An urban independent middle school grouped its 63 sixth and seventh graders into single-sex mathematics classes (SSMC) to improve girls' achievement in mathematics (AIM) and attitudes toward mathematics (ATM) with no negative impact on boys. Researchers analyzed AIM, ATM, and interactions/instruction. AIM measures included Metropolitan Achievement…

Statistics indicate that young males are far more likely than young females to suffer from self-destructive behavior, commit suicide, and be in special education programs. Some schools are aggressively recruiting male teachers; others have found that all-male classes can help hold boys' interest. Some maintain the schools have short-changed girls…

Studied attitudes of girls, toward themselves and their classmates, and their behavior in a girls-only math classroom. Found girls were more likely to ask and answer questions in the math classroom than in coeducational classes and that the girls-only setting enhanced their ability to learn. The girls-only environment was overwhelmingly preferred.…

Reports the findings from a three-year longitudinal case study of two single-sex General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) physics classes in a mixed comprehensive school in England. Results indicate that girls who elected to study physics in single-sex classes gain confidence in the subject. This gain in confidence is associated with…

When a New York school district found a majority of its middle school students scoring below an acceptable level in four major academic areas, it tried many interventions, including a three-year experiment in single-gender classrooms. Although single-gender classrooms are no longer as common in the United States as in years past, recent…

A co-educational comprehensive school in North Yorkshire, concerned at the gap between boys' and girls' performance in French and German at GCSE, opted to teach Year 8 languages classes as single-sex groups. 2003-04 was to be a pilot year, at the end of which pupils' performance, motivation and attitude, as well as the experiences and views of…

This qualitative research paper reports on Latina students in single-gender and coeducational secondary-level special education placements for students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. Classroom observations and interviews were conducted with nine Latina special education students. All participants were in their first, second, or third…

This final report provides findings of a qualitative study of characteristics of Latina high school students with learning disabilities in the context of use of single sex environments to encourage school continuance for this population. Specifically, the study examined whether there are measurable differences in classroom behaviors, school…

Research over 20 years indicates that teachers are more attentive to male students from preschool through high school. Gender-appropriate practices maximize learning opportunities for both sexes by ensuring ongoing, formative evaluations, respecting each individual's learning pace, providing mentors, and intervening positively when appropriate.…

In this qualitative study the author used case study methods to examine perceptions of gender, race, and disability through the viewpoints and experiences of Latina students. The participants were secondary school girls with mild to moderate disabilities attending single-gender and coeducational special education classes on an urban school site in…

Jon Gilgoff is the Boys Services Manager of the Youth Justice Institute in Oakland, California, and a former Robert Bowne Foundation Fellow who researched Boyz 2 Men through his work with the Educational Alliance in New York City. Boyz 2 Men aimed to provide a positive alternative to drugs as a means of coping with the multiple challenges young…

The Allama Iqbal Open University of Pakistan started the Women's Secondary Education Project through distance learning in 1986. It was designed to meet the educational needs of rural women who are denied access to the formal education system because of social and economic constraints. The distance education method suited these women because by…

Critical reanalysis of a previous Australian study comparing the effects of single-sex mathematics and mixed-sex mathematics instruction on students in grades seven and eight suggests that the randomly assigned class-type intervention had relatively little effect on mathematics achievement or attitudes, and that at least some effects favored…

A course developed for young at-risk women in an alternative high school program involves trips out of the city, earns credits for physical education, and links students to the environment. Although balancing leadership and shared decision making was difficult, trips planned by the students became the ideal cooperative venture to seduce students…

The principal of one urban New Jersey middle school chose to deal with a long history of student behavior and discipline problems by making every class single sex. The change helped curb classroom distractions, reduced discipline problems, and restored a sense of order. (SM)