Single-sex elementary classrooms in Idaho violated federal law

MIDDLETON — The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has determined that school officials in Middleton violated federal law when they segregated elementary students into single-sex classrooms a decade ago.

Middleton Heights Elementary separated students in second, third and fourth grades on the basis of sex between 2006 and 2015, joining dozens of other districts around the country that embraced the concept of putting boys and girls in separate classrooms.
The federal agency’s finding came in response to a complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Idaho documenting violations of a federal law that prohibits gender discrimination in education.

“We are pleased that Middleton Heights Elementary will return to a coeducational model,” said Galen Sherwin, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project. “School children in Middleton Heights Elementary deserve educational improvements, but there is no evidence that single-sex classrooms are effective in improving outcomes. Strategies for improving instruction should be based on solid evidence, not pseudoscience and stereotypes about the way boys and girls learn and behave.”

The school district’s decision to segregate students based on sex was based on the theories of Michael Gurian and Leonard Sax, two private education consultants who have written popular books espousing the theory that boys’ and girls’ brains are fundamentally different, according to the ACLU of Idaho’s claims.

Middleton School District No. 134 embraced those ideas and implemented them in the classroom, explaining to parents that “boys and girls learn differently” and that their purpose was “to educate according to those differences,” according to ACLU claims.

The ACLU claimed the school provided boys with more space to move around and that teachers asked boys questions about actions during English class. For girls, questions in English classes focused on characters’ emotions. Teachers emphasized competition for boys and cooperation for girls.

During the investigation, the school district officials stated rationale for the segregation was that boys were reading at a lower level than girls, and therefore needed teaching more directed at boy students.

The Department of Education concluded that the district had not adequately justified separating the boys from the girls for all subjects in all grades.

At the conclusion of the federal investigation, Middleton Heights Elementary agreed this year to revert to co-educational classrooms. Under an agreement with the Department of Education, signed by Middleton School District’s Superintendent last month, the district will institute training for administration and staff related to gender discrimination and will remain under Department of Education supervision at least through the end of the 2019–2020 school year.

Middleton Superintendent Josh Middleton on Wednesday reaffirmed the district’s commitment to the co-educational classroom model.

“There are currently no single-gender classrooms nor is there any intention of having single-gender classes in the immediate future,” Middleton wrote in a statement. “The district acknowledges that if the practice was to be implemented again, (the Office for Civil Rights) approved training would be required. In the meantime, the outstanding educators of Middleton School District strive to meet and exceed its mission of ‘Every Child Learning Every Day.’”

In its review, the education department also found that the boys’ classrooms had lower student-to-teacher ratios than its girls’ and co-ed classrooms, in all instances except one. Similarly, although the district’s stated objective for single-sex instruction for girls was to “improve math and science interest and proficiency among girls,” the Department of Education found that the district “provided no data showing that girls attending MHES were underachieving in math and science.”

In both cases, the department found that the school had failed to provide justification for single-sex instruction across all subjects and for different grade levels.

“It took the Department of Education several years to conclude its investigation, but we are glad to see that it has been resolved to the benefit of students,” said ACLU of Idaho Executive Director Leo Morales in a news release. “Moving forward, we hope the school will honor the unique learning styles of each individual student, as opposed to letting gender stereotypes dictate teaching methods.”

This article was originally published in the Idaho Press-Tribune. It is used here with permission.