The Title IX legislation of 1972 was established to promote gender equity among public entities (primarily schools) that utilize federal funding to support and sustain their operation. However, the United States (U.S.) Government developed new regulations for Title IX due to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). This change allowed public school districts to operate academic spaces specifically designed to address the unique learning needs of children based on gender. Research on single-sex schools has not shown substantive benefits for its use in countries outside the United States yet these schools provide the framework for what is implemented in U.S. schools, urban school districts in particular. The objective of this qualitative case study is to understand single-sex schools from the perspective of the attendee (i.e., boys and girls in an urban school district) as well as the pedagogical practices and experiences of their teachers. The schools are located in a large urban mid-western school district that enrolls 49,616 students. Data was collected from three schools (an all boys', an all girls', and a traditional co-educational) to provide comparative information to determine how the single-sex schools purport to address the identities of its students based on the learning environment. Through the use of portraiture, the findings suggest that pedagogical practices do not differ between the single-sex and coeducational learning environments. However, the single-sex school promotes an engaging community that enhances the academic identities of the students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]