Single Sex vs Co-educational schools

Those observant of you may have noticed my little countdown to our first child. This has ignited an old debate at home whether our students should go to a co-educational or single sex school.

I started out in teaching with the intent to teach in an underprivileged school, which I am now doing and very much enjoying. I had the privilege of teaching in a single sex girls school for my first semester of teaching. I can't say it was my greatest achievement in life, I pulled the pin after 6 months as I was unable to sustain the pace required with my limited experience. It did show me something more important though - Girls are more focussed, happier, more effective and achieve at higher levels without the competition and distraction of boys.

When I was seventeen, I spent a lot of time with boys from one of the local independent boys schools and leveraged their connections and knowedge of the Perth marketplace for much of my corporate career. I could not have achieved as I had in corporate life without these connections and attitudes picked up from these lads.

In my experience with both the boys and girls school students, both had clear ideas of their own values and what they expected in those they associated with. I did not see the sheer amount of students clearly lacking workable values systems.

At this time it is my intent that our baby will go to a single sex religious high school regardless of sex of the child for these widely different but equally valid reasons. Perth is a small place and any advantage that I can give my children I will attempt to do.

As I rediscover research supporting or disputing evidence of this position I will post away.