Is an all girl school good

I write this article as a former teacher in both single-sex and co-educational settings, as a sociologist, and as an alumna of Louise S. McGehee School, an all-girls school in New Orleans. First, let’s see what the research tells us about the school situation related to gender:

• Girls exposed to high achieving boys in the classroom are apt to set their educational goals lower and to lack confidence in their own abilities than girls not so exposed;
• Girls in classrooms with high achieving females are more likely to pursue ambitious educational goals even when of average ability themselves;
• Greater exposure to high-achieving boys in high school negatively impacts girls’ science and math grades, according to recent findings from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
• Teachers are shown to be more attentive to boys than girls in the classroom and to call on boys more often than girls;
• In general, teachers interact with boys more often than with girls by a margin of 10 to 30 percent, depending on the grade level of the students and the personality of the teacher;
• Teachers’ bias toward boys is especially apparent in science and math classes;
• When children learn with single-gender peers, they are more likely to attend to their studies, speak more openly in the classroom, and feel more encouraged to pursue their interests and achieve their fullest potential;
• Girls in same-sex schools are more apt to excel athletically and to have opportunities for school leadership roles;
• Both boys and girls thrive in educationally challenging classes and in classes of small size in which they receive a lot of individual attention
• On the other side of the argument, an advantage of co-ed schools is that boys and girls can relate to each other as equals and become comfortable in each other’s presence.

This is what the research shows. But what I have discovered simply from follow-up with former classmates (class of 1962 and their sisters) is possibly more significant and, as yet, totally unrecognized concerning the value of same-sex schools for girls. This value is long term and enduring.

To provide some background, my class of 1962 was considered problematic, especially during the early-teen years. As one teacher later said, “The leadership was mostly negative.” For me personally, a very shy and immature student, the teasing was so out of hand that I sadly chose to leave.* I mention this because it makes my conclusion about the benefits of having girls in schools without boys even more meaningful. Also, I can compare my experiences in a single-sex and co-educational high school.

Fifty years later and I have reconnected with McGehee girls who I was friends with during the earlier pre-puberty years. All of them, from what I can tell, have turned out to be kind, thoughtful adults, serving society professionally and through their families.*

Through social media, I am in touch with graduates of both schools that I attended. The differences are profound. While my classmates from the co-ed (also small private school) have friendly but fleeting encounters with each other, often across gender lines, the McGehee alumnae are bonded in very deep and meaningful ways. This seems to be the case, according to reports, for the classes of the girls’ older sisters as well. If I lived in New Orleans, I would have a support system ready-made. As in the song we sang in assembly: “We are McGehee girls with spirit true, and we’ll go forward in all we do…for McGehee’s we’ll always honor you; we’ll preserve, protect, and defend you.”

Yes, when girls go to a single-sex school, they emotionally invest in relationships with each other. In contrast, when they attend a mixed-sex school, they put a lot of this energy into cross-gender relationships and dating. These boy-girl friendships most often get defused later in life for obvious reasons. The girl friendships that achieved an intensity in the all-girls school, on the other hand, can only grow stronger over the years.

It took me years to work all of this out, to discover why a school designed by women and devoted exclusively to girls and young women is so special. The beauty of McGehee’s and other small girls’ schools is that the loyalties and ties are deep and long-lasting, in fact, lifelong. And in today’s fast-paced, high-pressured world, such close friendships are everything.

*Today’s McGehee’s, as other modern schools, is expertly prepared to deal with these sorts of scapegoating situations through anti-bullying programming and psychologists and/or social workers on the staff.

Obviously, there are dozens of factors in choosing a school, like your child’s temperament, interests and abilities.  There’s also a school’s cost, culture and location. However, gender matters. For your daughter, do you choose an all girls’ or co-education school?

I love girls’ schools because they are aspirational. They focus on teaching girls what they can achieve in the world and the difference they can make. Contrary to expectation, they are noisy places. There is a tone, a volume and a pitch that speaks to self-confidence and exuberance. It is a noise that can do your head in as a teacher, but it is a noise I like. It sounds like girls becoming women with something to say and the confidence to choose a life they’ll love.

Mrs Jennifer Oaten is the principal of Santa Maria College in Western Australia. It is a girls’ school, however, she has also spent a lot of her career in co-education schools. Having experienced both, Mrs Oaten is a strong supporter of all-girls education.

She acknowledges that you should only choose a school based on the needs of your child. No school can be all things to all people. That said, Mrs Oaten believes that girls’ schools do some things exceptionally well.

Academic Culture

Mrs Oaten believes that girls are more comfortable being perceived as ‘academic’ in the absence of boys. In fact, girls’ schools tend towards a culture where academic achievement is highly valued by students.  She also believes girls take greater learning risks in the absence of boys. They are more inclined to ask questions and be creative in their thinking without the scrutiny of boys. Therefore, they thrive.

There are no two ways about it, girls’ schools do very, very well academically.  A 2017 study of Year 3, 5 and 7 numeracy and literacy (NAPLAN) data by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) found that even when socio-economic status was taken into account, Year 7 girls at single-sex schools were 4.2 terms ahead of co-ed students in reading and 2.8 terms ahead in mathematics (Dix, 2017).

The subjects girls choose in all-girls schools are also worthy of notice. They are 85% more likely to take advanced mathematics than girls in co-ed schools and 79% more likely to study chemistry. (Forgasz & Leder 2017)

In a co-educational class, boys receive up to eight times as much teacher time as girls. Eight times! Girls are called on less often, they are chosen for demonstrations less often and they are asked their opinion less often. When teachers ask boys questions, they give them a longer wait time than they do for girls. There are also greater numbers of behavioural issues among boys that absorb teacher focus and time.  Unfortunately, there is a common belief that the gender battle has been won, hence there is little attention paid to this discrimination in our education systems.

Wellbeing Focus

The welfare concerns of a girls’ school are the concerns of girls. Gender is considered in the planning of both academic and wellbeing programs. Friendship issues, body image and resilience are all issues that apply to boys and girls, however, in a girls’ school they can be tailored and delivered with a focus on girls.

This female focus is also evident in the service events that are celebrated by a girls’ school. Santa Maria College includes in its calendar: Girls4Girls Day dedicated to education for girls worldwide, Purple Bra Day raising money for breast cancer research, and International Women’s Day.

A 2016 study from Bristol University stated that single-sex schools for girls encourage “improved self-esteem, psychological and social wellbeing in adolescent girls” (p. 112). The same study found that girls in co-educational schools suffer lower self-esteem and greater pressure to be thin.

Leadership Opportunity and Modelling

Generally, girls’ schools are led by women. There is daily role modelling by clever, capable women in positions of influence. It is normalised for girls to the point where it isn’t even noticed. When Australia swore in its first female prime minister I was shocked at the Santa Maria girls’ reaction. There was no reaction! They saw it as expected and perfectly normal.

The opportunity for student leadership positions is doubled for girls in a single-sex school. In a co-educational school, there is generally an equal division of leadership positions between girls and boys, regardless of suitability for the roles. In a girls’ school kids aren’t locked out of half of the positions because of their gender. They are chosen purely on ability.

Mrs Oaten believes student leadership opportunities and female role models start girls on a trajectory of leadership expectation. It becomes an expectation that they can and should apply for leadership positions throughout life. 

Sport and Exercise

Girls are more likely to participate in sport and exercise in girls’ schools. One of society’s most frustrating problems in developing female health is that teenage girls quit playing sport at an early age. They also limit which sporting activities they will participate in.

A study of Physical Education teachers found, “Factors such as distractions, uneven skill levels, uneven strength levels, harassment, self-consciousness, embarrassment, competitiveness, peer pressure, gaining respect and intimidation were identified to potentially negatively influence students’ participation and performance in PE…in co-educational environments”.

Recommendation

So back to last night’s phone call. What sort of education is best for a girl in this day and age? The best kind is the one you choose specifically for the needs and passions of your child. It’s the education you support whole-heartedly once the decision has been made. If that girl noise that speaks of confidence and exuberance is reflective of your aspirations for your daughter, then all-girls education is your answer.

References

Forgasz, H., & Leder, G. (2017, October). Single-sex versus co-educational schooling and STEM pathways: Final report. Melbourne: Monash U

Do girls do better in an all

What is the downside in an all girl school?

What are the benefits of going to an all girl school?

What is it like to attend an all