The aim of the study was to determine the factors that parents in Tatarstan consider when selecting single-sex boarding schools for their gifted children. Gaining an understanding of these standards will facilitate meeting the needs of parents who might not be content with traditional education, recognizing the benefits of single-sex education, and enhancing the current school assessment system. A qualitative approach was taken to examine the variables affecting parents’ choice of school. The results showed that parents place the greatest importance on elements like individualized instruction, value-based education, and qualified teachers. Interviewees also mentioned academic achievement, single-sex education, and school climate as important factors. It was concluded, based on these findings, that school administrators ought to modify their recruitment tactics in order to better serve the needs of parents and increase the allure of schools for families. It is also advised to update the school evaluation standards in order to better meet the unique requirements of parents.
Keyword(s) : school choice
Parents’ Reasons to Enroll Their Daughters in an All-Girls School
Research about school choice often leaves gender out of the equation. This omission becomes salient in a context in which a gender gap affects girls at school. Among the proposed interventions, single-sex schooling—its advocates say—emerges as a convenient proposal, as it is related to several advantages for girls, particularly disadvantaged ones. Some experts argue that enrolling their daughters in single-sex schools requires parents to make a pro-academic choice, which contributes to the creation of an environment that explains those advantages. This pro-academic choice assumes that parents know the advantages that single-sex schools offer to girls beforehand, and sustain several positive beliefs towards them. To explore this rationale, reasons for enrolling their kindergarten daughters in an all-girls school were collected among a group of parents (n = 18), and compared to parents’ (n = 17) of girls enrolled in a coeducational school. Both schools served a working-class population. Descriptive statistics and inferential analysis showed that for parents of single-sex schoolgirls, the most important reasons were pedagogical (curriculum, achievement, teachers) and pragmatic (near home, free). Only parents’ age was associated with preference for single-sex schooling. Nonetheless, the parents of the all-girls school hold positive beliefs regarding this type of education.