By COLlive reporter
The Associated Press reported Monday how dozens of public schools across the U.S. are being targeted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a bitter struggle over whether single-gender learning should be continued.
Single-gender classes began proliferating after the U.S. Education Department relaxed restrictions in 2006. An estimated 500 public schools across the country offer some all-boy and all-girl classrooms, the article said.
The practice has long been a standard in private religious and Orthodox Jewish schools in America for decades now, notwithstanding claims of “segregation.”
“Torah explains, men and women are very different—biologically, psychologically, physiologically and in just about every area,” explains writer and lecturer Chana Weisberg in an article about the topic on Judaism site Chabad.org.
“We communicate differently (thus the best seller “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”) and we learn differently. When we are with peers of the same gender we feel less of a need to prove ourselves and we can each learn in a more comfortable environment conducive to academic growth.”
AP reports that proponents argue the separation allows for a tailored instruction and cuts down on gender-driven distractions among boys and girls.
But critics decry the practice as promoting harmful gender stereotypes and depriving kids of equal educational opportunities.
The ACLU claimed that it conflicts with the U.S. Constitution and Title IX, a federal law banning gender discrimination in education. (The same organization who fought – and failed – to forbid Chabad from placing Menorahs on public property).
“The pressures on teenagers in mixed gendered schools to become involved in intimate experiences way before they are ready is astounding and evidence enough for the problems of such a system,” says Weisberg, author of “Tending the Garden: The Unique Gifts of the Jewish Woman.”
“Add to that the plummeting self-esteem of so many teens (girls especially, but boys as well) and their self-critical body images (sometimes leading to food disorders and other serious illnesses) and you can see how the system is ripe for disaster.”
Responding to the claim that the practice affects communication with the opposite gender later in life, Weisberg says: “Being a part of the “segregated” orthodox communities, I have never heard this to be a problem. When the time is right, the young man and woman might feel shy at first, but the barriers are quickly broken, if the two are meant for one another, and they quickly learn the necessary social skills.”
Segregated schools are good, but we have plenty of (normal human experience) problems with self esteem in our community.
Denial is not helpful.
Very interesting and well-written article.
“The practice has long been a standard in private religious and Orthodox Jewish schools in America for decades now, ”
This is also true of (Many…some?) non-Jewish parochial schools.
The ACLU claimed that it conflicts with the U.S. Constitution and Title IX, a federal law banning gender discrimination in education.”
Is gender discrimination permitted when it results in health and welfare, and is not done out of hatred? What about mixed lavatories? Is this OK?
The Torah is not only good for us spiritually, it gives us a good life in this world — chayei olam, and spares us a lot of unnecessary grief. We are give free choice to do what we want, but Hashem hopes we will choose life, u-vacharta ba-chaim.
and camps should be separated too. (older kids) Otherwise why are they called chabad?
what does your comment have to do with the article?
girls are more educated in many ways