The Value of Co-education

Boys and girls who only know of each as social creatures are lacking a key component of their education that will prepare them for college and beyond. 

In some ways, it seems odd to be explaining or defending coeducation.  Isn’t that the norm? Isn’t the burden on single-gender high schools to be explaining or defending themselves?  But in some places in the country, including Washington, D.C., there are almost as many single-sex schools as there are coed schools, particularly when you include Catholic high schools.  And many of those schools provide an excellent education. So, if you can get a strong college prep education from both single-gender and coed schools, how do you decide?

Teacher recommendations are a key component of most independent school admission decision making.  While grades provide a mark of actual achievement in a class, teacher recommendations provide the context and the insight a simple grade cannot.  

Imagine two scenarios.  The student has a B+ in math, which seems perfectly respectful.  In one scenario, the recommendation helps the admission committee realize that the student has missed some homework assignments and the teacher feels they are capable of much more but that the student has ‘settled’ for the B+.  In the second scenario, the admission