How would you propose to draw the policy line, given that there would be
strong
feelings on both sides pulling at the schools? Your reasons for not wanting
institutionalization of single-sex schools is good--but did you know that
there
are already public single-sex schools in California? We need to watch
against
the talibanization of schooling.
Linda Purrington
<lpurring@earthlink.net>
Kay Gilliland wrote:
Reply concerning segregated classes: I, too, spent my junior and senior
college years in an all women's school, Mills College, and have always felt
myself fortunate. Further, I support experiments in public schools, if>
only
for the Hawthorne effect. I would not want all colleges and universities
to be single sex, and I would not want to institutionalize single sex
classes
in public schools. The primary reason in my mind is that the public will
not
adequately support financially the schools for girls by comparison with the
schools for boys. Slowly but surely, the money will gravitate toward the
boys. I understand that even prisons spend more money per person on men
than on women. I am not willing to take a chance on the development of
inferior
schools for some. We already have this situation with regard to low income
students (a large percentage of low income students' money goes for
policing
of various sorts, so be careful with statistics that say the same amount is
spent per student) to our vast shame. Instead of separating the sexes,
let's make school more active and involving and engaging, then require the
same
courteous behavior of boys that we require of girls.
Kay Gilliland
14240 Skyline Blvd.,
Oakland, CA 94619-3626
510/638-6393
<GillilandK@aol.com>
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