Single-Gender Online Classes Are Another Option

JANET GUAN
Copy Editor

All-girls schools and all-boys schools are scattered across the U.S., but the option of having a single-gender online class has not been available until four private girls’ schools collaborated in 2009 to form the first single-gender online school and online private school for middle to high school students. Online School for Girls has included international students since its start, and plans to implement and advise an all-boys program this school year.

Having a single-gender class as an option is beneficial, since some students may feel more comfortable in that environment. However, the controversial point of this program lies in separating the boys and girls. Online School for Girls mentions in its history page that people of different genders don’t learn the same way. The association is based on various studies, from how girls learn best when using technology to how stereotypes affect learning. Scientists may have concluded from studies that genders learn differently, but everyone has varying learning styles regardless of gender. One girl will have separate preferences compared to another girl, and the same applies to boys. Rather than separating genders on the basis that they learn in distinct ways, single-gender classes should be treated as an option for students who may feel more comfortable in that environment. As long as the students are provided the same classes to choose from, and the classes are not taught differently, Online School for Girls and Online School for Boys are just alternatives for learning.