Asheville Middle School

1. Asheville Middle School Proposal for Single Gender Classes 2010-2011

2. The Reality • Many ACS families choose to send their daughters to private schools for middle school for single gender education. We want those students back in ACS. • There is a wide achievement gap between minority and majority students at AMS. • To eliminate or reduce that gap, we must examine other strategies to meet students’ educational needs. • Eliminating the distraction of mixed gender grouping will allow for greater focus and improved behavior in the classroom.

3. Single Gender classes support our commitment to PBS and decreasing negative behaviors. • Even in the event that AMS decides not to continue this pilot past one year, we will still learn more about what works and what does not work with our population. • Single gender classes will facilitate building relationships between teachers and students and will encourage healthy competition.

4. The Research • Human males and females are hard wired differently when it comes to brain patterns. • There are more connections to both sides of the brain of girls for communication skills than for boys. • The adolescent brain is not fully developed and middle school students’ brains are very amygdala dominant.

5. Examples of gender-based brain differences • Girls have more acute hearing than boys. Girls often think that males speaking to them in a normal voice are yelling. Most teachers are female and typically have softer voices than males. Many boys don’t hear them well (especially if seating is self selected) and are often accused of not paying attention to the teacher or the lesson. • Boys’ brains have fewer connections that cross the hemispheres of the brain. • Boys are not as emotionally communicative as girls because of fewer synapses that control communication.

6. Girls have many more connections in the areas of the brain that control communication. This dominance for all methods of communication leaves less opportunity for developing synapses in mathematical and spatial reasoning. Thus, girls in general do not take advantage of the maximum amount of exposure to Mathematical and spatial learning – including the Sciences. It’s all about the wiring. • The dominance of the emotional driven area of the brain in boys explains why they often are unable to explain their feelings or why they made a poor choice.

7. Sources for More Info • Strategies for Teaching Boys and Girls by Michael Gurian, Kathy Stevens and Kelly King • Why Gender Matters by Leonard Sax, M.D., Ph.D. • Teaching the Female Brain: How Girls Learn Math and Science by Abigail Norfleet James • Teaching the Male Brain: How Boys Think, Learn and Feel in School by Abigail Norfleet James • Safe and Healthy Secondary Schools by Boys Town Press

8. How Will We Design a Single Gender Experience at AMS • This will be an option for parents. Mixed gender classrooms will still be available. • One team on each grade level will participate (20% of grade level); more teams will be added if needed. • PE classes at AMS will continue to be single gender. • Teachers will volunteer or be recruited to work with single gender classrooms.

9. Single Gender Classes will be for core academic classes – math, science, language arts, social studies – whenever possible. • Exploratory classes (except for P.E.) will continue to be mixed gender. • AA classes, lunch groups, clubs and Move More will continue to be mixed. • There will be an option for students to change to a mixed gender team later if necessary. • Parents will voluntarily request this single gender option for their children.

10. Single Gender teams and classrooms will be balanced in the typical fashion; race, special education, AIG, physical and health needs, behavior concerns, etc. • In the event that these classes are not balanced, parents and students will be recruited as necessary. • Teachers of these gender specific classes will participate in a PLC devoted to single gender learning strategies, book studies, and other professional development opportunities as available. • All teachers at AMS will incorporate strategies to address gender strengths and weaknesses into classroom instructional strategies. • Student achievement & behavior data will be kept on the effectiveness of this pilot.

11. The Specifics • Implementation will begin in August 2010. • Staff training will begin upon receipt of materials: Spring 2010. • Initial interest in this option has been very high. Certain demographic groups are very interested. More communication about this initiative is needed for parents and the community. • This pilot is supported by very recent research, all within the last 10 years.

12. What Is Needed To Make Single Gender Classes Successful at AMS • Support to try new initiatives to increase student achievement as backed by research and best practices. • Consideration of professional development funding to facilitate teacher training. Grants will also be written as appropriate. • Word of Mouth communication to get the word out to parents and community about Single Gender at AMS – this is for a cross section of our population, not any single subgroup.

13. Other Efforts at AMS to Improve Student Achievement: • Creation of a professional library with materials to support effective teaching and learning for staff and parents. • A new master schedule that will include time within the school day every day for additional support, remediation or extension based on the specifically diagnosed needs of each individual student. • A new partnership between AMS and AHS to support debate at AMS. • Renewed efforts to create vertical alignment between the 8th grade staff and the High School, and between 5th grades at our ACS Elementary Schools and the AMS 6th grade staff. • Implementation of the 16 Social Skills of Boys Town so that all students may develop skills to “get what they want” in a socially acceptable way.

14. After School Programmingat AMS, Fall 2010 A Collaborative Effort of the Asheville City Schools Foundation, Asheville City Schools and Many Community Partners

15. Major Findings Together the Asheville City Schools Foundation, ACS and community partners, have studied the challenge of after school engagement for young teens for 20 months. This Listening to Our Teens Project has found that: • It is likely that over 500 middle school students are without consistent after school programming. • 34% of students do not participate in any activities after school • Barriers: Transportation, cost, lack of information, scheduling and lack of interest

16. Fall, 2010 Kick-Off With grant funding for a full-time after school coordinator provided by the Asheville City Schools Foundation, AMS will host: “In Real Life – IRL” An After School Program for Middle School Students in Asheville, offered M-F, 3:30 – 5:15PM, Beginning Fall, 2010

17. In Real Life - IRL Programs offered by many services providers including: • LEAF In Schools and Streets • Asheville-Buncombe Youth Soccer Assoc. • YMCA • Health Adventure • UNCA, and more…

18. In Real Life - IRL Programs will provide young teens opportunities to: • Learn About the Arts • Engage in Community Service • Participate in Recreation • Get Additional Academic Support

19. Questions? Watch www.acsf.org for details and registration. Thank You!