Learning Together: A History of Coeducation in American Public Schools 0871548887, 9780871548887

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Learning Together

Learning Together A History of Coeducation in American Public Schools

David Tyack & Elisabeth Hansot

Russell Sage Foundation New York

The Russell Sage Foundation The Russell Sage Foundation, one of the oldest of America's general purpose foundations, was established in 1907 by Mrs. Margaret Olivia Sage for "the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States." The Foundation seeks to fulfill this mandate by fostering the development and dissemination of knowledge about the country's political, social, and economic problems. While the Foundation endeavors to assure the accuracy and objectivity of each book it publishes, the conclusions and interpretations in Russell Sage Foundation publications are those of the authors and not of the Foundation, its Trustees, or its staff. Publication by Russell Sage, therefore, does not imply Foundation endorsement. BOARD OF TRUSTEES James G. March, Chair Anne Pitts Carter Joel E. Cohen Philip E. Converse Peggy C. Davis

Phoebe C. Ellsworth Howard Raiffa John S. Reed Neil J. Smelser

Harold Tanner Marta Tienda Eric Wanner William Julius Wilson

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Tyack, David B. Learning together : a history of coeducation in American public schools / David Tyack, Elisabeth Hansot. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 0-87154-888-7 1. Coeducation-United States-History. 2. Public schools-United States-History. 3. Sex differences in education-United StatesHistory. I. Hansot, Elisabeth. II. Title. LB3066.T93 1992 376-dc20 92-12983 CIP Designed by Sonia L. Scanlon Cover illustration courtesy of the Library of Congress First published in 1990 by Yale University Press and Russell Sage Foundation. First paperback edition in 1992 by Russell Sage Foundation. Copyright © 1992 by Russell Sage Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION 112 East 64th Street, New York, New York 10021 10 9

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For

Patricia Albjerg Graham, friend and colleague, whose qualities transcend gender: integrity, compassion, humor, commitment to social justice, and wisdom.

Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1

;::; One .!E"Smuggling in the Girls" Colonial New England 13

» Two

.i:::

Why Educate Girls?

28

Three .!ECoeducation in Rural Common Schools 46 ~.

~.

Four i:::

Coeducation in Urban Public Schools ~.

78

Five i:::

The Rising Tide of Coeducation in the High School 114

King Canutes Attack the Perils of Coeducation and Women Teachers 146

Contents

Vlll

Seven :~ Differentiating the High School: The "Boy Problem" 165 ~>

~;

Eight

.~

Differentiating the High School: The "Woman Question" 201

Nine :~ Feminists Discover the Hidden Injuries of Coeducation 243 --3-;

Conclusion 279

Appendix Using Photographs as Evidence of Gender Practices in Schools 293 Notes 297 Index 359

- ~. Acknowledgments We are deeply grateful to the Russell Sage Foundation for sponsoring our study and for a stimulating year as scholars in residence. We especially wish to thank Eric Wanner, Peter de Janosi, and Alida Brill for making our association with the foundation so pleasant and intellectually invigorating. We are indebted to colleagues in three interdisciplinary centers at Stanford University for providing research support and forums for the exchange of ideas: the Stanford Center for the Study of Families, Children & Youth; the Institute for Research on Woman and Gender; and the Stanford Humanities Center. We thank the Rockefeller Foundation for a month of uninterrupted time for reflection and writing at the Villa Serbelloni. One of the pleasures of working on this book has been the opportunity to discuss ideas with colleagues who have been generous in sharing their expertise in a variety of fields and candid in their criticisms. Without their assistance this book would have been much impoverished, but in mentioning their names we by no means suggest that they necessarily agree with our conclusions. Several scholars gave us perceptive readings of the manuscript as a whole (in one or another of its incarnations): Larry Cuban, Kathleen Dalton, Carl Degler, Thomas James, Harvey Kantor, Susan Lloyd, Alison Prentice, Kathryn Kish Sklar, and Myra Strober. We are grateful for expert editing by Emily Boochever. A number of other colleagues read portions of the text at vari0us stages of its development and gave us excellent advice: Eric Bredo, Barbara Brenzel, Joan Brumberg, Joan Burstyn, Susan Carter, Geraldine Jon