Single-sex school is a school that accepts boys or girls exclusively, that has been the traditional situation for independent schools. Coed school educates boys and girls together. Which education system is better has been discussed for years, and each education system has its own advantages and limitations. In my faith, coed school is better than single-sex school.
Single-sex school is well-known as students in single-sex school have much better academic result compared to coed school. It is, of course, generally single-sex school students do concern more about study and be more hardworking than co-ed school students since students in single-sex school have minimization of distraction. In a recent report on NBC Nightly News, Professor Kathy Piechura-Couture of Stetson University, reported that over the four years of pilot study, 55% of boys in the coed classrooms scored proficient on the FCAT, compared with 85% of boys in the all-boys classes.
And also single-sex school is better for socialization of students. Boys have always felt a need to impress girls in the classroom and girls usually feel as though boys are always teasing them. Children are subjected to an avalanche of pressures from every quarter to become adults before they are ready to do so. Single-sex school can let them be children for a few more years. Single sex education with its gentler, more controlled social outlets is just the ticket for many children.
However co-ed school has advantages that singles-sex schools limit. Firstly, students in coed school have more social skill. In co-ed school, males and females have opportunity to cooperate with each other. Co-ed schools foster realistic working environments that would prepare students for their future in the working world and they will be equipped with the right social skills.
Secondly, it is not quite real that students in co-ed schools do not perform as well as students that fostered by single-sex school. From some people’s thinking, single sex school student’s performing better than comparable co-ed school is because that they get much better students. From some extent, co-ed school students can perform as good as single sex school. Looks at co-education in Ireland in the nineties concludes that from co-ed schools actually do best in the Leaving Certificate Examination. And in 2005, boys Victoria School was contemplating going co-education. Those pro-co-ed old boys from the Victoria School list advantages of allowing girls into class. Among the advantages they list was that it would push because reduced places for both sexes would mean only the best would get in.
Furthermore co-ed school is better for students’ personal improvement. From the study, it shows that boys are always good at mathematics and science whereas girls always do much better in literature, English and humanities. Co-ed education can led the boy improve more on literature, English and humanities which girls can do better. Girls can also improve a lot on mathematics and science that are boys’ specialty. Other than that, mixed schools will generally have a much broader range of subjects on offer to their pupils. At Presentation College all subjects taught are offered to girls and boys on an equal footing so that everyone benefits from the wide range of subject choice. For example boys in RI are not available to take subject such as cooking whereas RGS girls have opportunity to take.
Also, students in co-ed schools are more confident than single-sex schools’ students. The Irish Times, in November last year published a summary of the main findings. The report shows that both girls and boys in co-ed school said they were more self confident, well-balanced and better equipped to make new friends than their counterparts in single-sex schools. It is because that friendship develops in a very natural way in co-ed schools because the mixing is a by-product of the event. This friendly atmosphere continues into the classroom allowing young people to express their views openly and assertively.
All in all, coed school is better for students developing and their future. And it can be the best system of education in the future.
