Separate But Equal? Ga. County to Have Girls & Boys Classrooms
A public school district in rural Georgia reportedly may be the only one in the nation to educate girls and boys in separate classrooms this fall.
Greene County is implementing the controversial plan in an effort to encourage students of both sexes to pay more attention to their schoolwork and less to each other, according to the Associated Press.
Superintendent Shawn McCollough, the news agency writes, “pointed to research showing that boys and girls learn differently, and said separating them will allow teachers to tailor their lessons. Also, boys won’t misbehave as much because they will no longer be trying to impress the girls, and the girls will be more likely to speak up in class because they won’t be afraid to look smart in front of the boys, he said.”
Leonard Sax, who heads the National Association for Single Sex Public Education, called the move illegal.
But Samara Yudof, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Education Department, says officials “do not have sufficient facts to determine if the district would be in compliance” with federal law.
