Boys-only grade school proposed for Toronto
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 | 11:20 PM ET
CBC News
A top Toronto educator is proposing an all-boys grade school in the city.
Chris Spence, the education director for the Toronto District School Board, told CBC News on Wednesday that "when we look at our data — who's underachieving, who's getting suspended — we have great concerns about our boys."
Spence produced a report for the TDSB called A Vision of Hope, which calls for single-sex classes, programs and even schools just for boys.
The goal is to improve boys' marks and lower their dropout rate.
At first, the proposed school would accept boys only from kindergarten to Grade 3, then add a grade every year.
The TDSB does have some single-sex classes in its system, but Spence's proposal is to expand the idea and eventually create a full-scale boys-only school.
"The research is pretty clear that for some students, single-sex setting makes a big difference," he said.
Spence said his data shows that boys act out more and get into much more trouble in the school system.
"Boys are suspended far more frequently than girls. The gaps in terms of … achievement indicators is widening in terms of literacy and numeracy," said Spence.
Boys-only classes and a boys-only school would provide a major benefit within the education system, said Spence.
"The results we're getting for our boys right now just are not what they need to be."
The plan will be discussed by the TDSB board next week.
