Are boys and girls distracted by one another in school? Are boys embarrassed to ask a question or do well in school when girls are present in their classrooms? Are girls more concerned with their looks and actions then class work, when boys are present? Are boys and girls better off in co-ed school or single sex schools? There are many arguments that support either side of this question. I have found that there are many advantages and disadvantages in both school settings. In the following I will present the problems in coeducational schools for boys, and will examine if single-sex schooling is the answer to their problems. I will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of single-sex schools, and the evidence of the benefits of single sex educations. Next, I will look at the experiences of Emil Pitkin and other first hand account of attending a single-sex school. Lastly, I will look at the advantages and benefits of attending a single-sex college.
             It is often thought that school and learning should be synonymous. However, Sommers find that in recent years this has not been the case, for boys anyway. The gender gap used to favor boys, but now girls outperform boys in almost every academic subject. "Boys are falling behind" says Christina Hoff Sommers. Boys "dominate drop out lists, failure lists, and learning disabilities lists" (Cassell). The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education reports that 34% of boys are in grades below their age, and 73% of the learning disabled students, in fact are boys as well (Cassell). While boys are declining in academics, girls are excelling. Girls are earning better grades, scoring higher on their SAT's, and taking home the majority of America's bachelor's degrees (Wolcott).
             In their efforts to keep up, many boys are struggling. Some say that this is a result of schools catering to that of a feminine ideal. Sitting still in tidy rows,...