Educators and education reformers are always looking for new and innovative school designs. But one old-school model once reserved primarily for private and religious schools seems to be gaining traction among traditional public schools and public charter schools: single-sex education.

In the past two years, new single-sex charter middle schools have opened in Denver, Los Angeles, and El Paso, Texas. School leaders say having only girls or only boys makes their school communities feel like families, increases student confidence, and provides a safe place for students to develop their identities.

Nick Jackson is the founding head of school at The Boys School of Denver, a charter school that opened this year with 90 sixth-graders. He has worked in both all-girls and all-boys environments and believes that for both genders, students are less concerned about being judged and feel more confident speaking up in single-sex environments, which builds community among classmates.

Read the source article at The 74