One of the arguments of co-education is the idea that it provides too many distractions for students. Several scholars have argued that these distractions have led to less attention on school work and class participation, due to girls and boys trying to impress each other. Furthermore, it has also been argued that students who are intimidated by the opposite sex may also be affected by low performance and low grades. Many educators believe that single-sex education does not enforce any type of gender-based stereotypes or adolescent subculture. Due to this, single-sex schools have been established to combat these issues.
Sharpe’s believe this could be because of the changing attitudes of society in general towards women and the impact of feminism. Mitsos and Browne (1998) say that the service sector which is traditionally seen as women’s work has expanded. Employers usually like women in this sector as they have good communication skills and the rise in the employment of women has given girls the incentive to do well at school. Mac and Ghaill claim that the decline in male employment opportunities has led to an ‘Crisis of Masculinity’ as many boys now believe they have a less chance in a getting a proper job. This undermines their motivation and self-esteem therefore they give up on trying to do well in education and have a fatalistic attitude towards it.
Many people argue that development is vital in the younger years in the child’s life, and the ability to solve problems and apply ideas help in the long-term. Hyman argues that the lower classes create a self imposed barrier to learning their values. This is because he believes that they have a low value on education, with a ‘play safe’ culture and also a low level of self belief. This would all impact on the child performance at school as they would not have the attitude needed to progress. If at any point they failed, they would see this as a big mistake and give up and have a lack of motivation.
Separate but Equal? A commonly held belief in the 21st century is that all people should be treated equally, since treating one group of people differently from another would be prejudiced and give certain groups a difficult time in the “pursuit for happiness.” I think we can all agree Jim Crow laws were harmful to our society and a bad form of separation, but what about separate treatment for girls and boys? I believe that treating boys and girls the same way in schools and homes is unfair and can have an adverse effect on each group’s ability to learn new information and develop mentally. Simply put, since girls and boys learn differently, they should be taught differently. However, this fact seems to be losing its merit more and more in society because of a push towards equality and fairness.
Female students might receive less attention or less encouragement, and therefore will be less likely to perform as well as the males; it may also force a girl student's attention towards the arts and humanities, even if her real interest lies in the sciences. CON: Differences in Male and Female Learning * According to the site Girls Learn Differently, a girl's brain actually processes information differently, and thus a girl's learning style and behavior will deviate from her male counterparts'. For example, a girl is attracted to stimuli such as colors and textures, while boys are more attracted to stimuli such as direction and motion. An all-girls' school or an all-boys' school could tailor its curriculum to the particular learning style of their students, which will make it easier for students to pick up new information. CON: Male/Female Interaction Promotes Distraction * For children of all ages, interacting with the opposite sex can cause anxiety or self-consciousness.
Although single sex education does have advantages, there are good arguments on the other side. Coeducation mirrors adult life, doesn’t promote gender segregation, and promotes a better learning environment. Although single sex education may be a credible option to certain professionals, coeducation offers more diversity and a more stimulating way of schooling to both boys and girls. Many coeducation opponents have stated that single sex schools offer a better learning environment for boys and girls separately because of the amount of distractions present in the classroom. Nonetheless, a single sex education does not mirror the adult world.
There are also a few reasons as to why boys don’t tend to do so well in education. One reason is the feminisation of education. Sewell argues that as primary schools are female dominated this puts boys off education as they see learning as being feminine. Another reason could be due to their poorer literacy skills. Parents tend to spend less time reading with their sons, and the mother is usually the reader which makes boys think that reading is feminine.
This may come as a shock since it is easy to assume girls pay attention more, and therefore participate more in school. This is an obvious example of gender stereotyping when it comes to communication, however it happens to be wrong. Gender differences are important because some stereotypes can be misleading when it comes to communication among the different sexes. There are obvious differences when it comes to gender, but one of the biggest differences is the way the genders communicate with each other, and the opposite sex. The
NCLB was established so that students were not held back in a grade and were promoted to the next grade. I think this is a political aspect that is failing our students. If a student is not understanding the material or doesn’t pass the tests showing that they understand and can retain the information, I don’t believe that they should be promoted. I believe that it only hurts the students because they get more behind as they advance through the levels. The ethical issues that regard the high stakes testing is that it could be unfair to some students.
Today’s students cheat for a variety of reasons. As students get older the pressure to get good grades and the pressure from friend’s increases leading them to cheat. Then some think that cheating is not a big deal or that it is not wrong. Schools and teachers should work together with students to help them feel more secure and to show them that cheating is not acceptable and that they will only be hurting themselves in the long run. Younger children believe that cheating is wrong but that it is acceptable in some instances.