A Classroom Of Their Own - Jefferson Middle School, in Long Beach, California, tries single-gender classes

0 Comments | Current Events, Oct 8, 1999

EVERY FALL, SIXTH-, SEVENTH-, and eighth-grade students in Long Beach, Calif., dust off their backpacks and head for Jefferson Middle School. When the bell rang on Sept. 8 to signal the beginning of classes this year, however, things did not proceed as usual. Instead of male and female students going to classes together, all the boys went to certain classrooms while the girls went to separate classrooms.

Jefferson Middle School is trying something new in hopes of improving student academic performance. Jefferson is the first public school in California to hold entirely separate classes for its 1,100 male and female students. The only class where the genders interact is orchestra class.

A Good Idea?

Jill Rojas, Jefferson's principal, told CE that parents initiated the single-gender classrooms at Jefferson Middle School. Jefferson's school board adopted the idea, hoping to improve academic performance by creating a setting less distracting for students.

One female student said, "We can think without worrying about boys in the classroom." A young male student agreed: "Sometimes you try to flirt more instead of doing your work."

Parents of JMS students seem pleased so far. Mia Porter, whose daughter attends Jefferson, said, "I am totally for [girls attending separate classrooms]. Let them focus more on their studies and not on boys."

Not everyone at Jefferson is happy with the new arrangement. One female student said, "We need boys in our classroom. It's better [that way]."

Looking for Solutions

Researchers who have studied single-gender classrooms disagree on whether students perform better in such an environment. Some experts view single-gender classrooms as a way to turn around high dropout rates and low achievement. They say single-gender classrooms offer a more comfortable learning environment.

A recent congressional study suggests, however, that single-gender classrooms run the risk of being "separate but unequal." And that may not be acceptable, according to the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment, which is that public schools should not divide students into separate classes according to race or gender.

Other experts say that single-gender classrooms have not been shown to improve student behavior or academic performance at all. They say many more scientific and educational studies should be done before more public schools adopt single-gender classrooms as a way to improve the education of both male and female students.

Are single-gender classrooms a good idea? Why or why not?

KEY NEWS FACTS

Indicate the answer that best completes each statement by placing A, B, or C in each blank.

-- 1. At the Washington County Fair, health experts believe, the E. coil contamination came from (A) bad meat, (B) tainted water (C) raw chicken.

-- 2. The number of Americans affected each year by E. coli poisoning is about (A) 1,400, (B) 20,000, (C) 2 million.

-- 3. According to one theory, the Salem Witch hysteria may have been due to (A) ergot poisoning, (B) E. coli poisoning, (C) poison mushrooms.

-- 4. Some experts say single-gender classrooms are a good idea because (A) students are less distracted, (B) they cost less money to run, (C) students have to think.

-- 5. Some say single-gender classes violate the Constitution's (A) 1st Amendment, (B) 2nd Amendment, (C) 14th Amendment.

WORD LINK

Indicate the best definition of each word by placing A, B, or C in each blank.

-- 1. delusions (n.): (A) weak arguments, (B) persistent false beliefs, (C) bad thoughts

-- 2. symptoms (n.): (A) signs of disease, (B) causes of a disease, (C) cures for a disease

-- 3. empathizes (v.): (A) ignores someone else's problems, (B) feels someone else's emotions, (C) harms another person

-- 4. contamination (n.): (A) act of containing something, (B) state of causing decay or disease, (C) act of healing a wound

-- 5. tainted (v.): (A) made good, (B) made sad, (C) made impure or corrupt

NEWS MAP OF THE WEEK

Study this map of Indonesia. Then complete the exercises below by placing A, B, or C in each blank.

-- 1. Irian Jaya lies (A) east of Malaysia, (B) west of Borneo, (C) north of the Philippines.

-- 2. Jakarta is about (A) 100 miles from East Timor, (B) 1,200 miles from East Timor, (C) 50 miles from East Timor.

-- 3. An island between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea is (A) Thailand, (B) Sumatra, (C) Irian Jaya.

-- 4. The countries that border Malaysia number (A) four, (B) two, (C) one.

Fourteenth Amendment. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1868. It contains five provisions, all of which are related to issues involved in the Civil War (1861-1865). Section one states that "no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The 14th Amendment basically extends many civil rights provided in the Bill of Rights and other provisions of the Constitution.