Schools are raising standards to improve academic and technical achievement and intellectual growth for all groups of students, particularly at-risk students. This newsletter contains tools and strategies that school leaders and teachers are using successfully to help students meet higher expectations. It organizes the techniques into five…

Addresses the "terribly traumatic" experience of many girls in their passage through adolescence. Examines the response of schools to this reported cultural crisis by reviewing the literature on successful programs for adolescent girls since 1994 and by reporting the results of a survey of 20 middle schools in the Tidewater Virginia area. (SG)

Considered are advantages of summer science programs limited to young high school women. Same sex courses are seen to eliminate unconscious gender bias in instruction and counter tendencies for female students to be less involved in science, mathematics, and computer activities. Four specific programs are briefly described. (DB)

Responses from 42 of 55 female and 92 of 110 male agriculture teachers revealed traditional preferences for instructional areas, although some equity progress was indicated by females preferring agricultural mechanics. Support for traditional beliefs in the advantages of single-sex classrooms was found, although male teachers acknowledged…

Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational institutions that receive federal financial assistance. This digest focuses on the theme of single-sex education. Articles featured in this issue include: (1) "Single-Sex Education" (Diane S. Pollard); (2) "A Legal Framework for Single-Sex…

Examined adolescents views about sex education, specifically their views about interaction in single- and mixed-sex groups. Surveys of English secondary school students indicated that most girls, and one-third of boys, want some or all of their sex education to be delivered in single-sex groups. Girls' experiences of sex education with boys…

Examines data collected from a girls-only physics class in a public coeducational high school. Interview and observation data from this class, as well as from coeducational physics classes taught by the same teacher, illustrate that the girls in the single-sex class made substantial gains in both academic achievement and in perceptions of…

Describes a study that examined gender differences and the process of Internet-assisted inquiry in a single-sex, technology-enhanced environment. Results indicate that female students in a single-sex environment display similar behaviors as male students do when engaging in technology-enhanced activities. Discusses student attitudes and…

A collaborative model based on feminist pedagogy was used to assess gender-specific programs for juvenile female offenders. Criteria for the provision of emotional and physical safety and cultural appropriateness were used to identify areas for improvement, especially in terms of discourse, consensus, and equity in voice. (SK)

How have presidential leadership strategy, decision approaches, and institutional culture preferences influenced fund-raising effectiveness at a historically Black college for women? These conceptual dimensions guided a qualitative study that interviewed three recent Spelman College presidents and investigated documentary evidence to develop an…

A summer math class for gifted girls (grades 5-9) was established and conducted by a female instructor for 3 weeks. The class involved take-home work, puzzles, problem solving, and computer work. Parents and students were satisfied with the enrichment class, but questions remained concerning such an approach's legality, the advisability of…

Evaluates a program of single-sex mathematics classes at one coeducational high school three years apart by focusing on parents' perceptions. Concludes that in both years more parents supported the program than were opposed to it and support appeared to have waned over the three-year period. Contains 38 references. (Author/ASK)

Middle school students who participated in both single-sex and coeducational physical education (PE) classes completed questionnaires eliciting their opinions on perceived abilities, affinity toward PE, and preferences for coeducational and same-sex classes. Most students liked PE, preferred same-sex classes, and rated themselves highly on PE…

Points out the sex differences in enrollment in computer science courses and less experience among females with computers. Discusses female confidence in computer use in single sex classrooms, and indicates the increasing confidence level and more risk taking among female students. Describes components of a successful program and the importance of…

Efforts to design the most appropriate learning environments for adolescents frequently lead to discussions of separate-sex versus coeducational schooling. Arguments and research supporting both types of schooling have been made, particularly as they relate to academic, socioemotional, and interpersonal development. The conduct of physical…