The Foreign Service Journal, June 2016

92 JUNE 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT F oreign Service parents strive to make the best educational choices for their children, whether in the United States or posted abroad. One option gaining attention is single-sex education, whether at post schools or at boarding schools, in the United States or abroad, in single classrooms or entire schools, from kindergarten through college. Once considered a vestige of the Victo- rian era, single-sex education is currently gaining popularity. While the notion may call to mind images of stuffy institutions in idyllic settings, parents and students increasingly value such an education based on the knowledge that differences exist in the ways both boys and girls learn, and that teachers at single-sex schools Marybeth Hunter is the educa- tion and youth officer at the State Department’s Family Liaison Office. Take listening skills, for instance: Boys often need to hear instructions at a higher volume of speech for increased comprehension. Likewise, research suggests that boys are more receptive to action-oriented, tactile presentations in the classroom. Another study indicates that, in general, boys are more vocal than girls on teams and prefer group work to independent study. As for females, researchers find that girls learn better when the nuances of color, texture and smell are introduced. Girls reportedly performbetter academi- cally in a warmer classroom, while boys performbetter in a classroom at least five degrees cooler than their female counter- parts prefer. In a single-sex setting, instructors can vary teaching methods to bring out the best in their students. When educators tailor their approach to boost academic success, this contributes to psychologi- cal and emotional success. That said, it is important to keep in mind that teachers may not always be trained properly to tailor their teaching style and material to respond to those differences. The benefits of single-sex education reveal themselves in a variety of ways. For instance, educators at single-sex schools have reported that students attending their schools demonstrate increased confidence in their abilities. Also, pro- ponents of single-sex education argue that such confidence has impact beyond the academic arena by furthering social skills and strengthening future boy-girl relationships. The common social pressures existing in coed environments are absent, enabling student development without potential distractions from the opposite sex. Gender-Based Learning Support Teachers have long been aware that learning styles among students can vary significantly. Research suggests that boys and girls might benefit more from diver- gent teaching styles that cater to their respective biological profiles. All Girls, All Boys, All Good— The Benefits of Single-Sex Education Once considered a vestige of the Victorian era, single-sex education is enjoying a resurgence. BY MARYBETH HUNTER