Single-Sex Schooling

Single-sex schooling refers to the provision of education to children in an environment consisting solely of members of the same gender, that is, allboy or all-girl classes or schools. Renewed interest in single-sex schooling revisits questions of appropriate curriculum for students according to their performance, abilities, and talents as well as their gender. Since 2002 and the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, single-sex schooling has emerged as a potential means of enhancing student performance. Understanding the potential implications of single-sex schooling for gifted students requires a grasp of the historical background of the reform, as well as an awareness of research that has explored the effectiveness and the perceived benefits of creating single-sex classes and schools, as described in this entry.