Single-sex classrooms: tried and true concept

Separating students by sex is gaining in popularity at one of Winston-Salem’s middle schools. Other schools should revive this tried-and-true concept.

Catholic schools, boarding schools and elite day schools have long reaped the benefits of same-sex classrooms, producing graduates who’ve gone on to become leaders in their communities.

Now, Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy has adopted a single-gender classroom policy for its core classes, the Journal’s Arika Herron reported earlier this week. The school, with sixth, seventh and eighth grades, tried the method as a way to improve student attentive-ness and comfort – and as a way to improve students’ academic performance, which has fallen behind district averages on end-of-grade tests.

The boys and girls have been put into separate classes for their math, science, language arts and social studies lessons. They still mingle in other classes – music, art and gym among them. That’s good. It’s important for boys and girls to socialize with each other.

But the separate classrooms have been pleasing to teachers and students.

Teachers at Winston-Salem Prep told the Journal that the students are more comfortable sharing their ideas and answering questions in class when they’re separated. This also helps the teacher move through material more quickly – and allows them to tailor their lessons more precisely for each group.

Sixth-grader Lovely Ponce told the Journal that she likes her all-girl classes.

“I won’t get distracted by the boys,” she said. “It keeps me from not doing my work.”

That’s a solid testimonial.

These years can be difficult for children, as they mature and begin to feel awkward – or overly enthusiastic - around the opposite sex. The elimination of distractions is not a bad thing.

Winston-Sale m Prep is one of a handful of schools in the local system to use same-sex classrooms, and the first to do it across whole grades.

It’s too early for hard data on the academic effects of the switch to same-sex classes at Winston-Salem Prep. But teachers and students clearly seem to think it’s working. Other schools might want to try it as well.