educators debate the merits of single-sex classes and hold off on implementing them in large numbers, Ellerbe, the Gar-Field High teacher, said she believes that can be an important element in school reform.
Gar-Field High doesn't have any single-sex classes this year, and Ellerbe has moved to a new job as a reading teacher and supervisor. But she has the same attitude about them:
``I think the children should have a choice of whether they want to go a single-gender class or not.''
by CNB