GENDER INCLUSIVE EDUCATION Why Do We Say Gender Inclusive is Best for Everyone? At The York School, we believe that a strong sense of belonging is essential to both learning and personal growth. As a gender-inclusive school since our founding in 1965, we’ve seen firsthand how an environment that embraces all students, regardless of gender, fosters deeper connections, greater empathy, and a stronger community. Our approach aligns with the American Psychological Association’s stance that coeducational schooling not only supports academic success, but also promotes essential social skills and attitudes that students carry with them throughout their lives.¹ That is why many of the world’s leading independent schools began moving away from single-sex education to coeducation beginning in the 1960s.² Research studies have demonstrated that classrooms segregated by gender limit children’s opportunities to develop a broader range of behaviours and attitudes - behaviours and attitudes that are critical to lifelong learning and social adjustment. And we know that single-sex education doesn’t necessarily lead to better academic outcomes, and this too is backed up by research. ³ Studies show that students in coeducational environments, like ours, develop a broader range of skills, including emotional intelligence and adaptability. At The York School, we take pride in our inclusive approach, which allows students to grow into well-rounded individuals, prepared for both academic success and the challenges of an ever-evolving world. Everyday in our corridors and classrooms, across all grades and divisions, we see the proof of these studies playing out in real time before our eyes.
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There is a mountain of research... showing that segregation by race or gender feeds stereotypes... The adult world is an integrated world... The best thing we can do is provide that environment for children in school as we prepare them for adulthood.” Professor Janet Hyde, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison
We see groups of friends - boys and girls together - laughing over shared jokes, climbing, jumping and playing at Junior School recess, working on projects and studying together. We see cafeteria tables where everybody is welcome. We see science partners and project groups that are varied and mixed. We see friendship circles that are large, overlapping, flexible, and open.
¹Pahlke, E., Shibley Hyde, J., Allison, Carlie M., ‘The Effects of Single-Sex Compared with Coeducational Schooling on Students’ Performance and Attitudes: A Meta-Analysis’, Psychological Bulletin (2014), Vol. 140, No. 4, 1042-1072; Halpern, D.F., Eliot, L., Bigler, R.S., Fabes, R.A., Hanish, L.D., Hyde, J., Liben, L.S., Martin, C.L., ‘The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling’, Science (2011), Vol. 333 (6050), 1706-1707. ²Andover in 1973; Boston Latin in 1972; Choate Rosemary in 1974; Deerfield Academy in 1989; Harvard Westlake in 1991; Horace Mann in 1968, Hotchkiss in 1974; Phillips Exeter in 1970; The Perse School (2012); Westminster School in 1973; Winchester College (UK) in 2022; ³Dabrowski, A., Donoghue, G., ‘Single-sex schools: we wouldn’t segregate kids by race, so why do we still do it by gender?’, The Conversation, July 14, 2015; Dabrowski, A., ‘Single-sex schooling relies on myths of higher achievement’, The Conversation, March 24, 2014.