"What the research shows is that separating by sex is not the solution to gender inequity in education," said Maggie Ford, President of the AAUW Educational Foundation. "When elements of a good education are present, girls and boys succeed."

Since the release of AAUW's 1992 report How Schools Shortchange Girls-The AAUW Report that found pervasive gender bias in grades K-12, there has been rapid growth of single-sex education in public schools. In response, the AAUW Educational Foundation convened a roundtable of the country's foremost researchers to compare findings on single-sex education. Containing highlights of this roundtable together with an extensive literature review, Separated by Sex provides a comprehensive inquiry into the complex educational issues raised by the separation of students by sex.

Research findings include:

• There is no evidence in general that single-sex education works or is better for girls than coeducation.
• When elements of a good education are present, girls and boys succeed. Elements include small classes and schools, equitable teaching practices, and focused academic curriculum.
• Some kinds of single-sex programs produce positive results for some students including a preference for math and science among girls. While girls' achievement has improved in some single-sex schools, there is no significant improvement in girls' achievement in single-sex classes.
• There is no escape from sexism in single-sex schools and classes.
• Single-sex classes in particular disrupt the coeducational public school environment.

Among the positive results of some single-sex programs in the report are: a heightened regard by girls for math and science; an increase in girls' risk-taking; and a gain in girls' confidence from academic competence. However, there is debate among researchers on whether these benefits derive from factors unique to single-sex programs or factors that promote good education such as small classes and schools, intensive academic curriculum and a controlled and disciplined environment.

"The future of public education in the United States is shaped by the education reform efforts of today," said Janice Weinman, executive director of AAUW. "While we can draw lessons from single-sex educational experiments, we must continue to improve coeducation so that all students benefit."

Often overlooked in the creation of single-sex classes, according to the report, is the disruption of the sex ratio in coed classes from which single-sex classes are drawn. Additionally, even though implicit in the creation of single-sex initiatives for girls is the goal of reducing or eliminating sex-stereotyping, the report finds that single-sex classes and schools can reinforce stereotypes about men's and women's roles in society just as coeducational programs can.

"No learning environment, single-sex or coed, provides a sure escape from sexism," said Sandy Bernard, President of AAUW and a former Head Start teacher. "Sound teacher training is key to reducing sex stereotyping in both the coed and single-sex programs."

Separated by Sex highlights teacher training in gender-equitable practices that reduce sex-stereotyping-a call sounded by the 1992 study How Schools Shortchange Girls. The study raised public awareness that not all students were receiving the same quantity or quality of education. An update of the report How Schools Shortchange Girls is slated for release in 1998.