Boarding Schools for Girls

An Aug. 26 editorial in The Business Times argues that educating girls and women should be part of a global strategy to increase quality of life and decrease problems such as terrorism, human trafficking, and poverty:

The oppression of women is not just a women's issue; it's a stability issue, a security issue and an equity issue, says U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

It is also a human rights and economic issue, we might add. It has been observed by counter-terrorism experts that countries that nurture terrorist groups tend to be the same societies that marginalise women. So, helping to educate and raise the status of women in those societies would be of global security interest.

Meanwhile, women also represent the best hope for fighting global poverty. ... Larry Summers, when he was World Bank chief economist, wrote that "investment in girls' education may well be the highest-return investment available in the developing world."

A member of the Singapore Press Holdings group, The Business Times describes itself as "as South-east Asia's leading business daily, [which] brings to its readers each day a comprehensive and concise package of corporate, financial, economic and political news, analysis and commentary."

Labels: education, international, girls

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Australia's Spinifex Press has announced the publication of a new collection of essays on the sexualization and objectification of girls in modern society. According to a Spinifex release, Getting Real: Challenging the Sexualisation of Girls addresses the many unhealthy effects associated with this unfortunately prevalent problem:

From advertising and merchandising to Bratz and Voodoo Dolls to the Henson affair, Getting Real puts the spotlight on the sexualisation and objectification of girls and women in the media, popular culture and society.

Girls are portrayed as sexual at younger ages, pressured to conform to a "thin, hot, sexy" norm. Clothing, music, magazines, toys and games send girls the message that they are merely the sum of their body parts. The effects of prematurely sexualising girls are borne out in their bodies and minds, with a rise in self-destructive behaviours such as eating disorders and self-harm, along with anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.

Getting Real is edited by Melinda Tankard Reist, an author, women's advocate, and founder of Women's Forum Australia.

Labels: mental health, sex, self-esteem

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A sophomore at Wesleyan University has partnered with a fledgling support group to create a school for girls and young women in poverty-stricken Kenya.

In an article that appeared in the Aug. 16 edition of the Hartford Courant, Bethe Dufresne and Marcel Dufresne described the joint efforts of Kenya native Kennedy Odede and the group he discovered during an Internet search, American Friends of Kenya:A

Amid the most desperate poverty in Kenya's largest slum [Kibera], where prostitution for girls often comes with or even precedes puberty, Odede had created a youth-based community center and was offering services for women and children with HIV/AIDS. He had made a difference, a few foes and a lot of friends.

But time was running out for the women and children, and Odede was running out of ideas. So he entered a computer search for "Kenya," adding words like "aid" or "service" or "charity," and eventually clicked on a Connecticut-based group called American Friends of Kenya.

Although the group was then only a year old, founding director Emely Silver of Norwich was used to receiving, and often rejecting, plaintive pleas for help from Kenyans. ... Odede, she recalls, "was the first one who didn't ask for money." He wanted advice about how to manage his projects in the slums.

"Teach me," he wrote to Silver, who was immediately smitten.

The school, which is scheduled to open Aug. 20, is free for all students -- though the Courant article notes that "parents are required to pay with their own involvement."

Labels: school, girls, kenya

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According to an Aug. 16 article by Kelli Gauthier of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, female students in Tennessee and Georgia are outperforming their male counterparts at almost every level:

Academically, girls are outperforming boys in subjects from kindergarten through high school, a four-year review of test scores shows. In some subjects, girls have the boys beat by at least 10 percentage points. ...

The achievement gap continues through high school as Hamilton County recorded a 76.9 percent graduation rate for girls, and a 68.4 percent rate for boys in 2008, the most recent year for which data is available. ...

The gender-achievement gap is apparent in Georgia, too, where girls are scoring higher than boys in Dade, Walker, Whitfield and Catoosa counties, in many academic subjects, test data show.

Though the Times Free Press article focuses on the academic superiority of girls in two southern states, at least one education expert says that the performance disparity is not merely a regional phenomenon.

"Tennessee and Georgia are not alone in this. This is very much a national phenomenon," said Alan Richard, spokesman for the Southern Regional Education Board, told the Times Free Press. "It may just now be reaching schools and school boards at the local levels. Gender should now be a part of local schools' discussions about improving student achievement."

Labels: school, academic performance

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Women eat less when they dine with men but not when they are eating in female groups, according to a new study from Canada's McMaster University.

• Dr. Meredith Young said women in her study tended to choose foods with lower calories when they ate in mixed gender groups or when they ate with men.
• The more men in the group, the fewer the calories the women ate.
• However, in all-female groups, women consumed higher calorie foods.

The results of the study may indicate that many women continue to suffer from poor self-image or remain beholden to unrealistic (and unhealthy) standards of beauty.

"Smaller healthier portions are seen as more feminine, and women may believe that if they eat less they will be considered more attractive to men," Dr. Young said in an article in the journal Appetite.

Labels: self-esteem, research

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While some of their classmates were lazing their ways through summer vacation, thousands of rising high school senior girls were learning how their government works.

Since the 1930s, the American Legion Auxiliary has given a select group of female student the chance to participate in mock government through the Girls State and Girls Nation programs. The following details about the program were posted on the Legion Auxiliary website:

High school girls who have completed their junior year spend an intensive week of study, working together as self-governing citizens at Auxiliary-sponsored Girls State programs in every state (with the exception of Hawaii).

Participants learn how to participate in the functioning of their state's government in preparation for their future roles as responsible adult citizens. Two girls are selected from each Girls State program to attend Girls Nation, a national government training program.

Girls Nation "senators" meet for a week in Washington, D.C., where they run for political office, campaign for the passage of legislation and possibly meet with state representatives and senators. Capping off the week of Girls Nation is oftentimes a meeting with the President of the United States at the White House.

According to a Girls State brochure, program alumni include journalist Jane Pauley and former Texas Gov. Ann Richards.

Labels: summer, government, leadership

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The world's most famous (albeit fictional) "girl detective" is poised to become cyberspace's most prominent (albeit undercover) girls boarding school student.

According to a July 29 news release by Her Interactive (the creator of a series of computer games based on the experiences of the renowned detective and her friends), Ms. Drew's next online adventure will test her and her fans' sleuthing skills as they attempt to foil a criminal plot inside an exclusive all-girls boarding school:

In Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy, players take on the role of Nancy Drew as she heads undercover at a prestigious all-girls boarding school to discover the culprit behind threatening notes and dangerous accidents that seem to be targeted towards the academy's valedictorian candidates.

To fit in at the school, players will immerse themselves in the boarding school culture by exploring the campus, helping other girls with projects and navigating the social scene. To build the case, players will surreptitiously snoop through dorm rooms and snap cell phone pictures of evidence they come across.

"Our games are really mystery-adventures wrapped in layers of increasingly complex puzzles that require deductive reasoning to not only get through, but to ultimately determine the culprit, and that sense of accomplishment is what keeps our community so committed to the franchise," Megan Gaiser, president and CEO of Her Interactive, said in the release.

Labels: boarding schools, video game

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For the past four years, young female musicians and would-be musicians in Minnesota have had the opportunity to spend part of their summer vacation at the state's first (and, thus far, only) rock and roll camp for girls.

Nick Ferraro reported on Girls Rock 'n' Roll Retreat in the Aug. 3 edition of The Pioneer Press:

"If you look at the rock music industry, it's very male-dominated," said Edie Baumgart, executive director of Girls Rock 'n' Roll Retreat, a five-day camp held at the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley. "We want to create another generation of women musicians."

The day camp is aimed at teaching girls ages 9 to 16 how to write songs, play instruments and sing  no matter their talent level. It's capped off with a concert for family and friends at the arts center.

"Some [of the campers] have never played an instrument, and there's something really important about writing and working as a team and playing in a concert," Baumgart told The Pioneer Press. "It lets them understand they can accomplish things. And you know what? Music is fun, and they want to be there."

Labels: girls, summer, music

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Back to school time came a bit earlier than usual for the 75 students who comprise the inaugural student body of The Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy.

According to a July 27 article on the website of The Chattanoogan, Tennessee's first all-girls charter school officially opened its doors July 27:

The year-round and tuition-free public charter school offers a college preparatory curriculum focused on science, technology, engineering, and math. In addition to academics, CGLA will focus on building girls confidence and self esteem.

"[July 27] is a great day for not only Tennessee and the Chattanooga community, but also for the founders of the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy," Melanie Northcutt, the academy's board chair said on the school's first day.

Labels: single-sex education, charter school

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