According to Dr. Leonard Sax, many young men in the United
States today lack drive and motivation in pursuing careers,
relationships and other important goals—and coeducation early in
life is largely to blame. Dr. Oz talks with Dr. Sax, a
pediatrician and psychologist in the Washington, D.C., area and
founder of the National Association for Single-Sex Public
Education, about the underlying causes for underachievement and
what he says can help reverse this trend. Dr. Sax says the
prevailing coeducational model in place in most public schools
today puts young boys—and girls—at a disadvantage because they
are roped into behavior patterns that are not designed for their
age and gender. For example, young boys are forced to sit still
for long periods of time and are given academic material
inappropriate for their developmental stage. The result is that
some boys are turned off to academics altogether, he says. As
children get older, Dr. Sax says that gender differences
continue to reveal themselves in other ways.