University Prep follows growing trend of single-sex schools

Story here. Excerpt:

'Once virtually unheard of in the public system, single-sex schools such as University Prep are becoming more common as educators look for new ways to help students learn and to bridge the achievement gap between white and minority students. In 1996, there were just three single-sex public schools in the United States. Now, more than 540 public schools have at least one single-sex classroom, and about 100 cater exclusively to one gender.

The growth follows a wave of research that suggests boys and girls learn differently, and that educators can tap into those differences to help students do better academically. The model is becoming popular in urban school districts such as Rochester, which have struggled for years to help students — particularly African-American boys who tend to lag behind their female classmates — do better.

"Across the country, especially in urban settings, girls outperform boys on state assessments and more often girls ultimately graduate from high school," said University Prep principal Joe Munno. "I said, 'let's target the group where we can have the most impact.'"'