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MPS pushing one-sex schools
Craig- NewsInMilwaukee
Milwaukee- An all-boys schools and an all-girls school could open as part of the Milwaukee Public Schools system by September. In documents made available in advance of a School Board committee meeting Tuesday, MPS administrators said, "MPS strongly believes that parents should be given the opportunity to choose single-sex schools for their children if they believe that these schools will help their children." Specific schools are not spelled out in the resolution to be considered Tuesday - in fact, it doesn't pinpoint whether the focus should be on high schools, middle schools or even elementary grades.
Creating single-sex schools and classes remains controversial, but the idea has gained momentum and popularity around the nation in recent years.
The U.S. Department of Education issued regulations in the fall that open the door to offering single-sex classes and schools, and a new Wisconsin law, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jim Doyle last year, says single-sex education is basically OK, as long as students of both sexes have access to equal-quality programs. Enrollment in single-sex schools would be entirely voluntary, the administration said.
