The Academic Characteristics of Black and Latino Boys that Matter in Achievement: An Exploratory Achievement Model of Boys in Single-Sex Schools
Abstract
"The findings presented in this report provide initial understandings of the single-sex school environment and its effects from an ecological perspective. In other words, the way in which these single-sex schools operate and who is operating them has relevance in understanding whether and how students learn "how to do" school well and are successful. Our findings demonstrate that behavioral engagement (i.e., knowing how to do school) is the greatest predictor of positive achievement among the Black and Latino boys attending these schools. More importantly, we found various other school factors that mediate how well students learn to do school, e.g., school climate (including safety, cohesion, and belonging), school-based adult support, perceived instructional quality and rigor, and cognitive engagement in learning. In other words, the more students feel intellectually engaged with what they are learning and the better the quality of school-based adult relationships students have at these single-sex schools, the more likely they are to exhibit academically conducive behavior, which in turn bolsters their academic performance (GPA)."
