Boarding Schools for Girls

According to a July 30 article by Michael Lee Pope of the Alexandria Gazette Packet, officials in Virginia's Alexandria School District are taking a closer look at gender disparities in students' academic performance:

Pass rates for girls are higher than pass rates for boys [in Alexandria]. The gender disparity is most pronounced in English tests, especially in the earlier grades. The largest gap is in third-grade English scores, with the gender gap closing as students move toward high schools.

"The traditional school environment is more conducive to girls," said School Board Vice Chairwoman Sheryl Gorsuch. "Boys arent as good as sitting in place and following instructions." ...

Some research has suggested that the gender gap in test scores is related to perception of gender roles, with reading viewed as a feminine pursuit in conflict with masculinity. According to a report released earlier this year, the Virginia Department of Education, male high-school students have a 10 percent dropout rate compared to a 7 percent dropout rate for female students.

Initiatives undertaken by the district to close this gender gap include an effort to increase literacy among male students and a "Sisters in Science" club to promote math, science and technology awareness among female students.

Labels: school

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A new study from the University of Georgia found that gender and age differences matter when teenagers size up their peers.

Dr. Daniel Pine and his colleagues used magnetic resonance technology to watch the brain activities of 34 healthy young people ages nine to 17 years old. The participants rated their interest in communicating with teenagers based on how their faces appeared on computer screens. Then they were asked to appraise the same faces two weeks later.

Older females in the study showed more brain activity than younger ones did in the parts of the brain that process social emotion. Older males' reactions were not that much different than those of younger males.

This study appears in the journal Child Development.

Labels: research, brain-chemistry

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Teenage pregnancies increased in 2006 and 2007, according to a new government study. Rates had been declining since 1991. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at data from 2002 to 2007, and found that sexually transmitted diseases were also increasing among teenagers.

• The number of cases of syphilis increased among people ages 15 to 24 years old.
• About one million people in that age group had chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis.
• One in four females ages 15 to 19 had a human papillomavirus infection.
• The number of AIDS cases among males 15 to 24 years old is also increasing.

"This report identifies a number of concerns regarding the sexual and reproductive health of our nation's young people," said Janet Collins, director of CDC's national Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. "It is disheartening that after years of improvement with respect to teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, we now see signs that progress is stalling and many of these trends are going in the wrong direction."

The study appeared in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Labels: pregnancy, teenagers

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Licensed psychotherapist Mark Rutherford's experience as a relationship counselor has given him the years of experience needed to offer guidance and advice to frustrated parents.

One parent recently asked him what to do when her teenage daughter starts pushing back on rules such as curfew and cell phone use.

Heres what we know: [Teenagers] will always try to 'test' you, pushing your boundaries to see how much they can get away with.

How much you let them get away with will dictate how hard they push the next time. Your best bet is to remain firm on what is okay and what is not okay in your family. -- Source: Palm Beach (FL) Post

Dr. Rutherford goes on to remind parents that our first priority is to take care of our kids, not be their friends. Some decisions will make children angry, but a temporarily angry child is better than a permanently damaged relationship.

Labels: daughters, defiance, disobedience

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Today, it isnt enough for a teenage girl to be smart or athletic or beautiful. Shes expected to be all three at once. And the increased pressure is leading to rises in depression, eating disorders and even suicide.

In his book [Triple Bind], [Stephen] Hinshaw shares stories of teen girls who suffer from the triple bind. He also identifies the early signs that show the pressures are too great, so parents can recognize what their daughters might be silently struggling with and step in to help. (Source: Voice of America)

Parents play a crucial role in countering the pressures faced by teens. Shared meals can be great forums for serious discussions, giving teenagers opportunities to share their fears, concerns and frustrations. Parents can also use the time to help their kids get a healthier perspective on achievement.

Labels: mental health, girls, pressure

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It has been decades since Title IX expanded opportunities for girls and young women to participate in high school and college sports in the United States. In other nations, female athletes still struggle for the chance to compete.

According to a June 23 Associated Press article, would-be female athletes in Saudi Arabia have a powerful ally in their efforts to overturn a nationwide ban on athletic participation by girls and young women:

Appealing to a powerful Saudi prince, an 8-year-old girl asked why she was not allowed to play sports in school like boys. She got an unexpected response: The prince said he hoped government schools for girls would allow playing fields.

The stand taken by Prince Khaled al-Faisal, governor of the holy city of Mecca and one of the most senior second-generation members of the royal family, on the controversial issue is the strongest official endorsement so far of women's sports and a sign the government may be tilting toward opening up on that front.

Physical education classes are banned in state-run girls schools in conservative Saudi Arabia. Saudi female athletes are not allowed to participate in the Olympics. ... And some clerics even argue that running and jumping can damage a woman's hymen and ruin her chances of getting married.

Playing sports have been associated with a wide range of benefits for female athletes, including improved health, stronger self-esteem, and enhanced self-confidence.

Labels: sports, athletes

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A rattled mother wrote to an advice column in the Calgary Sunasking for help with her adolescent daughter's question about birth control. The woman's 14-year-old daughter had just asked to be put on the pill because shed heard it makes "that time of the month" less uncomfortable. The mom was unsure how to respond.

The advice columnist advised the mother that the most important concern isn't the specific topic of the conversation, but the overall quality of the relationship she has with her daughter -- a relationship that can be improved by not over-reacting to what might at first feel like an unsettling question:

The most important thing here is the relationship you have with your daughter. The best thing you can do is first educate yourself, so that as a parent, you help her make decisions based on your knowledge and understanding, while ensuring you are still (somewhat) holding the reins of your not-yet-adult child.

The columnist suggested that daughter and mother visit the family doctor together, where the daughter can ask questions and get more information -- not just about the pill, but about other concerns related to teen sexual activity, such as teens and sexually transmitted diseases.

Labels: parenting, sex, adolescents, contraception

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In honor of the 37th anniversary of Title IX (which expanded female students' access to educational services and activities), the U.S. Department of Education announced the awarding of $2.4 million in grants to help girls in math and science.

According to a June 23 DoE press release, the grants were awarded to 13 organizations that are dedicated to raising math and science proficiency among female high school students:

The four-year grants were made under the Women's Educational Equity Act Program within the Department of Education. The program provides financial assistance to enable educational agencies to meet the requirements of Title IX.

The grantees were selected from 63 eligible applicants. Grantees received additional points if their projects included activities to help at-risk students meet challenging state academic standards and graduate. All of the awardees will serve females at the secondary level.

One of the grant recipients is the Pittsburgh Public Schools, which will receive $163,559 to track 348 female students for four years (grades nine to 12) as they complete courses of study that are focused on math and technical education.

Labels: math, science, academic performance

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In a July 6 letter to boston.com parenting expert Barbara Meltz, a parent expressed concerns about her young daughter's worries about weight and body size:

QUESTION: My daughter, age 9, has recently started talking about her weight. She refers to herself as fat, talks about how big her tummy is. Initially, I ignored this, hoping it was short-term. Well, it's not - this has persisted for 3 to 4 months. She is not fat: she is very muscular and athletic and just right.

ANSWER: While you don't want to over-react, disordered eating is what leads to eating disorders, and disordered thinking is a big piece of that. So keep your pediatrician in the loop and familiarize yourself with the danger signs of eating disorders just as a point of education.

Now, since she eats a pretty healthy diet as it is, ramp down the conversation about what she eats. Stop making suggestions (unless she asks your opinion) and relegate the topic of food to a minor one in your home.

Meltz also advised the mother to monitor the types of media her child is viewing, set a positive example, emphasize healthy behaviors instead of merely healthy eating, and develop an appreciation for the beauty of size diversity.

Other experts have noted that parents play an important role in helping daughters develop healthy self-esteem, which can significantly reduce their risk of struggling with an eating disorder.

Labels: weight-gain, self-esteem, body image

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Parents, teachers, and others who are associated with several New York-area private schools are less than thrilled about a new "reality" show that chronicles the often unsavory activities of six are prep school students.

A July 2 New York Times article by Julie Bosman explored the reactions to those who are upset with Bravo's "NYC Prep" show:

"'Horrified' is totally the word," said Sandy Bass, the editor of the Private School Insider, a newsletter that covers private schools in the New York City area. ...

The teenagers on the show seem to spend most of their time scheming, partying, eating in expensive restaurants and shopping for $2,000 skirts. Ms. Harvey said that parents were turned off by the overt affluence, the disrespectful behavior and the casual attitude toward sex and under-age drinking.

One unnamed parent told Bosman that the show is "like a bad 'Dynasty' episode," though she admitted that "everybodys a little fascinated" with it.

Labels: prep school

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A study that was sponsored by Cox Communications found that teenage cyberbullying and "sexting" were a bit less common than adults might think and previous studies have found.

The new survey, performed by Harris Interactive, involved 655 teenagers ages 13 to 18 years old.

Cyberbullying, defined as harassment, embarrassment, or threats online or by text message, was common. About one third of the teams in the study experienced it, engaged in it, or knew of people who had done it.

Sexting was defined as sending sexually suggestive e-mails or text with nude or nearly nude photos. Only nine percent of the teens had sent such a message, although 17 percent had received one, and three had forwarded one. Other studies indicated that 20 percent of teenagers were sexting.

The majority of teens told researchers that they understand that posting personal information or photographs of themselves on the Internet is unsafe. Nevertheless, 62 percent did post pictures of themselves, 50 percent shared their real age, 45 percent named their school, and 41 percent gave the city where they live.

Labels: cyber-bullying, sexting

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After a 14-year decline, the teen birth rate in the United States rose in 2006 and 2007. According to a June 18 post by Washington Post blogger Rob Stein, one expert believes that the rising birth rate doesn't mean more that teens are having sex, but that fewer are using contraception:

In an article being published in the July issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, [John Santelli of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health] and his colleagues report that the increase does not appear to be the result of a rise in sexual activity.

Although teen sexual activity might have risen slightly between 2001 and 2003, it appears to have remained fairly flat since then, the researchers found.

Instead, the researchers found that there appears to have been a subtle decrease in contraceptive use, including a slight increase in the use of the withdrawal method and the proportion of teens reporting no contraceptive use.

But perhaps most importantly there was a small but significant drop in condom use, which fell from about 57 percent to about 55 percent from 2003 to 2007.

Santelli reached his conclusions after analyzing data on girls in grades nine through 12 -- information that had been collected during the U.S. government's Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Labels: pregnancy, sex

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About 30 years ago, Ann Gilbert, her husband, Bob, and a family friend purchased a 173-acre ranch in southern Oregon, just outside the town of Riddle. Two months ago, Ann began bringing at-risk girls onto the ranch to benefit from the inspiring experience of riding and working with horses.

A June 27 Associated Press article featured Gilbert's equine therapy program A Place of Promise:

Respect for others, accountability, resourcefulness, resilience, the virtue of right and the consequences of wrong, love of the outdoors and the importance of having fun in keeping with the spirit of the American cowboy, this is what the Gilberts teach at A Place of Promise.

Since the newly established nonprofit opened on May 18, nine children have experienced the horsemanship and the freedom of country life at the Gilberts' ranch.

"Not only do the children gain from this program, but the horses love the attention the children give them. Their whole demeanor changes when the children are around them," Gilbert said. "They come to their gates in hope they will be the one brought up to the barn to be brushed on and loved."

Animal-assisted therapy has proved to be a highly effective component of many programs for troubled teens and at-risk youth. For example, at New Leaf Academy -- a private boarding school for middle-school girls in Bend, Oregon -- students participate in equine therapy sessions at a nearby stable, and also participate in a rabbit-raising program on the New Leaf campus.

Labels: animal-assisted therapy, equine therapy

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