With all the recent news [2] about single-sex classrooms, it would appear that the idea is gaining traction. Not true. In May, the ACLU initiated "Teach Kids, Not Stereotypes [3]” in an effort to curtail this trend. By sending demand letters to school districts across the country, the ACLU hopes to end the practice of structuring classrooms on gender stereotypes.
Not only are these children taught in different settings but they are also instructed with different activities and thematic units based on their supposed areas of interest. According to USA Today [4], "When preparing for a test, the boys may go for a run, or engage in some other activity, while the girls are more likely to do calming exercises, such as yoga."
If classrooms are ultimately molding our future world citizens, what sort of world are we creating?
Links:
[1] http://www.tolerance.org/author/annah-lauren-kelley
[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hayley-krischer/single-sex-public-schools_b_1659719.html
[3] http://www.aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/teach-kids-not-stereotypes
[4] http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2012-07-08/single-sex-classrooms/56100126/1