Evaluating Single-Sex and Co-Ed Schools
Written by Talia Avrahami
Winter is ending and spring is beginning; the time for choosing a Jewish day school is near and one of the biggest questions that parents and students face is whether to enroll in a single-sex or a co-ed school. Boys’ schools, girls’ schools, and co-ed schools have existed for centuries and each model clearly has its own strengths and weaknesses that are worth evaluating.
Education
Academically, scientific research demonstrates that girls perform better in single-sex environments. There are a variety of theories for this; one idea is that females — who tend to be more polite, respectful, and tzanua (modest) — do not want to aggressively compete with their male counterparts in the classroom, especially not if that means interrupting or talking over someone. Another theory is simply that boys and girls learn differently, so teachers are able to better tailor their instruction when their classroom is somewhat more homogenous. Regardless of why girls (and sometimes boys) learn better in single-sex environments, the simple fact of the matter is that they do.
Behavior
Psychologically, males and females are simply different. Females usually have more volume in the prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, superior temporal cortex, lateral parietal cortex, and insula, whereas males have more volume in the ventral temporal and occipital regions. Basically, many of the differences between boys and girls are hard-wired down to brain composition. Girls tend to mature quicker than boys, for example. Moreover — in co-ed environments — boys feel socially pressured by girls and this is part of why they sometimes act out. Furthermore, they feel the need to impress each other, especially once puberty starts, instead of focusing that energy on academic work and behaving appropriately.
Halakha
Textually, the vast majority of poskim (halakhic scholars) rule that co-ed schools are either assur (forbidden) or at least problematic. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ZTVK”L, for example, argued that co-ed schools are definitely assur for children who have started puberty and possibly even for children who have not yet started puberty. Even Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik — a progressive founder of Modern Orthodoxy — was dismayed that he was forced to open a co-ed school because of numbers, instead of separate schools for boys and girls.
Hashkafa
In a single-sex school, it is easier to transmit values pertaining to each sex. A morah (female teacher) in a single-sex school can simply delve into more depth and have more meaningful conversations when everyone around is a woman or a girl. Likewise, a rebbe (male teacher) in a single-sex school can form a more meaningful bond with a boy in a boys’ school. A male teacher simply cannot (and should not) have as close of a rapport with a female student and a female teacher simply cannot (and should not) have as close of a rapport with a male student.
Socialization
Learning to speak with a wide variety of people is a necessary key skill of the modern world and co-ed schools naturally offer more of this. In a single-sex school, students are at-risk of becoming sheltered and not understanding how to speak to or interact with the opposite sex — which is about half of the world population. However, it is important to remember that not all schools are fully co-ed or single-sex. For example, both Manhattan Day School and Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey offer the best of both worlds. These are schools with both boys and girls, but classes are separated by sex. This means that students obtain all of the aforementioned benefits of single-sex schools, but with the added benefits of socialization skills that co-ed schools offer, because these schools still have opportunities for some mixed socialization.
When considering which school is best for your child (or for yourself), it is essential to consider all of the various components. Is the school in line with your hashkafa (philosophical outlook)? Do the teachers have training in pedagogy? Is it close enough to where you live? Whether a school is single-sex or co-ed is a critical piece of the puzzle, but it should not be the only factor that influences your decision.
Boys’ schools, girls’ schools, and co-ed schools have existed for centuries and each model clearly has its own strengths and weaknesses that are worth evaluating.
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