Wednesday, April 30, 2008

New Study: Co-Ed Classrooms Benefit All Students

A new study conducted by Prof. Analia Schlosser at Tel Aviv University concludes that co-ed classrooms benefit both girls and boys by improving the classroom environment and the academic achievement of students.

Schlosser, an economist from the Eitan Berglas School of Economics at Tel Aviv University, found that "both boys and girls do better when there are more girls in the class.” She investigated girls and boys in mixed-sex classrooms in the elementary, middle, and high-school grades of the Israeli school system.

Schlosser was inspired to conduct her study after the U.S. Department of Education amended its regulations to allow for more single-sex educational options that would not (in the view of the administration) run afoul of the purpose of Title IX. Schlosser's ultimate conclusion? Boys and girls may learn differently, but American parents should think twice before moving their children to sex-segregated schools.