Michael Birnbaum writes in the Washington Post (Md. School Joins Test of Online Courses Tailored to Girls) that four girls schools Holton-Arms, Harpeth Hall, Westover School, and Laurel School are working together to offer girls school classes online in hopes of joining the special opportunities of a girls school classroom and online learning.

It’s an experiment; know one knows if single gender education will translate into the online environment. As Larry Goodman, Director of Strategic Programming at the Laurel School in Shaker Heights, Ohio told the Washington Post:

“Girls thrive best in environments where connectivity is valued…There’s no one out there who’s thinking with a specifically feminine audience in mind.” (WP)

Online classes will help the schools reach the minimum numbers needed to offer focused/specialized classes that individual schools couldn’t fill on their own.

“The classes, which will range in subject from multivariable calculus and differential equations to women in art and literature, will focus on collaborative projects, even in subjects, such as math, that are more typically solitary pursuits, and will be capped at 20 students each.” (WP)

This is an experiment to watch.

Photo credit: Fleep Tuque