Washington ? The Young Women’s Leadership School, a public school for girls in New York’s Harlem neighborhood, enrolls 370 students. From its mix of black, Asian and Hispanic students from low- and upper-income families, virtually all go on to college.

Only 10 single-sex public schools now exist in the United States. But the Bush administration, seeing possible benefits, signaled on Wednesday that it would help school districts overcome legal obstacles that discouraged them from creating more.

Education Secretary Rod Paige said he wants to revise federal regulations on single-sex education, giving the public 60 days to tell the federal government what sorts of programs should be allowed.

Paige’s move could pave the way for more single-sex schools and classes.

Since 1972, Title IX has forbidden public school districts from discriminating against any student on the basis of sex.

A few school districts have gotten around that by creating separate and essentially equal schools for boys and girls. Others, such as The Young Women’s Leadership School, have operated with the blessings of local officials, who essentially challenged the federal government to close them in the face of improved performance.

Congress’ education bill, approved last year and signed by President Bush in January, clarified federal law on single-sex schooling, saying school districts could receive federal funding for single-sex schools and classes if comparable coursework and facilities are available to both girls and boys.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Tex., who authored the measure on single-sex education, said Paige wanted to broaden the meaning of “comparable.”

“He believes in trying to meet every child’s needs in the public arena, so that it’s not just the private sector that can afford this kind of option,” she said.