Sacred Heart School, Roslindale: Paving New Ground

Recently, the U.S. Department of Education announced plans to make it easier for schools to create single-sex classes. Initiated by both Democratic and Republican female senators, the new plans will allow same-sex education anytime schools think it will improve students' achievement, expand the diversity of courses, or meet kids' individual needs. "Research shows that some students may learn better in single-sex education environments, and parents deserve to have the option," said Margaret Spellings, the U.S. Secretary of Education.

At Sacred Heart in Roslindale, these ideas are already in practice.

Beginning in 2005, Sacred Heart began offering single-sex classrooms in grades 6-8. Sacred Heart School sees the implementation of single-sex classrooms as an innovative effort to facilitate students' educational growth and development. The use of single-sex classes can reflect important and legitimate efforts to improve educational outcomes for all students, especially if this flexibility provides for the students' diverse educational and social needs. Sacred Heart is currently the only Catholic school in the Archdiocese to implement such a radical program.

Sr. Gail Ripley, principal of Sacred Heart, has stated, "children come to us to learn, it is our obligation as professional educators to create the environment best conducive to that learning". Sr. Gail went on to point out that students at Sacred Heart enjoy the best of both worlds. They have opportunities for co-educational socialization during the out of class times, and yet reap the academic benefits associated with single sex classrooms.

Founded in 1916, Sacred Heart has an enrollment of 409 in grades pre-k through 8. Students primarily come from the surrounding communities of Roslindale, Hyde Park, and Dorchester. 32% of the school's population is non-Catholic, and 67% are of African-American, Haitian, or Hispanic descent. In 2006-07, 100 Sacred Heart students received partial tuition scholarships from the Inner City Scholarship Fund that totaled $113,000.