Boarding Schools for Girls

In a June 23 article on The Huffington Post, U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) extolled the virtues of Title IX on the 37th anniversary of passage of the landmark legislation, which banned gender discrimination by educational institutions.

However, Sanchez also noted that the equality that is guaranteed under Title IX remains in peril of being eroded by opponents of the legislation:

Before the law passed in 1972, girls made up only 7 percent of high school sports participants. Now, more than 40 percent of high school athletes are female. But its impact reached far beyond sports, from the academic to the arts and sciences, and even to the boardrooms of the Nation's top enterprises. ...

Despite Title IX's success in advancing equality for women, it continues to come under attack and has been frequently challenged in court. As our economy trembles and colleges and universities deal with budget cuts and shrinking athletic budgets, Title IX's achievements are in grave danger of being scaled back. ...

The most telling effect of Title IX is the fact that today, more women than men are attending college. Today, well over half of all undergraduate college students are women -- and women outnumber men in graduate school enrollment, including high-paying, high-powered professional programs like law.

"Title IX deserves its place in the law," Rep. Sanchez wrote, "so that no field will be missing its female athletes."

Labels: athletics, sports, legislation, equality

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A group of high school girls in Rochester, Minnesota, want their peers to stop "body bashing" and learn to appreciate the way they look. With that in mind, the group has joined a decade-old effort entitled "GO GIRLS!"

"GO GIRLS! is a 12-week curriculum developed in 1998 by the National Eating Disorders Association as a tool to prevent eating disorders among girls," the Post-Bulletin newspaper reported. "The curriculum focuses on body image issues and self-esteem, the effect media has on body image and awareness of eating disorders and prevention."

The GO GIRLS! program began in 1999 as a pilot project at Minnesota's Red Wing High School, where it continues to this day.

Labels: self-esteem, body image, peer_pressure

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Four exclusive private boarding schools for girls are banding together to create what the consortium claims is the world's first single-sex online secondary school.

According to a June 23 article by Jeannie Naujeck of the Nashville Business Journal, The Online School for Girls is the result of a combined effort from Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, Holton-Arms School in Maryland, the Laurel School in Ohio and Westover School in Connecticut:

The Online School for Girls will begin offering courses this September, including two this fall and four in the spring 2010 semester spanning math, science and the humanities. Students at the member schools will take the classes and evaluate them as a pilot run.

Ann Teaff, the head of Harpeth Hall, says the goal of the online school is to provide a rigorous education in an online setting that is flexible, affordable and accessible to girls around the world. She says the curriculum will be expanded in coming years.

Though a girls-only online school is a unique offering, the concept of Internet-based education itself is far from uncommon. Naujeck reported that more than one million U.S. secondary school students took at least one online course during the 2007-2008 academic year.

The movement toward more single-sex schools is also gaining steam, with mounting evidence supporting the belief that single-sex schools are best equipped to address learning differences between boys and girls.

Labels: single-sex education, online

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Emily Ford has never been much of an athlete (she describes having "alternately cried and prayed" her way through one season of youth softball). But Ford's 10-year-old daughter, Nellie, is embracing sports -- and mom couldn't be happier.

In a June 21 column on the Salisbury Post website, Ford noted that her daughter's participation in soccer, swimming, and other sports may yield benefits that extend far beyond the field (or pool):

Girls who participate in sports are less likely to get pregnant or drop out of school. They're less likely to smoke or abuse drugs and more likely to delay their first sexual experience. ...

For centuries, boys and men have honed their skills on fields and courts. Teamwork, goal setting, the pursuit of excellence -- all lessons learned in the world of sport and critical to the world of work.

Thanks to Title IX, which mandates equal athletic opportunities for boys and girls in public schools, girls have been learning these lessons too. Eighty percent of female executives at Fortune 500 companies say they played sports.

Playing sports may also help girls reduce their risk of developing breast cancer and osteoporosis later in life, Ford reported.

Labels: girls, sports, young women

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Two Ohio Girl Scouts, Raychel Santo and Kylie Bushroe, have created a program aimed at helping preteens develop healthy self-esteem and resist peer pressure and other unhealthy influences that can lead to problems such as depression and eating disorders. Dayton Daily News writer Brittney Hunn featured the two scouts in a June 11 article:

Having first-hand experience of junior high and high school pressures such as violence, eating disorders, cliques and depression, [Santo and Bushroe] came up with an idea to spread the word of self awareness.

The Scouts have put together a workshop promoting girls to "Be Youtiful" in efforts to gain a Gold Award, the highest achievement a 15- to 17-year-old Girl Scout can earn. The workshop is meant to prevent low self-esteem in preteen girls from sixth to eighth grade.

Self-esteem issues in teen girls are very common. How teens feel about themselves is reflected in their actions. If they have high self-esteem, they tend to act independently, assume responsibility, attempt new tasks and can handle different emotions. Those who have low self-esteem tend to avoid new things, put down their talents, blame others for shortcomings and are easily influenced, according to the Child Development Institute.

The girls' first workshop was scheduled for June 14 at the Bellbrook SugarCreek Community Center in Dayton, Ohio.

Labels: self-esteem, peer_pressure, ohio

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A 2002 attempt to introduce incarcerated girls in Atlanta, Georgia, to the benefits of writing and acting has blossomed into a multi-faceted therapeutic endeavor that organizers hope will help participants transcend their troubles and pursue healthier and more productive futures.

Autumn Bond-Ross described the program in a June 14 article on the SundayPaper website:

Five minutes ago, they were giggling and roughhousing, just like any other fresh-faced young girls. Now, the tone at the South Bend Center for Art and Culture has turned serious, even haunting. The girls stomp their feet in unison to a staccato beat, and begin chanting a cappella:

"Violence -- it's everywhere/ Though it seems no one gives a care/ A bullet in the head, a fallen friend/ Will this ever end?/ An innocent life just gone -- taken/ In this nightmare that dont awaken."

More powerful lyrics follow, each more poignant and shocking than the last. The room is quiet. Some audience members tear up; others have goose bumps.

This is a normal occurrence at Playmaking for Girls, an empowering theater program for incarcerated and at-risk girls. Kids in this age group are usually known for being boy-crazy and obsessing over Beyonce's latest single, but tonight these girls are using the power of their own voices to confront disturbing social issues.

"PFGs original focus on working with Georgia [Regional Youth Detention Centers] remains," Bond-Ross reported. "But since [2002], it has expanded to include after-school programs for at-risk teens, a summer follow-up for girls who were previously incarcerated, and a satellite program targeting junior-high and high school teachers. Plans for a mentoring program are also underway."

Labels: mentoring, girls, theater

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Just in time for Fathers Day, a study has found a significant link between a father's involvement in his teen's life and teen sexual activity. The five-year study involved surveys of more than 3,000 teens, who rated parental involvement on a five-point scale.

According to an article on the study that appeared in The Joplin (Missouri) Globe, researchers found that for each point of knowledge that dads had [of their childs friends and activities], teens were seven percent less likely to be sexually active.

Results of the study emphasize the importance of caring for kids, not just providing for them. Many parents are so busy working long, stressful hours to provide for their families that aren't able to spend enough time together. But being actively engaged in a teenager's life can have more of an impact than most parents realize.

Labels: parenting, teenagers, sex, fathers

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Injuries to knee ligaments -- primarily involving tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) -- are becoming increasingly common among female athletes, and are affecting girls as young as middle-school age.
In a June 7 article on the website of the Evansville Courier and Press, staff writer Randy Beard described both the prevalence and the potential causes of this unfortunate epidemic:

Dr. Andrew Saltzman, an Evansville orthopedic surgeon ... said noncontact ACL tears are three times more common among women than men  and perhaps four times more frequent in basketball. Other studies have estimated that women athletes could be as much as eight times more likely to tear an ACL.

There are numerous physiological reasons why female athletes are believed to be more at risk for ACL tears. It starts with having a wider pelvis and being more knock-kneed than typically more bowlegged men. Muscle structure is another factor. Women tend to have weaker hamstrings, making their quadriceps the more dominant muscle in stabilizing the knee.

Then there are the changes that take place during puberty. Increased estrogen in girls tends to result in more flexible ligaments, but they are protected by less muscle than testosterone-fueled boys.

Team sports and other organized athletic pursuits have been credited with boosting self-esteem, increasing self-confidence, and decreasing overweight and obesity risks of girls and young women, but Beard's article reinforces the necessity of taking necessary precautions to ensure that the young athletes have a safe sporting experience.

Labels: girls, athletes, injuries

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After analyzing the academic progress and personalities of 52 teens, researchers with Israel's Haifa University have determined that "agreeable" girls are most likely to do well during lessons and on exams.

A June 7 article by Graeme Parton of the British news website Telegraph.co.uk provided the following information from the Haifa study:

Academics said there was little difference between their learning habits, but found girls were much more likely to cooperate in lessons.

"Agreeableness relates to interpersonal relations," said the study. "Students scoring higher on agreeableness would thrive better and achieve higher than others in cooperative settings, which may explain girls' gain over boys."

Trefor Lloyd, director of the education charity Working With Men, told the Telegraph that the results of the Haifa study may be attributable to the willingness of female students to ask questions and otherwise take a more active role in their education

"Girls are much better at negotiating with teachers," Lloyd said. "They will ask more questions. They start from a position of now knowing enough. Boys don't like to be seen as not knowing something, and only ask questions reluctantly."

The Haifa study is the second recent research effort to evaluate the academic progress of female students. Earlier this year, Britain's Equality and Human Rights Commission explored the ways in which fear of failure leads to academic problems for female students.

Labels: school, girls, academic performance, grades

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Summer is a time for cookouts, grilling, and -- unfortunately -- teen pregnancies. Pregnancies among teenagers typically rise during the summer months, mostly because teens have more free time and are less supervised.

[Psychotherapist Mary Jo] Rapini says a simple way to keep your child from becoming a parent before they are ready is to get and stay involved in their lives. She says parents who share their lives with their children and who show interest in their kids' lives are less likely to have a teen who becomes a parent. (Source: MyFox Houston)

Teenage girls who feel alone or isolated are more likely to engage in various types of risky teen behavior, including sex. Staying connected and aware of what your teenager is doing, and who shes with, can help prevent this type of behavior.

Worried that your teen daughter's unhealthy attitudes and inappropriate behaviors are leading her down a dangerous path? Take a moment to learn how a wilderness program can help teen girls get back on track toward a happy and healthy future.

Labels: pregnancy, teenagers, girls, summer

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The nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court has been a significant source of pride within the Hispanic community. But other recent news hasn't been nearly as hopeful for Hispanic parents and children.

A June 6 article by Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje of the (San Antonio) Express News reported that Latina girls are at considerable risk for suicide:

Latinas age 12 to 17 make up the largest and fastest-growing minority group of girls in the nation. And they are more at risk of trying to take their own lives than any other racial or ethnic group their age.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 percent of Latina teenagers have contemplated suicide and around 15 percent have attempted it, compared with 10 percent of Anglo and African-American teen girls who have attempted. Some studies put the percentage of Latina [suicide] attempters even higher. ...

Leticia Flores Canchola, director of nursing at Southwest Mental Health Center, a psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents, said 60 percent of girls who are admitted for suicide attempts are Latina, which is proportional to their local population numbers. "The majority of those who come in are sad, hopeless, helpless," she said. "They say, 'Nobody wants me.' It's a way out for them."

As is often the case with suicide, the cause of rising suicide rates among young Latina girls escapes easy identification. Luis Zayas, a researcher Latino psychology expert, told the Express News that "cultural expectations, gender issues, ethnic identity and adolescent-parental conflict converge in a toxic brew to push young Latinas to the edge."

Labels: teenagers, girls, latina, suicide

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A decades-old Montana program that helps teen mothers complete their education may be forced to close due to financial difficulties that are affecting the county's public school system.

A June 3 article by Michael Moore of The Missoulian News Online reported on the dire straits facing Sentinel High School's "Young Family" program:

The program, which has been around since the early 1980s, is now threatened by the $1 million budget shortfall in the Missoula County Public Schools.

"We've been going for 25 years, and it would be a tragedy for the girls and their children if we lost it," said Lois Reimers, the Sentinel teacher who directs the program.

The program provides licensed day care for the children of teens, and that's a savior for young mothers, six of whom are now using the program. The children are on campus, so the moms can see them during the day without missing classes.

Amy Rober, who works for a service that provides home learning opportunities for pregnant teens and teen mothers, told The Missoulian that the dropout rate for pregnant high school students is about 80 percent.

Teen pregnancy remains a cause of great concern in the United States, with teen parents facing a number of daunting educational, financial, and developmental challenges.

Labels: education, pregnancy, teenagers

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A group of young female athletes from Provo, Utah, will be spending part of the upcoming summer vacation in Africa, where the girls will teach soccer and a few other lessons to orphaned girls. A May 29 article by Amanda Butterfield of KSL TV5 provided the following details about the efforts of the Timpview High School girls' soccer team:

"Girls over there see boys play soccer all the time, and they have no idea that they can play soccer. So, it will be awesome that they can see us play, and they'll say, I can play soccer. I can do this," said Timpview senior Kathy Cannon. ...

The team is traveling to Africa for two weeks in June, where they will hold soccer clinics for girls. "We're spending one week in Kampala and one week in Gulu, which is a war-torn area," explained assistant coach Jackie Skinner. ...

The teens will travel to different schools and share an inspirational message. "We just want to give them hope, basically," Timpview freshman Emily Curtis said.

The girls are also bringing paper, pencils and all sorts of school supplies for the kids.

Though the Timpview girls are undertaking their Africa trip in order to improve the lives of others, it's quite likely that they will benefit from the experience as well. Sports, volunteerism, and community-service projects provide a wide range of benefits to adolescent and teen girls, including improved self-esteem and self-worth among teens.

For this reason, many private boarding schools for girls (such as New Leaf Academy in Bend, Oregon) encourage students to participate in sports and take part in service projects.

Labels: girls, athletes, service project

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