Single-gender education is a highly debated topic among educators, and argument continues with AB 23, which would prompt new schools to open around the state.
The bill, which has been amended several times, is part of a larger conversation around discrimination and scientific proof. As written in an Education Week op-ed, the bill opens questions about civil rights and segregation under the rouse of school choice.
But proponents point out that STEM or STEAM programs targeting girls help them get a leg up on subjects where women lack influence. Distraction is also an age-old argument for separating male and female students.
So what do you think about single-gender schools? Are there instances where separation is beneficial for students?
Guests:
Carrie Wagner, executive director at Girls Athletic Leadership School in Los Angeles, one of two new all-girls campuses in the LAUSD currently serving 6th and 7th graders
Juliet A. Williams, gender studies professor and chair of the Social Sciences Interdepartmental Program at UCLA; she also authored the book, “The Separation Solution?: Single-Sex Education and the New Politics of Gender Equality” (University of California Press, 2016)