A bill that would allow both public and charter schools to enroll only one gender in a school or course is currently pending legislation in the state Legislature.

The bill, AB 114, was introduced to the Assembly Feb. 22 by a group of state representatives and would apply only if comparable schools or courses are available to the other sex.

The new proposal capitalizes on regulations published in March 2004 by the U.S. Department of Education authorizing single-sex education in public schools.

Though co-sponsored by several state representatives and senators, the proposal is primarily the work of Rep. Scott Jensen, R-Waukesha.

Jensen supports the option for single-sex schools and cited recent research in support of his views.

“Schools that serve just boys or just girls can improve academic performance, promote diversity and reduce discipline problems,” Jensen said in a release.

According to the release, researchers found students at single-sex schools had superior academic achievement, higher educational aspirations, increased confidence in their scholastic abilities and a more positive attitude toward academics than students at coed high schools.

Furthermore, girls at single-sex schools have more empowering ideas about the capacity of women. They are more likely to study fields traditionally dominated by men, such as math and physics.

“Children from low-income families and troubled neighborhoods tend to show the most improvement when they attend single-sex schools,” Jensen added.

Jensen points to several success stories of single-sex education, including those regarding schools public and Catholic, both nationally and abroad.

The bill states public and charter schools would be allowed to create single-sex schools and courses, but students of the opposite sex must have access to schools, services and facilities of comparable merit.

While Jensen is leading the initiative in the Assembly, fellow Republican State Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Falls, will direct discussion when the bill reaches the Senate. With the exception of Pedro Colón, D-Milwaukee, all 17 of the proposal’s cosponsors are Republicans.

Despite the apparent divide, Darling communications director Tom Petri maintains the bill’s nonpartisan nature.

Because of the bill’s very recent proposal, “we have not had a chance to gauge who will support it and who won’t,” Petri said.

According to Petri, if the Wisconsin Education Association Council were to oppose the bill, there may be a lack of Democratic support, but “more than likely there will be more supporters than non-supporters,” since the bill only provides additional opportunities and “allows, not mandates, districts to [establish single-sex schools].”

“Single-sex schools are already an option for children from wealthier families who can afford to send them to private academies,” Jensen said in the release. “This bill will give children from low-income and middle-class families that same option.”

According to Petri, the overwhelming Republican support may be simply attributed to the fact that the areas with potential interest in the bill lie in Republican districts.

“I don’t look at [the bill] as partisan … there is no intent for it be,” Petri said.

After being introduced to the Assembly, the bill was referred to the Committee on Education Reform, where it awaits further review.