The Bush administration wants to make it easier to establish all-boy or all-girl public schools. While there is a long tradition of private single-sex schools in the United States, there are probably fewer than two dozen single-sex public schools. Advocates of single-sex education believe it represents a valuable educational option, especially for girls, who they say flourish away from boys' teasing. But critics say the approach offers no real social or educational benefits for girls or for boys. Federal law currently casts doubt on the legality of single-sex public schools. The law bars single-sex programs unless comparable services are available to boys and girls alike. The Department of Education is considering revising its regulations to soften that provision, reversing three decades of federal policy.

Kenneth Jost is Supreme Court editor, CQ Press; associate editor, CQ Researcher; and author of The Supreme Court Yearbook since the 1992-1993 edition.