Are single gender schools a good idea?

  Today's musing comes from a  question and answer session between Mayor Rahmbo and some high school students at a forum.  As always, the question of reform comes up.
    Basically, Rahm tells the kids that he'd like to see more single sex high schools such as Urban Prep Academy, a High school in Chicago's Engelwood neighborhood. There are two notable things about Urban Prep. First, it sends 100% of its' students to a four year college on graduation. Second, it's an all male school.
    For a school in one of the toughest neighborhoods of Chicago, those are some great statistics. However, I think that one thing that Rahm (and other educational leaders) forget it is the great teaching and mentoring that comes with those statistics. It feels like whenever this school gets brought up, most of the focus is on the fact that it's a single gender school and that becomes the reason it succeeds.
  What doesn't often get mentioned is that each student in the school has a mentor from the time they enter the door. The mentor is on call 24 hours a day and often takes care of the student. They have academically rigorous classes, extra tutoring, after school activities and trips to keep them off the street. The reason all these kids succeed? Not because they're in a single gender environment (although that has something to do with it) , but because the Charter operator has time and money to really invest in the kids-something the CPS district at large cannot do.
  I'm at a loss about what to think. I think it's awesome what Urban Prep has been doing. I don't know how I feel about same sex schools in general and I don't know if they're necessarily the thing to push when there are so many greater educational problems. What do you think?


Link to Article:
Single Gender Schools?