ACE template

 ACE Argument Analysis Template (Argument, Claims, Evidence)

Title and Author: (Full MLA Citation): Halpern, Diane F, et-al. “EDUCATION The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling.” The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling, Www.sciencemag.org, 23 Sept. 2011,  feminist.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/pseudoscienceofsinglesexschooling.pdf. 

A: Does the author have an argument? If yes, what is the main idea?

Yes, the author's argument is that segregating students by their sex doesn't have any more benefits than co-ed schooling, rather it has more flaws.

C: What claims/reasons does the author give to support his or her main idea?

The author's first claim is that there is no strong evidence that shows that same-sex schools are more academically advanced than co-ed schools due to the same-sex aspect; rather it is due to a variety of other factors such as a carefully selected student body.The author's next claim is that neuroscientists have found no evidence from the brain that could lead to a difference in how boys and girls learn. The third claim given by the author is that same-sex education causes children to have a more difficult time working with the opposite sex in work environments, and it leads to gender biases that can last throughout life.

E: What evidence does the author use to support these reasons?

To support the first claim, the author first uses a quote from the U.S. Department of Education in relation to same-sex vs. co-ed education. The department says, "as in previous reviews, the results are equivocal." The author also uses an example from reviews in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand that also found little difference between academic outcomes when it comes to same-sex education and co-ed education. Finally, the author mentions that students at a public middle school in the Southwest United States had higher test scores because students with the highest test scores from previous years were some of the only students accepted into the school. 

In support of the second claim the author states that, "Neuroscientists have found few sex differences in children's brains beyond the larger volume of boys' brains and the earlier completion of girls' brain growth. neither of which is known to relate to learning." Even in adult's brains, the neuroscientists found no brain differences that are, "substantial enough to justify different educational methods." 

The third claim is supported by the evidence, "research has demonstrated that, when environments label individuals and segregate along some characteristic...children infer that the groups differ in important ways and develop increased intergroup biases." The author also says that, "when teachers make children's sex salient, students choose to spend less time interacting with other peers." 

Are the reasons and evidence convincing?

Yes, all of the reasons and evidence give valid, well researched reasons that show that there are no worthwhile differences between same sex education and co education that have to do with the sex aspect. There is no need for schools to be segregated by sex, it just causes problems with sex biases and working with the other sex in the working world. Also, the evidence has been sourced from trusted articles cited by the author in order to give a valid argument.