The ACLU is at it again, this time demanding that public schools stop using all-boys or all-girls classes, even though they are becoming popular ways to improve teaching and learning. At least 392 public schools nationwide are using some all-boys or all-girls classes for the learning benefits of the students. This must stop, the ACLU insists, and it could win millions of dollars in legal fees if the courts agree.

In 2003, Breckinridge County Middle School instituted sex-segregated classrooms as a way to strengthen and improve students’ education. Despite the advantages of this approach, in 2008 the ACLU filed a complaint in federal court, suing Breckinridge County Middle School on the grounds that its single-sex classes violate the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act, and Kentucky’s sex equity law. A.N.A. et al. v. United States Department of Education et al.

Deputy Director of the ACLU Women's Rights Project, Emily Martin stated that “The Breckinridge County sex-segregated classrooms are … unlawful because they deny boys and girls equal opportunities in education.” If a mindless equality is required, then it does not matter that gender-specific education provides a better learning environment for some students.

Leonard Sax, who wrote Why Gender Matters, explained that a single-sex setting can actually alleviate gender segregation by preventing the formation of gender-based stereotypes. Without the social pressure of these stereotypes, students are more likely to succeed in a wide variety of subjects, rather than only those which are stereotypical for their gender.

But the ACLU argues that the textbooks and rates of academic progress are different. Well, of course two separate groups are likely to display different progress. It is possible, for example, that boys often thrive in competitive environments with timed assignments, while girls are more likely to succeed by utilizing teamwork in a relaxed setting. When classes are separated based on gender, teachers have a unique opportunity to use these traits in a way that will allow their students to grasp concepts with ease and enjoyment. Although Lawrence Summers lost his job as President of Harvard for merely suggesting that women may not be as good at math as men, it is hardly shocking to imagine that boys and girls may learn better in different ways.

The Breckinridge County Board of Education stated that the school’s single-sex classes are “helping improve the educational achievement of our students.” Isn’t that the purpose of a school?

“Real life doesn't put boys in one room and girls in another,” said Nikki Anthony, a student at the school. But sometimes real life does separate the genders and, regardless, school is not meant to be a replica of “real life” but rather a venue for education.

Single-sex education has produced laudable results, not only at Breckinridge County Middle School but across the nation. The ACLU’s actions against gender-specific classrooms will put yet another roadblock in students’ path to success.