Which is better, same-sex or coeducational schooling? The question keeps popping up as politicians, policy-makers, teachers, administrators, and parents debate the merits of different forms of education. If you wonder what the research says about same-sex vs. mixed-sex education, this is the book to read. The scope is wide-ranging, with overviews of past research and legal issues plus fascinating, on-the-ground reports from publicly funded same-sex schools organized in the name of school choice and :school reform; Catholic schools, private universities, and military institutes moving from all-female or all-male to coed; and mixed-sex vs. single-sex math and drama classes.[Continued below].
The research results are clear: the either/or, which is better question is far too simplistic because the dynamics of gender are so complex and contingent. Same-sex and mixed-sex educational arrangements are enormously varied in context, content, and purpose, and they are deeply entwined with the dynamics of social class, racialized exclusion, sexuality, age, and culture. Gender in Policy and Practice will take readers to the forefront of contemporary thinking about and experiences of gender in education -- and beyond. It's a terrific, thought-provoking read! -- Barrie Thorne, author of Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School, Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies, University of California, Berkeley
This is the right book at the right time: a wonderful selection of articles pulling together current research on single-sex schools. By providing relevant findings on both sides of the issue, the editors have chosen to inform rather than persuade. This book respects the reader, the research, and the fact that there is much yet to learn. Read this important book and draw your own conclusions about the promises and pitfalls of single-sex and coeducation. -- David Sadker, American University, co-author of Failing at Fairness: How Our Schools CheatGirls
