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Should female and male students be taught together in the same classroom? For decades, this debate has enjoyed its equal share of both proponents and opponents. Interestingly, recent research reveals that girls and boys do indeed learn very differently, which adds another level of consideration in the co-ed education debate. In fact, how teachers address the learning discrepancy between the two genders impacts academic performance – a factor critical in the co-ed debate.

The Debate of Cognitive Development

The Recent Academic Data

Indeed, boys and girls face different emotional and physical issues as young students. However, research shows that this difference also delves into the realm of cognitive development. In fact, research has found that boys’ and girls’ cognitive development results in markedly different performance abilities – which partially may be due to the co-ed classroom environment. In recent years, girls have outperformed boys in reading levels assessed on main tests. According to research compiled by educator Sara Mead, while the gap between boys and girls is smaller at the early elementary level, it increases as students reach eighth grade through high school.

When looking at the testing data in science and math, reports once proved that boys’ cognitive performance soared over that of girls’ abilities. While boys are still scoring higher on average than girls in math and science, it has been noted that males “outperform girls only slightly in math and science, in a less drastic proportion than girls’ achievements,” according to Mead.

Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to receive both high school and college credit for taking a college-level course. A 2007 study from the Community College Research Center (CCRC) concluded that dual enrollment programs have a positive effect on high school graduation rates, college enrollment rates, college grades, and progress toward obtaining a college degree. This article examines dual enrollment programs and the benefits they afford.

The number of dual admission programs has increased significantly over the past few years. According to the U.S. Department of Education, about 1.2 million students participated in dual enrollment programs during the 2002-03 academic year. Approximately 71 percent of public high schools offered dual enrollment programs.

More than half of all colleges and universities allowed high school students to take classes for college credit. Community colleges are enthusiastic sponsors of dual enrollment programs. About 98 percent of public community colleges had dual enrollment programs in 2002-03. For public four-year universities, the number is 77 percent. Private community colleges and four-year institutions offer fewer dual enrollment opportunities than their public counterparts.

How Do Dual Enrollment Programs Work?

The requirements of dual admission programs vary considerably nationwide. The following characteristics are common:

? Only certain lower-level college courses are approved for dual credit. Remedial classes, physical education, and music courses are typically excluded from the programs.

? Academic standards are imposed on participants, including minimum grade point averages and standardized test scores.

? Students receive both credit toward high school graduation and college

Learning a language can be a difficult process. Most languages are constantly in flux, with new words regularly added to the lexicon, and old ones are dropping away. Just getting a handle on the vocabulary itself can be overwhelming. Throw into the mix the grammar rules, the punctuation nuances, and even all the slang words, and learning a language can seem as daunting a task as climbing Mount Everest barefoot and blindfolded.

Thankfully, there are increasingly more programs and schools designed to help students who wish to learn a language. Immersion schools are one such program, and they are primarily designed for elementary to high school-aged students. For example, Clark High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, offers a full immersion Chinese school for its students, as well as the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School in Massachusetts. For some students, full immersion in a new language is the best way to learn. For others, it is simply too difficult to learn a new language without any “references” to the language they already know. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of full immersion schools, and what to expect if your child attends one.

The advantage of immersion programs

Many people believe the best way for a student to excel in a foreign language is an immersion program. Advocates also suggest the younger the child, the better it is to send them to an immersion program, and that’s why full-immersion daycare or preschool is so popular. These can

Many children struggle with school. Sometimes these problems are caused by a lack of interest, while other times they may be created by learning challenges that your child faces. If your child is having difficulty in school, this does not mean the child cannot ultimately succeed. There are many ways to help your child overcome academic hurdles. In fact, one of the solutions to overcoming academic problems is to have your child work with a tutor.

However, before you hire a private tutor, or sign your child up at the local learning center, you should first confirm whether your child truly needs the one-on-one attention the tutor provides.

How do I know if my child needs a tutor?

First, before you even hire a tutor or visit a learning center, you should determine whether or not your child needs a tutor. Ask yourself these questions:

• Are your child’s grades slipping?
• Is your child obtaining great grades, but not feeling challenged at school?
• Is your child displaying low self-esteem, or thinking negatively about himself or herself in regards to school performance?
• Does your child’s teacher think he or she may need a tutor, or sends notes home indicting he or she may need help with his or her homework?
• Does a college your child wants to attend require high scores on tests to be accepted?

If the answer to any of these questions is, “yes,” these are signs that a one-to-one tutor may be useful to help your child to enjoy learning. A