The Benefits of Attending a Girls’ School (with thanks to The National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, USA)
New Interest, Deep Roots
Girls’ schools have been a staple of education for centuries, yet today single-sex learning is one of the most talked-about topics in the national dialog on how best to educate children. But even this latest resurgence of interest has deep roots.
In 1982, Harvard University researcher Carol Gilligan triggered an academic revolution. In her book, In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development, Dr. Gilligan theorized that girls think, interact, display leadership and make decisions in ways unique both psychologically and developmentally. The male-based model, she found, simply did not fit the way girls learn.
Dr. Gilligan’s work, along with a growing awareness of educational disparities between girls and boys, led to a closer examination of what actually goes on in co-ed classrooms. In a 1992 report titled Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America, the American Association of University Women found that girls routinely were called upon less often. Professors Myra and David Sadker echoed those findings in Failing at Fairness: How Schools Shortchange Girls, a compendium of 10 years of their research at American University.
Since then, single-sex education has been the object of increasing scrutiny among researchers, and several major reports have detailed the benefits of all-girl learning environments.
Strong Academics, Individual Attention
For example, a 2005 study conducted for NCGS by the Goodman Research Group of Cambridge, Massachusetts questioned more than 1,000 recent girls’ school graduates. In their freshman year in college at the time of the survey, they were asked to reflect on their school experience, and to evaluate their readiness to make the transition from high school to college… and beyond.
• 95% of recent girls’ school graduates said they were either very or extremely satisfied with their schools’ strong academic curriculum
• 93% said they were very or extremely satisfied with how their schools prepared them for college
• 93% reported they were very or extremely satisfied with the individualized attention they received
• 99% felt more or equally prepared to interact with faculty compared with their peers who attended co-ed schools
• 97% felt more or equally prepared for public speaking compared with their peers who attended co-ed schools
Consistent Data
This data is consistent with an earlier study, conducted by Goodman for NCGS in 2000, surveying 4,274 girls’ school alumnae from a broad range of graduating classes. Here, again, alumnae were overwhelmingly positive in their responses:
• 91% cited preparation for college and academic challenge as very good or excellent
• 88% would repeat the girls’ school experience
• 83% perceived themselves to be better prepared for college than female counterparts from co-ed high schools
• 93% agreed that girls’ schools provide greater leadership opportunities than co-ed schools; 80% had held leadership positions since graduating from high school
• 13% intended to major in math or science, significantly more than females and males nationally (2% and 10% respectively)
Many participants in both Goodman studies volunteered commentary in support of their survey answers. For example:
“I had the best time at my school. I made amazing friends and learned from incredibly talented and enthusiastic teachers. I think I am as well-prepared for college and for life afterward as I could possibly be.”
“I wanted to be in an environment where I could be “real” and I found that at my school. Girls could be who they were and were accepted for that with no excuses.”
“I loved going to an all-girl high school. I owe a lot of my self-confidence, creativity, and sense of responsibility to that school.”
for more, check out http://www.ncgs.org/aboutgirlsschools/thereasearch/2-consistentdata/
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