premise: The merits of single-sex education have long been debated in the United States, where demand for single-sex schools is on the rise. Title IV, a 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in education, was amended in 2006, allowing for the establishment of single-sex state schools so long as a co- educational alternative is available. While critics view single-sex schools as discriminatory and inadequate preparation for adult life, advocates claim that children, and particularly girls, benefit from a single-sex education. Some American research shows that girls attending single-sex schools have higher self-esteem, participate more in class, and score higher on aptitude tests than their counterparts in co-educational schools. A 2005 study claimed that both girls and boys attending single-sex schools spent more time on homework and had less disciplinary problems. Single-sex schools subvert stereotypical course-taking patterns and results. Advocates of single-sex schooling argue that educators can teach more effectively by tailoring their tuition to reflect current research about gender-based brain development. Many experts, however, believe that research into single-sex education is inconclusive, and that so long as the education provided is gender-fair, both girls and boys can thrive in a co-educational environment.
hypothesis: Critics of single-sex education believe that such schools reinforce pre- existing gender stereotypes.