Should public schools offer single-sex education? The number of single-sex classrooms in public schools is growing; there are now more than 400.

• Author: Piechura-Couture, Kathy
• Position: DEBATE

YES For more than 100 years, some of the nation's finest private schools have experienced the benefits of single-sex education. It's time to make this choice broadly available in our public schools.

Researchers have found that there are biological and developmental differences between boys and girls that affect how they learn. For example, in general, boys respond better to a more active teaching style. Girls tend to be more cautious about participating in discussions.

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For six years, I've been studying the effectiveness of single-sex versus co-ed classrooms at a Florida elementary school Both boys and girls do better academically in single-sex classrooms: 95 percent of the boys in the 5th-grade all-boys class passed the state reading exam, compared with 68 percent of the boys in the co-ed class. In the all-girls class, 91 percent passed the state reading test, compared with 75 percent of those in the co-ed class.

Research also shows that high school students in single-sex classrooms are more likely to take courses that run counter to gender stereotypes: Girls are more likely to study computer science and physics; boys are more likely to study art, music, and drama. And they're more likely to excel at and stick with these subjects.

In a recent survey of more than 2,000 students in single-sex classes, 67 percent said it increased their self-esteem, and 72 percent reported an increased desire to learn and participate than when they were in co-ed classrooms.

Most students attend public schools. They shouldn't be forced to miss out on the advantages of single-sex education just because their schooling is funded by taxpayers.

--KATHY PIECHURA-COUTURE

PROF. OF EDUCATION, STETSON UNIVERSITY, DELAND, FLA.

NO Single-sex education is not the answer to the challenges facing public schools.

First and foremost, we believe that creating separate classes for...