But in middle school, Erika Clary, Ashley Kassner and Andrea Morse are getting their turn. Although they see boys in the hallways at school and visit with them at lunchtime, when it comes to science projects and English papers, these girls are in a class of their own. At Bishop Garriga, where enrollment is about 150, girls and boys take the same classes, follow the same curriculum and receive the same homework assignments. But for core curriculum classes such as math, science, language arts and social studies, they're separated by gender. We don't have to feel embarrassed when we answer a question.
PE is way better, too.
It's an idea that has gained momentum across the country in light of research that shows adolescent girls and boys learn differently and excel in different subjects. Traditionally, studies show, boys tend to outshine girls in math and science while girls do better in reading. Jefferson Leadership Academies became the first public school in the country to segregate its entire student body by gender. It's something Bishop Garriga, a private Catholic school for sixth, seventh and eighth graders, did four years ago. Parents and teachers say the experiment has worked.