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editorial | single-sex public education

Let the experiment continue

  January 22, 2012

Putting boys and girls in separate public school classrooms wins rave reviews from parents. In one Boston school’s gender-separated first grade classes, boys appeared to be more focused and their grades have improved. Girls, meanwhile, like not having boys pestering them. But it’s an unproven educational strategy. Certainly, schools should be allowed to experiment. But single-sex classrooms carry real risks, too, and should be continued only if they yield real, provable benefits for students.

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