During the 2006/2007 school year in Savannah-Chatham, a little over 16% (over 6,700 students) of the student population got popped for at least a day of out-of-school suspension.
35% were girls.
In the elementary grades, suspensions are about 75% male, 25% female. Middle school is closer to the 65-35 percentage, and by high school its closer to a 60%/40% split.
Research out of Israel shows that having more girls in the class improves scholastic achievement of girls and boys. It also helps with the general classroom environment:
"An exploration of the mechanisms of the gender peer effects shows that a higher proportion of females in a class leads to a better classroom and learning environment. Students who have more female peers report a lower level of classroom violence and disruption, better relationships with other students and teachers, and a higher level of satisfaction with their school."
The benefits were found mostly when the girl population exceeded 55%--so in a class of 20, at least 12 should be girls.
There has been much talk latelyof segragating classes by sex--all boys and all girls. This works fine for girls but it comes at a net loss of academic success for boys.
2 comments:
Interesting data in light of the push for same sex classrooms. This might be an interesting post for you to submit to the education carnival.
The Atlanta Journal blog, Get Schooled, mentioned same sex schools today or yesterday. The writer was going to observe some of the pilot schools in Atlanta. The link to Get Schooled is on my blogroll.
So, according to this research, my kindergarten-aged niece, who is one of 13 girls in a class of 16 total children, should be just fine.
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