Girls on the Value of a Girls School

Last week, I analyzed the hypotheses set forth in an article entitled “Pseudoscience of Single Sex Schooling” in Science magazine. I tried to refute the article’s key arguments, including the fact that there is no definitive research on the value of single sex education. I promised that I would share with you our Upper School students’ perspectives on the issues raised by the article. To that end, I asked the for their personal views on the advantages and disadvantages of girls schools. While they identified some disadvantages, they outlined many more advantages.

On the negative side, they primarily cited lack of experience with boys, making them awkward or silly when they come in contact with the opposite sex. One suggested that the reading choices in English could be more varied, and one senior felt that girls were more likely to stereotype males when boys were not present.

On the positive side, they repeatedly extolled the self-confidence they gain, the freedom they feel to be themselves, the way they develop their voices and feel comfortable expressing their opinions, and the lack of distractions that allow them to focus on academics. As one junior observed:

There are many more distractions in coed schools and girls are afraid to be themselves and be intelligent. Simple things like getting dressed in the morning turn into wearing the right clothes, putting makeup on, and looking pretty every morning because boys are at your school. . . . At Holton, and many similar all-girls schools, I believe girls are not afraid to be themselves, ask questions, speak up in class, and they are able to participate to their full potential.

Like this student, many girls compared their experience in a coed school with their Holton experience, and they all echoed this girl’s opinion. A tenth grader who attended a local independent school before Holton said, “The academic environment is much more focused [at Holton]. At the coed school I went to before Holton, the guys in my class were very distracting and didn't really care about school or learning.” A new ninth grader took the lack of focus on academics in a coed environment a step farther arguing that, “most of the boys didn't value school as much as I did. They didn't take school seriously and in turn, neither did any of the girls (even the ones who really did like school, like me).” A senior described the advantage from a different angle, saying, “for me, learning at this age is more comfortable without boys. That's not to say I'm not challenging myself; being in the comfort zone socially lets me push myself academically.”

Unconcern about how they look and how they behave also recurred as a theme. A junior observed,

[W]e're all very casual about how we act and look outside of class. I haven't worn makeup to school since I came to Holton, except for perhaps a dozen occasions. We aren't afraid to sit all over each other in the nooks and lounges and people, when they need to, will cry on each other's shoulders without caring because they don't worry about people judging them all the time.

Similarly, a sophomore commented,

I also really like the fact that I don't have to really care about what I'm wearing (ignoring the uniforms) or how I look. I can eat what I want, say what I want, etc. without caring about what some guy thinks about me. This concept has also followed me out in public situations (don't worry, I'm still polite!). 

And the same from a senior:

Holton has helped me build my confidence and become my own person without worrying about what other people think. I feel I'm under less peer pressure here than I would be at a coed school because there's no one to impress on a daily basis. I think it's funny how for the first two weeks of school, the new freshman wear makeup, until they realize that no one cares how they look on the outside. They learn to focus on things that really make a difference. 

These girls believe that being at Holton has encouraged them to develop their own voices, and not having boys around has made that easier. As one of the juniors explained,

I feel like if there were boys in our classes, I would say very little in class discussions. I think that everyone watches what their "role" is more when there are boys there—they don't want to seem too outgoing, too shy, too nerdy, too ditzy, etc....

A new freshman said,

I also don't dumb myself down anymore, for fear of looking "too smart." In the classroom, I feel like it's okay to ask questions because I know that the other girls in the room are as curious as I am and are probably wondering the same thing.

Likewise, a senior attested to a similar experience. “At Holton you can say anything in class, answer questions, and give input without the worry of people mocking or judging you,” offered the senior.

Another junior highlighted the growth in her confidence that derives from feeling valued:

I certainly believe that a single-sex school has definitely helped me gain confidence and a voice (which I believe is MOST important in the society we live in today). . . . Holton has really showed me that my opinion counts and no one can take it away from me. 

A senior recounted similar development:

Coming from a coed middle school, it [i]s amazing how much I have grown in Holton's environment, not only as a student, but also as a person. Holton has made me realize that I don't need to be quiet and that I must seize every opportunity to voice my opinion that I can—and I'm not wrong. 

This sense of being comfortable both at school and in who they are permeates their lives. Another new freshman, who previously attended both all-girls and coed schools, declared, “Personally, having tried both coed and all-girls, I like all girls better. It's a more comfortable and open environment. At a coed school there's a lot more drama.” A sophomore put an even more positive spin on the all girls’ experience:

I love being at an all-girls school. I think we are not only more comfortable in the classroom, but also outside the classroom; we are able to act more like ourselves when we are separated from boys. I don’t think I would have nearly as much fun at school if I went to a coed school.

Our students strongly refuted the notion that girls schools exacerbate gender bias. Indeed, in general, their experience suggests the opposite. As a senior posited, "In a classroom setting, girls are allowed to voice their opinions openly because there isn't constant male presence reminding them about the stereotypical gender differences and biases.” One of the new freshmen had a different, but equally definitive, take on the issue:

As for gender stereotypes, I think this is totally false! I have met girls here with all types of interests, passions, and hobbies that do not fit those usually associated with girls. I think that people that have not, or do not, attend a single-sex school assume (like I did) that students in an all-girls school are all alike and act just like girls and all wear pink on free dress days. Maybe there are schools like that, but Holton is not one of them. 

A senior drew on her experience to address this question at some length:

I definitely don't think that Holton has reinforced gender differences or encouraged gender biases in any way. If anything, Holton has taught me to challenge stereotypes and "Find a way or make one." The school doesn't offer home ec[onomics] or knitting classes; it offers forensics and engineering. I remember when I took Intro to Engineering in 10^th grade, our class was featured in a Washington Post article on women in engineering. Some of the online comments supported women in a male-dominated field, but others were quite degrading, suggesting essentially that girls should stay at home and have children. Seeing these comments gave me a new perspective on gender bias. I had never been discriminated against because of my sex, and, at first, was a little shocked that someone would say something like that. But, because I was confident in myself and my abilities, I didn't give the nasty comments a second thought. Holton taught me to value my own opinion more than someone else's, something I'm not sure would have happened had I gone to a coed school.

We would expect that these Holton girls would be thoughtful about their experience here, examining the pros and cons. However, their responses make it clear that, regardless of definitive proof, the single sex environment provides for them important advantages that they recognize and treasure. 

The Value of All-Girls Schools Denied and Affirmed

Some of you may have read an article in The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/education/23single.html?_r=1&emc=eta1) a couple of weeks ago about a new study refuting that any advantage exists for single sex education.   The group of psychologists, led by Dr. Diane F. Halpern of Claremont McKenna College, who conducted the study entitled, “The Pseudoscience of Single Sex Schooling,” published in Science magazine, argue that contrary to the findings of some other studies, including one by the U.S. Department of Education, as the subtitle says, “Single-sex schooling lacks scientific support and may exaggerate sexism and gender stereotyping.”[i]  Their thesis states the argument even more strongly:

We argue that one change in particular— sex-segregated education—is deeply misguided, and often justified by weak, cherrypicked, or misconstrued scientific claims rather than by valid scientific evidence.  There is no well-designed research showing that single-sex (SS) education improves students’ academic performance, but there is evidence that sex segregation increases gender stereotyping and legitimizes institutional sexism.[ii]

So this is another volley in the battle over educational reform, specifically the value of single-sex education.  What should we make of this study?  Let’s first look at what they have to say.

First, they argue that once all factors, such as socio-economic background and test scores upon entering a school, are taken into consideration, studies have not proved any advantage to single sex schooling.  Indeed, some positive results during the early stages of a reform or a new approach may be attributed to the fact that “people are motivated by novelty and belief in the innovation” which leads to “a short-term gain.”  Summarizing, they say:

In short, although excellent public [single-sex] schools clearly exist, there is no empirical evidence that their success stems from their [single-sex] organization, as opposed to the quality of the student body, demanding curricula, and many other features also known to promote achievement at coeducational schools.[iii]

They go on to debunk the brain research, particularly that sited by Dr. Leonard Sax whose book Gender Matters has been widely read (some of you have probably read it).  They state, “Neuroscientists have found few sex differences in children’s brains beyond the larger volume of boys’ brains and the earlier completion of girls’ brain growth, neither of which is known to relate to learning.”[iv]

Having dispensed with the research, they go on to claim that single sex education actually negatively affects students.  They argue that by definition segregating sexes leads to an increased sensibility to gender and therefore to gender bias.  Basically they are using the Brown v. Board of Education argument that separate cannot be equal.  They also posit that single sex classrooms “limit[s] children’s opportunities to develop a broader range of behaviors and attitudes.”  Finally, because there is no evidence to support the value of single-sex education, the public sector should not waste its resources on single gender classrooms or schools.[v]

Now let’s examine their assertions.  As far as the brain research is concerned, I actually largely agree with the authors.  While Sax’s book initially resonated with me, subsequently I have heard his work debunked by prominent researchers.  Plus I have long had misgivings about brain research supporting gender differences.  Historically, scientific research has often justified limiting women.  Think of 19^th c doctors who claimed that education would harm women because their brains couldn’t handle the strain; some even posited that too much education could cause infertility.  In addition, while current brain research is very convincing with its clear imagery of synapses at work, I imagine earlier generations were equally convinced by such scientific theories as phrenology (the study of lumps on the skull).  This is not to discredit all brain research by any means.  Indeed, we have much to learn from such research with regard to effective learning.  However, I don’t believe that it is definitive enough with regard to gender differences.

However, to argue that there is no proof for the value of single sex education, at least as it applies to girls, is not actually true.  The National Coalition of Girls Schools commissioned Dr. Linda J. Sax (no relation to Leonard Sax), Associate Professor of Education and a 2007-08 fellow at The Sudikoff Family Institute for Education & New Media at the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, to examine the impact of girls schools.  Like the authors of “The Pseudoscience of Single Sex Schooling,” Dr. Sax acknowledges the research on the effects of single gender education offers no conclusive answers, largely because it is so difficult to control for the various other factors that might equally well explain positive outcomes for students who have attended single-sex schools.  Using the Freshman Survey, a national survey of college freshmen from across the country conducted annually since 1966 by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute, Dr. Sax addressed this shortcoming in previous research.  She was able to mine a large set of data while controlling for factors such as family income, race, parental education, and high school academic programs.  The resulting study, “Women Graduates of Single- Sex and Coeducational High Schools: Differences in their Characteristics and their Transition to College,” “compares the backgrounds, behaviors, attitudes, and aspirations of 6,552 women graduates of 225 private single-sex high schools with 14,684 women who graduated from 1,169 private co-educational high schools.”[vi] 

Sax finds that even controlling for critical factors like family income, parental education levels, and the rigor of students’ high school curriculum, single sex education, particularly in a non-sectarian independent school (as opposed to a Catholic school), does make at least some difference in a number of key areas:

·         Greater academic engagement

·         Higher confidence in mathematical ability and computer skills

·         Greater interest in engineering careers

·         Stronger disposition towards co-curricular engagement, including participation in both student clubs and student government (but not including sororities)

·         Greater political engagement[vii]

Most of these characteristics are self-explanatory, but both academic and political engagement bear some explanation.  Based on the survey questions, Sax defines academic engagement as “time spent on studying/homework, studying with other students, talking with teachers outside of class, and tutoring other students.”  Before controlling for other factors, 62% of independent single-sex alumnae reported devoting eleven or more hours per week studying or doing homework in high school versus only 42% of their coeducational female peers; this distinction remained when individual and school backgrounds were taken into account. [viii] Those girls rated as politically engaged checked “very important” or “essential” with regard to keeping current politically.  They also indicated that they discussed politics with family or friends or in class occasionally or frequently.  In terms of the first question, 57.9% of graduates of girls schools qualified as politically engaged as compared with 47.7% of female coed alumnae, and again this difference persisted even after controlling for background factors.[ix]  Sax’s analysis does prove some positive effects of all-girls education.

Sax’s work should also put to rest the argument that single sex schools exacerbate gender biases.  In fact, her research suggests that by developing confidence in math and computer skills and encouraging girls to express interest in engineering, both at disproportionate levels, all-girls schools do the opposite; they counter prevailing gender expectations.  As Sax, whose research has all focused on women’s experiences in higher education, observes,

It is worth noting that most of these apparent benefits of single-sex education are in areas that have historically witnessed gender gaps favoring men. In fact, decades of research have shown first-year college women to consistently rate themselves lower than men on their academic abilities, especially when it comes to math and science, and to show less interest in politics (Sax, 2008). Thus, this study highlights areas in which single-sex education may help to mitigate longstanding gender gaps.

So much for negative gender stereotyping.

Finally, single-sex education in the independent school sector hardly qualifies as a novel idea.  While the last twenty years have witnessed the founding of a number of new girls schools, most enjoy histories like Holton dating back 100 years or more.  Certainly the nature of the education offered in these schools has varied over time and even today varies among us, today we universally embrace the goal of empowering women, or to use our phraseology, inspiring our girls to lead lives of influence.

I told the Upper School girls about this article and solicited their thoughts about the advantages and disadvantages of all-girls education based on their own experience.  Not surprisingly, I received a number of articulate, thoughtful responses.  I’ll share those with you next week.

---

[i] Diane F. Halpern, Lise Eliot, Rebecca S. Bigler, Richard A. Fabes, Laura D. Hanish, Janet Hyde, Lynn S. Liben, Carol Lynn Martin, “The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling, Science, 23 September 2011, Vol. 333, 1706.

[ii] Halpern et al, 1706

[iii] Halpern et al, 1706

[iv] Halpern et al, 1706

[v] Halpern et al, 1707

[vi] Linda J. Sax, Ph.D., “Women Graduates of Single- Sex and Coeducational High Schools: Differences in their Characteristics and their Transition to College” (Los Angeles: The Sudikoff Family Institute for Education & New Media, UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, 2009), 6.

[vii] Sax, 52

[viii] Sax, 32

[ix] Sax, 40