JoAnn Deak=s book How Girls Thrive is a very well written, relevant book focusing on why girls, especially at the middle school level, should be in single-sex schools. Her argument is based on her belief that co-educational schools undermine the self-esteem of girls and also are an unlevel playing field in the sense that boys receive more attention than girls. Her bottom line is that co-educational schools cheat girls. I feel that Dr. Deak, an educator and psychologist, makes a good case for her premise. She presents research findings from the fields of education, psychology and physiology to support her beliefs. The weakness of the book is that most of the material is anecdotal based on her own experiences. Empirical studies could make an argument for either same sex or co-ed schools.
As a teacher of primary school-aged children, I have observed that boys are often more unruly than girls and therefore demand more attention from the teacher. This is one of Deak=s points. She believes teachers pay more attention to boys than to girls. I agree with her point that "gender imbalances in schools exist and need to be addressed" (p. 37). However, it could be possible to address this imbalance in co-ed schools with additional teacher training and awareness of the problem.
Dr. Deak has some very worthy things to say about self-esteem. She goes against the grain with her definition of self-esteem. Traditional self-esteem programs emphasize self and appreciation of self. These programs, according to Dr. Deak, are not affective because focusing on self does not increase self esteem, but can lead to selfishness; self is enhanced by focusing outward, not inward, by connecting with other human beings in a giving and caring way.
Dr. Deak believes that low self-esteem is the biggest problem girls face in school. She defines self-esteem as having "confidence and satisfaction in oneself, or one's good opinion of oneself" (p. 47). In...