Single-Sex Education in Wisconsin

Abstract

Single-sex classes in America's K-12 public educational system have been on the rise in the past decade in an effort to close academic gaps between male and female achievement. Studies of single-sex classes in several states show that although outcomes vary, results are generally encouraging. Wisconsin is relatively new to the single-sex education trend, and there are virtually no published studies on the experience of local schools with single-sex education. The study described here is designed to be a step toward addressing this gap, by documenting (1) teachers' and administrators' experiences with and attitudes toward single-sex education in Wisconsin schools that currently offer single-sex classes, and (2) teachers' and administrators' experiences with and attitudes toward single-sex education in Wisconsin schools that once offered single-sex classes but no longer do. Themes observed in this study include the improved learning community in single-sex classes, better relationships between students and teachers, increased student confidence levels, and higher rates of student participation, with the only major drawback being scheduling issues.