How to Understand the Benefits of All Girls Schools

Researching Single-Sex Education

1. 
   Embrace an equal opportunity education. Many students and parents select all-girls schools because they encourage women to enter fields that have been traditionally dominated by men, such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In co-ed schools, boys are often expected to enter these fields whereas girls are often expected to succeed only in the humanities or the arts.^[1]

   1. Girls who graduate from single-sex schools are three times more likely to become engineers than girls who attend co-ed schools.^[2]
   2. In a 2013 study, science faculty at six leading research universities were asked to assess the resumes of potential students they could mentor. The resumes were identical, with the exception of one being named "John" and the other "Jennifer." The faculty members overwhelmingly favored the male student, rating him as more competent and hireable than the female applicant based on nothing other than his gender.^[3]
2. 
   Eliminate bias against girls in the classroom. Studies have indicated that in co-ed settings, male students are often preferred over female students. For instance, studies have shown that teachers are far more likely to praise and give in-depth responses to a boy's comments in class whereas they might only acknowledge a girl's comments with a nod or a quick response.^[4]

   1. In co-ed settings, teachers are also more likely to encourage male students to work through problems on their own, while they tend to step in and help female students who struggle with a problem.
   2. In an all girls setting, girls are far more likely to speak up frequently and make significant contributions to class than in a co-ed setting.
   3. Girls studying in a single sex setting also earn higher scores on their College Board and Advanced Placement exams than girls who study in co-ed settings.^[5]
3. 
   Enjoy a personalized education. All girls schools tend to be smaller than co-ed schools, which means your teachers will be able to tailor the material to your personal learning style and interests.

   1. In a personalized setting, your teachers and professors will be able to write detailed letters of recommendation
4. 
   Research individual schools. If you are interested in attending an all-girls school for high school in the United States, you can find detailed rankings of them from websites such as Niche.^[6] You can find a directory of women's colleges at http://www.womenscolleges.org.