ACLU Takes Aim at Single-Sex Educational Programs

The American Civil Liberties Union has released a preliminary report which shows that single-sex schools across the country are operating on theories that are unfounded in science and rooted in gender stereotypes.

“Too many of these programs are based on sweeping and unfounded generalizations that assume that all girls learn one way and all boys learn a different way,” said Amy L. Katz, cooperating attorney with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project. “All meaningful studies of these programs show that they don’t improve academics, but they do foster stereotypes and do a disservice to kids who don’t fit these artificial distinctions.”

In order to safeguard against sex discrimination, federal law prohibits coeducational schools from implementing single-sex programs unless they meet extremely stringent legal requirements. At a minimum, schools must offer a persuasive justification for the decision to institute single-sex programming based on something other than stereotypes. There must be evidence that the sex separation will improve student performance, the separation has to be determined on a class-by-class basis, the programs must be completely voluntary, and a substantially equal co-educational alternative must be available.

The ACLU report shows lack of compliance with these requirements is widespread. In addition to basing programs on stereotypes, some schools required students who did not wish to participate in sex-separated classes to enroll in another school, while others failed to alert parents that they could opt out of the classes.

“We all want to find the answer to fix schools that are in crisis, but simply separating boys and girls is not going to fix anything,” said Christina Brandt-Young, attorney with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project. “Supporters of these programs claim they’re giving parents a choice, but all our findings have shown that in a significant number of cases, there is no coeducational option available. An option based on methods that have been never been proven to be effective is not a valid choice at all.”

The ACLU is continuing to collect data on single-sex educational programs in 15 states. The preliminary report can be accessed here.

 

Related Articles

Latest News

Data Shows High Attrition Rates for Women in STEM Degree Programs

For women who began their four-year college career in a STEM discipline, 14 percent dropped out of college and 32 percent switched to a non-STEM major before earning their degree.

Monique Guillory Named Ninth President of Dillard University

Dr. Guillory has served as Dillard University's interim president for the past seven months. Her background includes over three decades of higher education administration experience.

Lynne Coy-Organ Is the First Woman President of Husson University

Lynne Coy-Organ has been named the first woman president of Husson University in Maine. She has served as the university's provost and senior vice president for academic affairs for the past 15 years.

Donna Hedgepath Will Be the First Woman President of Wayland Baptist University

Current provost of Campbellsville University in Kentucky, Donna Hedgepath, has been named president of Wayland Baptist University in Texas, making her the first woman to be selected for the position.

Three Women Scholars Appointed to Provost Positions

The new provosts are Elizabeth Dumont at the University of California, Merced, Marguerite Giguette at Xavier University in New Orleans, and Margaret Brown Marsden at Midwestern State University in Texas.

MOSDOH – Dean of the Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health

The dean serves as the chief academic and administrative officer for MOSDOH, leading a mission-driven dental school known for innovation, community partnerships, and service to the underserved.

Vice President for Administrative Services and Chief Financial Officer

The successful candidate will have a strong financial and administrative background and demonstrated ability to excel in a fast-paced, dynamic and complex community college that values integrity, excellence, empowerment, inclusiveness, collaboration and stewardship.

Instructional Professor in Law, Letters, and Society (Open Rank)

The Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago is now accepting applications for a full-time Instructional Professor who will teach in the program in Law, Letters, and Society.

Instructor, Economics

The Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics at the University of Chicago invites applications for tenure-track faculty positions in Economics at the Instructor position level to begin in the 2025-26 academic year and is renewable for up to three years.

Vice Chancellor for Student Success

The Vice Chancellor for Student Success will be a strategic, student-centered, data-informed, systems thinker who thrives in a fast paced, high-achieving environment.