This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English EducationReport.

Many private schools in the United States teach only boys or onlygirls. But fewer than one-hundred public schools teach boys andgirls separately. There are twenty-five single-sex public schools.Seventy-two other public schools offer some classes for only boys oronly girls.

The United States government recently announced new rulesconcerning single-sex education in public schools. These rules wererequired by legislation Congress approved two years ago. Thatlegislation represented a major change in American education policy.For thirty years, the government generally disapproved of single-sexpublic schools. A nineteen-seventy-two law banned unequal treatmentbased on sex, and single-sex schools faced possible legal action.

The new rules permit public schools that teach both boys andgirls to offer single-sex classes under three conditions. The firstis a good reason for offering the class. For example, if the schoolwants more girls to study computer science and few girls are doingso, the school could offer a computer science class for only girls.The second condition is that the school must offer a class in thesame subject for both girls and boys. The third condition is thatthe school must examine the need for the single-sex class from timeto time.

The new rules also permit single-sex schools - those that teachall boys or all girls. The only condition for operating an all-girlsschool, for example, is that equal classes and services are offeredat other schools nearby. But those other schools do not have to besingle-sex. They can have both boys and girls.

Some educators say children can learn better in single-sexschools. Others disagree. Researchers have shown that boys and girlslearn information in different ways. However, research about theeffects of same-sex schools has shown mixed results.

The United States Department of Education has begun a study ofsingle-sex education. But it will not release any results untiltwo-thousand-six. The National Association for Single-Sex PublicEducation says that some American educators are not waiting forthese results. Officials say that ten new single-sex public schoolswill open in September.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by NancySteinbach. This is Steve Ember.