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Concept for the Establishment of

Two Single-Gender Secondary Schools in 2007-2008

Atlanta Public Schools

Dr. Beverly L. Hall, Superintendent

Byron Barnes, Assistant Principal on Special Assignment

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OverviewThe purpose of this presentation is to discuss the

positive impact single-gender schools have on student

achievement. During the presentation I will provide:• Research on the benefits of single-gender education• National and local history of single-gender education• A case for change at Benjamin S. Carson Middle

School • Highlight achievement at recently visited single-

gender public schools • Identify constituency support• Legal status of single-gender public education• Next steps

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Outcome The establishment of two single-gender

secondary schools serving grades 6-12 phased in over time in the northwest corridor beginning in the 2007-2008 school year.

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What does the research say about

single-gender schools?

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United States Department of Education • 148-page report released in September 2005 revealed

favorable results for single-gender schools.

• Hundreds of quantitative and qualitative studies were reviewed for this report. The results of these studies revealed single-gender schools can positively impact student achievement in all subject areas and encourage students to have higher aspirations for post-secondary education and careers.

• 100% of the studies on career aspirations of students found that students in single-gender schools set higher goals to attain.

• Boys and girls were more likely to be enrolled in higher levels of math and science classes while attending single-gender schools.

• Key areas such as academic achievement, self-concept, aspirations for graduation and goals to attend college showed a degree of support for single-gender schooling.

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Brief History of Single-Gender Public Schools

• Western High School for Girls (Baltimore) – established in 1844 and is still in existence

• The Philadelphia High School for Girls – established in 1848 and is still in existence– 98% of the graduates attend institutions of

higher learning – One of several distinguished graduates: Shirley Franklin, Mayor of Atlanta

• Currently 209 single-gender public classrooms or schools throughout the United States. Many in urban cities such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Houston.

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Single-Gender Public Education in Atlanta

Atlanta has a long history of single-gender secondary and post-secondary schools.

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Atlanta Public Schools• At the founding of Atlanta Public

Schools in 1872– Girls High School established– Boys High School established

• The schools operated until 1947 when – Girls High merged with co-ed Roosevelt– Grady High School for Boys merged with

Tech High to form the co-ed school we still know as Grady High School

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Post-Secondary Single-Gender Schools in Atlanta

• Spelman College – Founded 1881

• Morehouse College – Founded as Augusta Institute in 1876 (relocated to Atlanta 1879, name changed to Morehouse in 1913)

• Agnes Scott College – Founded as the Decatur Female Seminary in 1889 (name changed to Agnes Scott in 1906)

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Single-Gender Schools visited:

The Young Women’s Leadership

Academy - East Harlem

The Eagle Academy for Young Men -

Bronx

Urban Assembly Academy for History

and Citizenship - Bronx

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The Young Women’s Leadership Academy

• Title I School

• Placed 100% of their graduating classes of 2004 and 2005 into colleges.

• 2005 New York State Regents exams – Greater than 90% passing rate in math and

science.

• Daily attendance was over 90% from 2002 to 2004. Attendance rate averaged 8.7% higher than other schools in the New York City school system.

• 0.8% high school dropout rate in 2003-04

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The Eagle Academy for Young Men • Title I School

• Highlighted in the Jan 30, 2006, edition of Newsweek for accomplishments in working with boys.

• Partners with the 100 Black Men and other organizations and businesses to provide a mentor for almost all of its students.

• 2005 New York State Regents exams– 97% passing rate in science– 100% passing rate in math

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Urban Assembly Academy for History and Citizenship

• Title I School

• Daily attendance rate was greater than 90% for the first part of this school year.

• 2005 New York State Regents exam– greater than 90% passing rate in math

• Only 10-15% of the students did not return this year and, according to the administration, this percentage was primarily due to student mobility.

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Why do we want to implement single-gender schools in the Atlanta Public Schools?

As a system, we have a responsibility to address cycles of poor achievement that exists in schools.

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United States Census Bureau’s data for the Carson Community as of 2000

Population: 28,730

Educational Attainment:Percent less than high school: 41.1Percent high school graduate or higher: 59

Employment:Percent not in labor force: 50.8Percent unemployed: 9.9

Selected Household Characteristics:

Percent of grandparents responsible for grandchildren: 50.9

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Though improvements in student achievement have

been made by the students at Carson, the data

indicates:

• Carson met AYP in 2005. However, Carson is and

has been in “needs improvement” status for 6+ years

• When comparing Carson’s Spring 2004 Criterion-

Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) results to 24

other middle schools within a 10-mile radius – Carson ranked 25th in CRCT reading scores

– 24th in CRCT math scores and

– tied for 24th in CRCT language arts scores

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Community Partners and School Support

• 100 Black Men of Atlanta

• The Links Organization

• Emory University

• Spelman College

• Morehouse College

• Atlanta Housing Authority

• Other Critical Partners

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What are the legalities?

On March 3, 2004, a provision was added to the No Child Left Behind Act that provided local school districts the flexibility to create single-gender classrooms and schools. Guidelines for school districts have been provided by the US-DOE to ensure that single-gender schools comply with Title IX.

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What are the legalities? According to the Atlanta Public Schools legal

staff, arguments both for and against single-gender public schools have been heard by various courts, and the Supreme Court has never ruled directly on the constitutionality of single-gender public secondary schools.  However, we believe that research supports the administration’s view that the academic objectives underlying the development of high quality, single-gender public school programs can be met best by this educational approach and survive legal challenges that may arise.

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Brief Timeline• February 2006 – Commissioned Assistant Principal on Special

Assignment for single-gender schools concept development

• March 2006 – Begin planning of the Portfolio Design, Instructional Programs and development of Student Support Systems

• Spring 2006 – Develop the communications and community engagement plans.

• Fall 2006 – Selection process to identify principals for both the girls and boys schools.

• Early Spring 2007 – Select staff for the new schools

• 2007-2008 – Open single-gender schools at separate sites with first class of 6th graders.

– 7th and 8th grade co-ed students will remain in a separate academic setting through their matriculation into high school.

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2006-2007 School Year

Grove Park

Boyd

Scott

A. D. Williams

Woodson

Ben Carson Co-ed School 2006-2007

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2006-2007 5th Grade Students

Five Co-Ed Elementary Schools

Single-Gender Academy for Girls 2007-2008

Single-Gender Academy for Boys 2007-2008

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Projected Enrollment 2007-08

Grade Girls Boys Total

7th 127 170 297

8th 149 132 281

Total 578

Co-ed School

1726th

GirlsGrade

School for Girls

1626th

BoysGrade

School for Boys

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Grade Level Trend

 

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

2013-2014

Carson Co-ed 6th-8th 7th-8th 8th Phased Out        

Single-Gender Academies

Planning 6th 6th-7th 6th-8th 6th-9th 6th-10th 6th-11th 6th-12th

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Single-gender schools will:

1. Provide instructional programs that address the unique academic, social and emotional needs of young boys and girls.

2. Establish high quality rigorous, instructional environments that are rich with tangible instructional materials and multimedia resources.

3. Increase student retention by improving support among parents and community partners.

4. Increase the number of students who are ready for post-secondary educational and career opportunities.

Goals of Single-Gender Academies

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Please review the FAQ’s and Fact Sheet for other

information.