Philly School Rekindles Same-Sex Education Debate

Calling all ninth-grade boys! Raise your hand if this school sounds like fun: wearing jackets and ties every day, staying until 5 p.m., learning Latin and — to top it all off — no girls. Who's in?

Turns out, about 270 boys. And 100 more are on a waiting list. Boys' Latin of Philadelphia, one of the city's newer charter schools, began its second year on Wednesday, aiming to be an educational beacon in the financially and academically troubled district.

Because it's a single-sex public school — one of four in the city — Boys' Latin faced huge opposition and almost didn't exist. Critics contend it's unfair for taxpayers to fund a prep school curriculum for boys only.

New rules implemented by the U.S. Education Department in 2006 allow same-sex education whenever schools think it will expand the diversity of courses, improve students' achievement or meet their individual needs.

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(USA Today/AP 09.07.08)