Difference between revisions of "Coeducation" - New World Encyclopedia
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| − | '''Coeducation''' is the integrated education of males and females at the same school facilities. The term '''Co-ed''' is a shortened version of '''co-educational''', and is also sometimes used as an informal and increasingly archaic reference to a female college student, particularly in the United States. Before the 1960s, many [[private university|private]] institutions of higher education restricted their enrollment to a single sex. Indeed, most institutions of higher education, both public and private, restricted their enrollment to a single sex at some point in their history. Modern-day education is primarily co-educational, but many single-sex educational institutions | + | '''Coeducation''' is the integrated education of males and females at the same school facilities. The term '''Co-ed''' is a shortened version of '''co-educational''', and is also sometimes used as an informal and increasingly archaic reference to a female college student, particularly in the United States. Before the 1960s, many [[private university|private]] institutions of higher education restricted their enrollment to a single sex. Indeed, most institutions of higher education, both public and private, restricted their enrollment to a single sex at some point in their history. Modern-day education is primarily co-educational, but many single-sex educational institutions exist, and single-sex education is undergoing a rebirth of popularity. |
==Coeducation in History== | ==Coeducation in History== | ||
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World history shows a clear preference for the education of boys over girls; the education of girls, when it existed, was usually informal and at home. In most ancient societies, such as Greece, India, and Egypt, organized educational systems were for boys only. The education of women in general was rare; coeducation even more so. Sparta, a Greek city-state, was one of the few places in the ancient world with organized schooling for girls as well as boys. Although the two were seperate, many historians believe that both schools were very similar in nature. Most education in Sparta was of a physical nature; the goal of a Spartan education was to create ideal soldiers and strong young women who would bear strong babies.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/arts/wingedsandals/history8.htm "Education in Ancient Times"] ABC. Retrieved February 12, 2007.</ref> | World history shows a clear preference for the education of boys over girls; the education of girls, when it existed, was usually informal and at home. In most ancient societies, such as Greece, India, and Egypt, organized educational systems were for boys only. The education of women in general was rare; coeducation even more so. Sparta, a Greek city-state, was one of the few places in the ancient world with organized schooling for girls as well as boys. Although the two were seperate, many historians believe that both schools were very similar in nature. Most education in Sparta was of a physical nature; the goal of a Spartan education was to create ideal soldiers and strong young women who would bear strong babies.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/arts/wingedsandals/history8.htm "Education in Ancient Times"] ABC. Retrieved February 12, 2007.</ref> | ||
| − | Before the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, most schools were single-sex. In cases like one room schoolhouses in frontier America, coeducation was necessary from a practical standpoint; a single teacher was responsible for the education of all children in a given area, and seperation by age or sex was impractical. In [[England]], the first public boarding school to become coeducational was [[Bedales School]] founded in [[1893]] by [[John Haden Badley]] and coeducational since [[1898]]. The Scottish [[Dollar Academy]] claims to be the first coeducational boarding school in the UK (in 1818). In the 1960's, many Western countries shifted to coeducation. Not only was coeducation a less expensive way of schooling children, but it also supported the thrust towards gender equality. In 1972, U.S. schools made coeducation | + | Before the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, most schools were single-sex. In cases like one room schoolhouses in frontier America, coeducation was necessary from a practical standpoint; a single teacher was responsible for the education of all children in a given area, and seperation by age or sex was impractical. In [[England]], the first public boarding school to become coeducational was [[Bedales School]] founded in [[1893]] by [[John Haden Badley]] and coeducational since [[1898]]. The Scottish [[Dollar Academy]] claims to be the first coeducational boarding school in the UK (in 1818). In the 1960's, many Western countries shifted to coeducation. Not only was coeducation a less expensive way of schooling children, but it also supported the thrust towards gender equality. In 1972, U.S. schools made coeducation mandatory in public schools. |
*1972: US Law making coeducation in public schools obligatory | *1972: US Law making coeducation in public schools obligatory | ||
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===Europe=== | ===Europe=== | ||
| − | In Europe, coeducation was more easily accepted in institutions of higher learning than it was in secondary education. In England, the London School of Economics was one of the first to open its doors to women in 1874. Women were first allowed to matriculate in Germany in 1901. By 1910, coeducation was becoming more widespread; women were admitted into universities in The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, | + | In Europe, coeducation was more easily accepted in institutions of higher learning than it was in secondary education. In England, the London School of Economics was one of the first to open its doors to women in 1874. Women were first allowed to matriculate in Germany in 1901. By 1910, coeducation was becoming more widespread; women were admitted into universities in The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Austria-Hungary, France, and Turkey.<ref>[http://deskreference.britannica.com/ebc/article-9024629 "Coeducation"] Compton's Desk Reference. 2007. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved February 13, 2007.</ref> |
==Arguments Against Coeducation== | ==Arguments Against Coeducation== | ||
| − | At the end of the twentieth century, there begun a movement back to single-sex education. Advocates of single-sex education, where male and female students attend separate classes or attend separate schools, cite studies that show students from single-sex environments | + | At the end of the twentieth century, there begun a movement back to single-sex education. Advocates of single-sex education, where male and female students attend separate classes or attend separate schools, cite studies that show students from single-sex environments outperform those from coeducational schools. Others advocate single-sex education on the basis of tradition or religious and cultural values. In 2002, based on bipartisan support and evidence supporting single-sex education, the U.S. revoked the mandatory coeducation policy and provided three million dollars of funding for single-sex schools. |
| − | |||
===Sex Differences in the Brain=== | ===Sex Differences in the Brain=== | ||
The practitioners of single sex school state that boys and girls learn differently because of structural differences between male and female brains. Studies on male and female brains indicate that males and females process information using different sections of their brains. This is evidenced in the ways males and females approach problem solving. For instance, when men are asked to give directions, they access the left hippocampus, and often use abstract concepts such as north and south. Women, on the other hand, access the cerebral cortex, and typically refer to landmarks that can be seen or heard to navigate. Advocates of single-sex education argue that these differences mean that the best method of instruction differs for males and females; a technique that engages girls in the subject matter may bore boys, and vice versa.<ref>[http://www.singlesexschools.org/research-brain.htm#development "Functional Sex Differences in the Human Brain"] National Association for Single Sex Public Education, 2006. Retrieved February 13, 2007.</ref> | The practitioners of single sex school state that boys and girls learn differently because of structural differences between male and female brains. Studies on male and female brains indicate that males and females process information using different sections of their brains. This is evidenced in the ways males and females approach problem solving. For instance, when men are asked to give directions, they access the left hippocampus, and often use abstract concepts such as north and south. Women, on the other hand, access the cerebral cortex, and typically refer to landmarks that can be seen or heard to navigate. Advocates of single-sex education argue that these differences mean that the best method of instruction differs for males and females; a technique that engages girls in the subject matter may bore boys, and vice versa.<ref>[http://www.singlesexschools.org/research-brain.htm#development "Functional Sex Differences in the Human Brain"] National Association for Single Sex Public Education, 2006. Retrieved February 13, 2007.</ref> | ||
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===Gender Roles=== | ===Gender Roles=== | ||
| − | From a pro-coeducation standpoint, single-sex institutions are inherently unequal. Advocates of coeducation argue that [[gender stereotypes]] are reinforced and that single-sex education accentuates gender based educational limitations and | + | From a pro-coeducation standpoint, single-sex institutions are inherently unequal. Advocates of coeducation argue that [[gender stereotypes]] are reinforced and that single-sex education accentuates gender based educational limitations and discrimination by not offering courses like [[cheer-leading]] or [[home economics]] to boys, or [[American football|football]] or [[wood shop]] to girls. |
Those who support single-sex education insist that this is not the case, and that single-sex institutions actually promote the subversion of [[gender role]]s. Margrét Pála Ólafsdóttir, an Icelandic educator who introduced single-sex kindergarten to Iceland in 1989, stated: "Both sexes seek tasks they know. They select behavior they know and consider appropriate for their sex. In mixed [i.e. coed] schools, each sex monopolizes its sex-stereotyped tasks and behavior so the sex that really needs to practice new things never gets the opportunity. Thus, mixed-sex schools support and increase the old traditional roles." For example, in a single-sex school, it would be less intimidating for a girl to choose to play the trumpet than it would in a coeducational school where trumpets were already being played mostly by boys. | Those who support single-sex education insist that this is not the case, and that single-sex institutions actually promote the subversion of [[gender role]]s. Margrét Pála Ólafsdóttir, an Icelandic educator who introduced single-sex kindergarten to Iceland in 1989, stated: "Both sexes seek tasks they know. They select behavior they know and consider appropriate for their sex. In mixed [i.e. coed] schools, each sex monopolizes its sex-stereotyped tasks and behavior so the sex that really needs to practice new things never gets the opportunity. Thus, mixed-sex schools support and increase the old traditional roles." For example, in a single-sex school, it would be less intimidating for a girl to choose to play the trumpet than it would in a coeducational school where trumpets were already being played mostly by boys. | ||
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However, defenders argue that socialization does not depend on the two genders being placed physically together, but is rather a matter of educating children in habits such as respect, generosity, fairness, loyalty, courtesy, etc. From a single-sex perspective, this can be done with more success knowing the distinct tendencies and learning style differences of boys and girls. It is also argued that mixing of the sexes creates distraction (particularly with adolescents), increased [[sexual harassment]] and teenage pregnancy, all of which interfere with the quality of education. | However, defenders argue that socialization does not depend on the two genders being placed physically together, but is rather a matter of educating children in habits such as respect, generosity, fairness, loyalty, courtesy, etc. From a single-sex perspective, this can be done with more success knowing the distinct tendencies and learning style differences of boys and girls. It is also argued that mixing of the sexes creates distraction (particularly with adolescents), increased [[sexual harassment]] and teenage pregnancy, all of which interfere with the quality of education. | ||
| + | ==Academic Success of Coeducation Versus Single-Sex Education== | ||
| + | A number of studies have been done researching the effects of coeducation and single-sex education. In 2002, the National Foundation for Educational Research was commissioned in England to study academic performance as it relates to coeducation and school size. In a study of nearly three thousand high schools (grades nine through twelve), they found that both sexes did better academically in single-sex schools. Single-sex schools also helped to counter gender stereotypes at all-girl schools, where girls were more likely to take courses in advanced math or sciences. This was not the case with boys; boys in single-sex schools were actually less likely to take courses in cooking than those in coeducational schools. Other studies show that students in single-sex schools academically outperform students in coeducational schools. A study done by Marlene Hamilton showed that, in Jamaica, girls from single-sex schools did the best academically, followed by boys from single-sex schools, boys from coeducational schools, and, lastly, girls from coeducational schools. "Before and after" studies done at schools that switched from coed to single-sex also report improved academic performance.<ref>[http://www.singlesexschools.org/research-singlesexvscoed.htm "Single-Sex vs. Coed: The Evidence"] National Association for Single Sex Public Education, 2006. Retrieved February 13, 2007.</ref> | ||
| + | ==References== | ||
| + | <references/> | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* [http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu/learn/documents/coeducation.htm Rosenberg: Coeducation History] | * [http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu/learn/documents/coeducation.htm Rosenberg: Coeducation History] | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
* [http://www.singlesexschools.org/ National Association for single sex public education] | * [http://www.singlesexschools.org/ National Association for single sex public education] | ||
| − | |||
*[http://www.catholicity.com/mccloskey/articles/singlesexedu.html Coeducation Revisited for the 21st Century] — by Fr. John McCloskey | *[http://www.catholicity.com/mccloskey/articles/singlesexedu.html Coeducation Revisited for the 21st Century] — by Fr. John McCloskey | ||
{{Credit2|Coeducation|97906394|Single-sex_education|99597369|}} | {{Credit2|Coeducation|97906394|Single-sex_education|99597369|}} | ||
Revision as of 19:23, 13 February 2007
Coeducation is the integrated education of males and females at the same school facilities. The term Co-ed is a shortened version of co-educational, and is also sometimes used as an informal and increasingly archaic reference to a female college student, particularly in the United States. Before the 1960s, many private institutions of higher education restricted their enrollment to a single sex. Indeed, most institutions of higher education, both public and private, restricted their enrollment to a single sex at some point in their history. Modern-day education is primarily co-educational, but many single-sex educational institutions exist, and single-sex education is undergoing a rebirth of popularity.
Coeducation in History
World history shows a clear preference for the education of boys over girls; the education of girls, when it existed, was usually informal and at home. In most ancient societies, such as Greece, India, and Egypt, organized educational systems were for boys only. The education of women in general was rare; coeducation even more so. Sparta, a Greek city-state, was one of the few places in the ancient world with organized schooling for girls as well as boys. Although the two were seperate, many historians believe that both schools were very similar in nature. Most education in Sparta was of a physical nature; the goal of a Spartan education was to create ideal soldiers and strong young women who would bear strong babies.[1]
Before the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, most schools were single-sex. In cases like one room schoolhouses in frontier America, coeducation was necessary from a practical standpoint; a single teacher was responsible for the education of all children in a given area, and seperation by age or sex was impractical. In England, the first public boarding school to become coeducational was Bedales School founded in 1893 by John Haden Badley and coeducational since 1898. The Scottish Dollar Academy claims to be the first coeducational boarding school in the UK (in 1818). In the 1960's, many Western countries shifted to coeducation. Not only was coeducation a less expensive way of schooling children, but it also supported the thrust towards gender equality. In 1972, U.S. schools made coeducation mandatory in public schools.
- 1972: US Law making coeducation in public schools obligatory
Institutions of higher education have also been historically for men only. In most countries, when women were given the option of a higher education, their only choice was to attend an all-female school.
Coeducation Within Institutions of Higher Learning
The United States
The first coeducational institution of higher education in the United States was Franklin College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, established in 1787. Its first enrollment class in 1787 consisted of 78 male and 36 female students. Among the latter was Rebecca Gratz, the first Jewish female college student in the United States. However, the college began having financial problems and it was reopened as an all-male institution. It became coed again in 1969 under its current name, Franklin and Marshall College.
The longest continuously operating coeducational school in the United States is Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, which was established in 1833. The first four women to receive bachelor's degrees in the United States earned them at Oberlin in 1841. Later, in 1862, the first African-American woman to receive a bachelor's degree (Mary Jane Patterson) also earned it from Oberlin College.
The University of Iowa was the first public or state university in the United States to become coeducational, and for much of the next century, public universities (and land grant universities in particular) would lead the way in higher education coeducation. Many other early coeducational universities, especially west of the Mississippi River, were private, such as Carleton College (1866), Texas Christian University (1873), and Stanford University (1891).
At the same time, according to Irene Harwarth, Mindi Maline, and Elizabeth DeBra, "women's colleges were founded during the mid- and late-19th century in response to a need for advanced education for women at a time when they were not admitted to most institutions of higher education" [1]. Notable examples are the prestigious Seven Sisters. Of the seven, Vassar College is now co-educational and Radcliffe College has merged with Harvard University. Wellesley College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Bryn Mawr College, and Barnard College remain single-sex institutions.
China
The first coeducational institution of higher learning in China was the Nanjing Higher Normal Institute, which was later renamed National Central University in 1928 and Nanjing University 1949. For thousands of years in China, education, especially higher education, was the privilege of men. In the 1910s women's universities were established such as Ginling Women's University and Peking Girl's Higher Normal School, but coeducation was still prohibited.
In 1920, Nanjing Higher Normal Institute began to recruit female students, and later that year the first eight coeducational Chinese women students were enrolled. In the same year Peking University also began to allow women audit students. After 1949, when the Communist Party of China controlled mainland China, almost all schools and universities became coeducational. In recent years, however, many girl schools and women colleges have again emerged.
Europe
In Europe, coeducation was more easily accepted in institutions of higher learning than it was in secondary education. In England, the London School of Economics was one of the first to open its doors to women in 1874. Women were first allowed to matriculate in Germany in 1901. By 1910, coeducation was becoming more widespread; women were admitted into universities in The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Austria-Hungary, France, and Turkey.[2]
Arguments Against Coeducation
At the end of the twentieth century, there begun a movement back to single-sex education. Advocates of single-sex education, where male and female students attend separate classes or attend separate schools, cite studies that show students from single-sex environments outperform those from coeducational schools. Others advocate single-sex education on the basis of tradition or religious and cultural values. In 2002, based on bipartisan support and evidence supporting single-sex education, the U.S. revoked the mandatory coeducation policy and provided three million dollars of funding for single-sex schools.
Sex Differences in the Brain
The practitioners of single sex school state that boys and girls learn differently because of structural differences between male and female brains. Studies on male and female brains indicate that males and females process information using different sections of their brains. This is evidenced in the ways males and females approach problem solving. For instance, when men are asked to give directions, they access the left hippocampus, and often use abstract concepts such as north and south. Women, on the other hand, access the cerebral cortex, and typically refer to landmarks that can be seen or heard to navigate. Advocates of single-sex education argue that these differences mean that the best method of instruction differs for males and females; a technique that engages girls in the subject matter may bore boys, and vice versa.[3]
Many supporters of single-sex education hold that it can help students learn more effectively.
Gender Roles
From a pro-coeducation standpoint, single-sex institutions are inherently unequal. Advocates of coeducation argue that gender stereotypes are reinforced and that single-sex education accentuates gender based educational limitations and discrimination by not offering courses like cheer-leading or home economics to boys, or football or wood shop to girls.
Those who support single-sex education insist that this is not the case, and that single-sex institutions actually promote the subversion of gender roles. Margrét Pála Ólafsdóttir, an Icelandic educator who introduced single-sex kindergarten to Iceland in 1989, stated: "Both sexes seek tasks they know. They select behavior they know and consider appropriate for their sex. In mixed [i.e. coed] schools, each sex monopolizes its sex-stereotyped tasks and behavior so the sex that really needs to practice new things never gets the opportunity. Thus, mixed-sex schools support and increase the old traditional roles." For example, in a single-sex school, it would be less intimidating for a girl to choose to play the trumpet than it would in a coeducational school where trumpets were already being played mostly by boys.
Socialization
Critics of single-sex education argue that without the presence of the opposite sex, students are denied a learning environment representative of real life. This deprives them of the opportunity to develop skills for interaction with peers of all genders in their work environment and fosters ignorance and prejudice towards the other gender.
However, defenders argue that socialization does not depend on the two genders being placed physically together, but is rather a matter of educating children in habits such as respect, generosity, fairness, loyalty, courtesy, etc. From a single-sex perspective, this can be done with more success knowing the distinct tendencies and learning style differences of boys and girls. It is also argued that mixing of the sexes creates distraction (particularly with adolescents), increased sexual harassment and teenage pregnancy, all of which interfere with the quality of education.
Academic Success of Coeducation Versus Single-Sex Education
A number of studies have been done researching the effects of coeducation and single-sex education. In 2002, the National Foundation for Educational Research was commissioned in England to study academic performance as it relates to coeducation and school size. In a study of nearly three thousand high schools (grades nine through twelve), they found that both sexes did better academically in single-sex schools. Single-sex schools also helped to counter gender stereotypes at all-girl schools, where girls were more likely to take courses in advanced math or sciences. This was not the case with boys; boys in single-sex schools were actually less likely to take courses in cooking than those in coeducational schools. Other studies show that students in single-sex schools academically outperform students in coeducational schools. A study done by Marlene Hamilton showed that, in Jamaica, girls from single-sex schools did the best academically, followed by boys from single-sex schools, boys from coeducational schools, and, lastly, girls from coeducational schools. "Before and after" studies done at schools that switched from coed to single-sex also report improved academic performance.[4]
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- ↑ "Education in Ancient Times" ABC. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
- ↑ "Coeducation" Compton's Desk Reference. 2007. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved February 13, 2007.
- ↑ "Functional Sex Differences in the Human Brain" National Association for Single Sex Public Education, 2006. Retrieved February 13, 2007.
- ↑ "Single-Sex vs. Coed: The Evidence" National Association for Single Sex Public Education, 2006. Retrieved February 13, 2007.
External links
- Rosenberg: Coeducation History
- National Association for single sex public education
- Coeducation Revisited for the 21st Century — by Fr. John McCloskey
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