There have been some calls for a boys only grade school in Toronto. Apparently the thought is that a boys only school will raise the grades and decrease the dropout rate of boys (who in terms of grades and dropout rates, are less successful than girls).

Thoughts? I don't think this will work. A comment on the story pretty much sums up my opinion:

Here in NL, it wasn't so long ago that the last boys-only and girls-only schools were closed.

I was fortunate to always attend a co-ed school. But many people I know did not. In particular, I remember boys moving from all-boys grade schools into co-ed junior highs, only to be paralyzed by the presence of females at an already hormonal age. I remember girls graduating from high school, having never attended co-ed classes, and then being socially stunted in university. I witnessed one such young lady dissolve into tears upon passing a bench full of male engineering students and receiving a few cat-calls. I, being accustomed to the co-ed experience, barely noticed them.

Children are born into co-ed families, go to co-ed day cares, and will eventually go to co-ed post secondary classes and work in a co-ed profession. Why should we force them into an unnatural environment during their formative years?

If boys are having trouble in school, I don't think it has anything to do with the presence of girls. Perhaps it has more to do with a learning environment that doesn't appreciate different learning styles.

There is a co-ed school here in Hamilton with experimental gender segregated classes - one of each. If I remember correctly, it seemed to work and both parents and students requested more classes like that.
The rationale had to do with the different learning and teaching styles to which boys and girls respond.

It seems like an interesting compromise - keep the school co-ed but have separated clases. no idea if it's still ongoing or not. Oh, and it was grades 1-8, I think

I think this is treating a symptom, and not the underlying problem.

How come in other areas, co-ed schools do just fine? It's IMHO not about gender, it's, as has been mentioned, about diverse learning styles. (ie. the stereotype is that girls need 'real world examples' while boys tend to be more 'hands on' and 'technical' with their studies: but both genders benefit from both styles of learning!)

Maybe it'll make things a little better in the short term, but long term results won't follow. These people will eventually leave this specialized environment.

Upon first instinct I don't like the idea, but I will freely admit I know nothing about the issue.

I wonder why they are bringing up drop out rates though, if this is for a grade school.

I really don't think it'll work at all. Separating girls and boys is supposed to help them get better grades? I don't think that those two tings affect each other that much anyway. I like the degregated classes in a co-ed school idea a lot better, they get to experience the 'best' of both worlds, and they definitely wouldn't have as much/if at all social problems as those in a school full of just boys or just girls.

Originally Posted by A.Marlowe

I wonder why they are bringing up drop out rates though, if this is for a grade school.

I think they're trying to implement the whole fixing the "root" of the problem, by changing their way of thinking as kids (more receptive to change), instead of stubborn teenagers, which is somehow supposed to stop them from thinking od dropping out entirely.

Or something.

I can say from experience with friends that gender segregated HS don't work. The guys I know that got sent to all boys HS to help them "focus" were just as bad in those schools, and the all girls school got a reputation for being filled with "easy" girls that the guys from mixed/all boys schools were going after.

The situation is likely different in grade school, and I wouldn't mind seeing this done as a "social experiment" but I do think we need to have a proper study of the data and have a decent amount of time before we start using this school as a model for any others.

I used to go to an all girls school before I moved to Canada, I found that everyone practically focused more on academics/school activities more than my experience with co-ed high schools here...though at some point the boys from the all boys school next door would hang out and look at girls..or try to flirt with them or something.

On a social level it makes things super awkward if you aren't exposed to interacting with the opposite gender, I still kind of find it hard to interact with guys sometimes.

Haha, I was in the all-girls class at CB Stirling (in Hamilton). It wasn't much of an experiment, seeing as we all ate lunch in the same rooms and had recess together. And it was annoying when the guys got to play floor hockey in gym class and we would be jumping rope.

Originally Posted by ytpos

Haha, I was in the all-girls class at CB Stirling (in Hamilton). It wasn't much of an experiment, seeing as we all ate lunch in the same rooms and had recess together. And it was annoying when the guys got to play floor hockey in gym class and we would be jumping rope.

Do you think it made you a better student in the long run?

Hardly. I also went to Westmount (self-paced high school), so whatever benefit the all-girls class had on me is completely lost. I don't think it had any effect anyway (I was always a slacker). The idea was for there to be less distractions from the opposite sex. I do believe it provided a better learning environment because of this. However, it doesn't change your study habits or how much you care about your grades.

I don't understand why this is big news. There are already plenty of all boys/all girl schools in Toronto. What's the difference now?

Originally Posted by PTGregD

I don't understand why this is big news. There are already plenty of all boys/all girl schools in Toronto. What's the difference now?

From what I can see in the article, there's no publicly funded single-gender schools in Toronto, at least under the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).

I don't know if it's "big" news, I just read the article and thought that it might be a good topic of discussion, so I moved it over here.

Originally Posted by Taunton

From what I can see in the article, there's no publicly funded single-gender schools in Toronto, at least under the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).

I don't know if it's "big" news, I just read the article and thought that it might be a good topic of discussion, so I moved it over here.

Ah, I didn't mean to attack you about posting the article.

I just saw this on the news today as well, and I just didn't understand why it was so hyped up. You're right, I don't think there are any publicly funded single gender schools.

I just know that there are a few private all boys schools (TFS, Crescent, UCC etc.), and some private all girl schools (don't know names off hand).

I went to an all boys school. There was an all girls school nearby, like a 15 minute walk. I think that being in an all boys school was great for my academic life. I never had to worry about anything except my grades while in school and when I was out of school I could do whatever I wanted.

Now in university I've made tons of friends and my high school friends have done the same. I don't think there was any social boundary that was formed due to the attendance of an all boys high school.