100 debate challenge 1: This House believes single-sex schools are good for education

"Real improvement in our schools is not simply a matter of spending more, it is a matter of expecting more. " - George W. BushWhile I would regard myself as liberal, myself and Bush and I expect Con share a value in the education system and also for providing the best possible social and working environment for the next generation(s). "THBT Single-Sex Schools are Good for Education. "I don't anticipate that these terms are ambiguous except 'Good for Education', which I will affirm several sub points within this debate.1. Good for academic performance2. Good for education employees3. Good for accommodation of values within educationGiven that no standard of what 'good' would need to fulfil has been provided by Con, I would assume a reasonable starting point would be the standards held up by Co-Educational schools. If we hold that Co-Educational schools are 'Good for Education', then demonstrating that Single Sex Schools are at least as 'good' will win this debate. My opponent would need to either negate all my arguments, or positively demonstrate that single sex-schools are worse for education than co-educational schools (hence demonstrating they are bad for education). Alternatively he is required to attack my presuppositions. Now onto contentions. C1. Single-Sex Schools perform at least on par with co-educational schools academicallyResearch on the effects of single-sex vs. co-educational are notoriously difficult to control for various secondary factors, however a US Dept. Of Education review of 2251 of such studies entitled "Single-sex versus coeducational schooling: A systematic review" which concludes:"As in previous reviews, the results are equivocal. There is some support for the premise that single-sex schooling can be helpful, especially for certain outcomes related to academic achievement and more positive academic aspirations. For many outcomes, there is no evidence of either benefit or harm. There is limited support for the view that single-sex schooling may be harmful or that coeducational schooling is more beneficial for students. "Another review mirrored the general findings of the US Dept of Education on general performance, but also found that there was a "medium advantage in middle school for girls, for both mathematics and science performance" [ . http://www.apa.org...]There are several theoretical points to favoring single sex-education. One such example is sexual stereotypes, which lead to diminished performance of girls in male-dominated disciplines such as maths and science (girls don't want to be seen as 'tomboys' for example). Such a peer-pressure stereotypical effect is absent in single-sex schools. Moreover both male and females have different psychology, hence education can be tailored in a manner which would maximize their learning capacity towards one gender or the other in single sex institutions. [. http://www.singlesexschools.org...]C2. Single-Sex Schools accommodate for a spectrum of social valuesIt is no secret that single-sex schools were established in the west for both traditional and religious reasons. Whilst the former is less important in today's society, the latter remains important, especially given that >80% of the US is religious, for example. Several religious sects mandate and value segregated education for boys & girls (amongst other values), and hence single sex schools provide an accommodation for families that hold such values. [. http://www.llcsjournal.org...]Moreover, several families value raising their children during their most hormonal and vulnerable stage away from the temptations of the opposite sex, citing potential misgivings such as underage and premarital sex, teenage pregnancy, social pressures, etc. Furthermore, it can be the case that one's child operates better socially and in a learn gin environment with same-sex peers. Hence the child's happiness needs to be valued. ConclusionBy making rather easily defended assumptions, I have demonstrated that single sex schools are good for education. Both the statistics from an overwhelming number of studies, as well as pragmatics and social considerations make my case for me.