The Washington Diplomat
September 2003
Single-Sex Schools Offer Focused Learning, Unique Programs
by Carolyn Cosmos
"Single-sex education seems to be coming back, although it’s not for everyone," said Father Peter Weigand, headmaster of St. Anselm’s Abbey School in Washington, D.C., a secondary school serving gifted boys. The Washington area is rich in excellent schools, both single sex and coeducational, Weigand added, and students and parents should "choose what’s best for them."
So why would someone select a single-sex school? Meredith Cole, assistant head of marketing and public relations for The Madeira School in McLean, Va., summed up the advocate view: "Boys and girls learn differently."
Many educators at single-sex schools argue that the signature strength of these institutions is their ability to focus on gender-specific learning styles. This includes the capacity to address distinct "age-and-stage" issues and effectively deal with problems that appear at particular phases of growth-difficulties that are often different for girls and boys.
Damon F. Bradley, headmaster of Landon School for boys in Bethesda, Md., agrees that single-sex education is enjoying something of a resurgence, which he attributes partly to an increased awareness of developmental differences between girls and boys.
In discussing some of these differences, Bradley pointed out that boys don’t typically have the same self-control as girls, are more impulsive, less likely to sit still, and more likely to own the proverbial "homework-eating" dog. Thus, boys may have a difficult time meeting educator expectations geared toward girls, and "many are turned off early on. We used to think that schools favored boys, but it’s the boys who are in trouble in our schools," Bradley said.
"We don’t fault them for it," he added. The solution, he said, is to focus on the developmental phases that boys go through, playing to their strong points at each stage and converting any weaknesses into strengths, all of which is easier to implement in a single-sex school environment.
Gender differences can also work against girls, Bradley noted. "When the teacher begins to ask a question, boys will raise their hands before they’ve heard the question," he said. "They’re assured, certain they’ll know. Girls are less impulsive. A girl wants to mull it over. She wants to be sure she knows the answer first. Then she’ll raise her hand."
Cole of The Madeira School said that in schools where girls take all of the roles, self-confidence blooms. She added that boys tend to explore more, whereas girls may need to be encouraged to explore, and in a single-sex setting, that’s an easier task.
To examine the issue more closely, The Washington Diplomat took a look at the three schools that these educators belong to-all of which have taken the single-gender route-with a focus on the signature strengths at each institution.
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Landon in China
Landon School is a college-preparatory all-boys day school for 660 students in grades three through 12. This school, which was founded in 1929, is located in Bethesda, Md., on a 75-acre campus.
Bradley, headmaster since 1990, has received The Washington Post Distinguished Education Leadership Award. Among his proudest accomplishments is the school’s unusual and extensive program in Chinese studies, which Bradley launched and fostered.
The program includes Mandarin Chinese language classes starting in the fifth grade, Chinese cultural studies and activities, and an immersion and travel program that takes students to China to live with host families. The program also brings Chinese students to live here in American homes and fosters teacher exchanges with schools in China. Finally, the program offers a variety of Chinese enrichment activities for students and staff at Landon School, including a food festival celebration during the Chinese New Year.
The program, dubbed "Landon-in-China," is now in its seventh year. It has two full-time teachers, serves some 60 Landon students, and recently teamed up with Landon’s sister school, Holton Arms, which is beginning a similar program that will "pool capabilities" with Landon, Bradley explained. The popular program is expanding as more and more students and parents "see the wisdom of learning Chinese and learning about China-a country of 1.5 billion people," Bradley said. "We felt it was the right thing to do."
"With Asian cultures playing such an important part on the world stage," said Dali Tan, the program’s director, "it’s important to offer students this opportunity to learn." Tan said the Landon-in-China program teaches students how to speak Mandarin and incorporates Chinese culture studies into each language class. "The fifth-grade class is introduction and cultural enrichment," she said, with a focus on numbers, colors and holidays. Grammar studies then begin in the sixth grade, and some Landon students graduate fluent in Mandarin. Two Landon program graduates have continued their Chinese studies thus far-one at Princeton University and the other at Indiana University.
The Landon-in-China program includes a six-week summer immersion and cultural tour led by Tan, where students stay in host homes for two weeks. Although this year’s trip was canceled because of concerns about severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the trip typically includes visits to Beijing and Shanghai and travel to rural areas. One year, students took a tour of the ancient Silk Road.
One interesting advantage of Chinese studies, Tan noted, is the neurological effect of learning Chinese pictographs, an effort that "mobilizes both sides of the brain" instead of just the language-related left hemisphere. "Some studies show this has the potential to help dyslexic children," Tan added.
Tan bubbles with enthusiasm about the program, echoing the pride expressed by others at the school. One of these is Landon senior Raleigh Martin, who was named a 2003 Presidential Scholar and was recognized by President Bush. Allowed to select a teacher who influenced him the most, he named Tan as his greatest inspiration.
Landon’s tuition is $18,600 through the fifth grade and $20,200 for the middle and upper schools. The school provided $1.6 million in financial aid last year and $1.7 million this year. For more information, please call (301) 320-3200 or visit www.landon.net.
Carolyn Cosmos is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.