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Research on Single-Sex Education for Girls
Documenting the effectiveness if single-sex education for girls and young women is at the core of the NCGS mission. And the evidence in support of girls' schools abounds!
We have compiled a good deal of the findings in our publication, What the Research Shows, which includes a section on the cutting-edge findings of neuroscience as researchers decode the interaction of Gender & the Brain.
For additional information, see the studies listed below or visit the websites of our Member Schools for insights into the full diversity of today's girls' school community.
NCGS Young Alumnae Survey: The Girls' School Experience
Recent graduates of single-sex schools for girls report high levels of satisfaction with their educational experience and their preparedness for college, according to a study performed for NCGS by the Goodman Research Group, Inc. The survey of more than 1,000 alumnae of the Class of 2004 from 61 girls' schools nationwide found that:
- 95% of survey respondents were very or extremely satisfied with their schools' ability to provide a rigorous academic curriculum
- 93% were very or extremely satisfied with their preparation for the academic challenges of college
- 90% would probably or definitely attend a girls' school if they had to do it all over again
Achievement, Leadership & Success
A Report on Educational, Professional, and Life Outcomes at Girls' Schools in the United States
Largely absent from the national dialog on single-sex education have been the voices of girls' school
graduates themselves. To provide such data, the Goodman Research Group survey more than 4,000 NCGS member
schools alumnae. Alumnae responses to the survey clearly send a strong message that
there are positive experiences and outcomes associated with attending a
girls' school.
» Achievement, Leadership & Success
Other Studies:
Examines gender differences in rates of participation and completion of undergraduate education, focusing on changes over time in college enrollment, associate's and bachelor's degree awards, and the demographic and enrollment characteristics of undergraduate men and women. The analysis also examines trends in high school academic preparation, postsecondary persistence and degree completion, and early labor market outcomes among bachelor's degree recipients. (The National Center for Education Statistics)
Trends in Educational Equity of Girls & Women: 2004
"This report draws upon a wide range of published and unpublished statistical materials to present an overview of the educational status of girls and women in the United States. Trends in Educational Equity for Girls & Women contains a selection of indicators that illustrate the educational gains made by females in recent years as well as areas where gaps continue to exist." (The National Center for Education Statistics)
Are Girls Victims of Gender Bias in Our Nation's Schools?
"To understand the position of girls and women in education requires an understanding of changing structures and complex processes and a commitment to breaking down the barriers which continue to result in female disadvantage. If America is to hold the best possible future for our people and civilization, she cannot afford to waste a primary resource--our nation's girls and women." (Sherry Lynn Owens, Bobbie C. Smothers, Fannye E. Love in theJournal of Instructional Psychology)
The Impact of School Size and Single-Sex Education on Performance
This British study examined student performance data from 979 primary and 2,954 secondary schools. Among its objectives was to test assertions that single-sex education can be beneficial for girls and boys alike. The study concluded that:
- Girls' schools help counter gender-stereotyping in subject choices
- Girls in single-sex schools perform better than girls in co-ed schools
- Boys with low prior academic achievement score slightly better on the GCSE (a standardized test required for graduation) in boys' schools than in co-ed schools
- Boys in single-sex grammar schools perform better than those in co-ed grammar schools
(National Foundation for Educational Research, United Kingdom)
Career Aspirations of Adolescent Girls: Effects of Achievement Level, Grade and Single-Sex School Environment
The authors conclude: "Girls at all levels of achievement in the
single-sex schools received a... benefit from the single-sex school
environment in terms of heightened career aspirations-an effect
unprecedented in any other portion of our study."(Cary M. Watson, Teri Quatman, Erik Edler in Sex Roles: A Journal of Research)
"Boys and Girls Perform Better at School in Single-Sex Environments"
Dr. Ken Rowe, Principal Research Fellow at the Australian Council
for Educational Research, says "co-educational settings are limited in
their capacity to accommodate the large differences in cognitive,
social and developmental growth rates of girls and boys between the
ages of 12 and 16. In contrast... evidence suggests that during these
key adolescent years, single-sex settings better accommodate the
specific developmental needs of students." (Second National Conference on Co-education, Australia)
