Boarding Schools for Girls

The Denver board of education has granted approval for the Girls Athletic Leadership School (GALS), a charter school that is set to open for the 2010-2011 academic year.

According to a Dec. 31, 2009, article by Jeremy P. Meyer of The Denver Post, the school will start with two grades (six and seven), but plans to expand through 12th grade:

"We know that girls focus on academics more when they're in an all-girls setting, simply put, because we are taking away a large social distraction, especially in middle school," said Elizabeth Wolfson, founder of the school, which will be in south-central Denver.

"Research shows girls begin to trail off when they hit middle school," she said. "That is because of social distractions between girls and boys but also between girls and girls. By separating them out, we can work on the girl-to-girl piece."

The academic program at GALS is to be based on the Expeditionary Learning model, which emphasizes active learning, character growth and teamwork. A large part of the day will focus on health and wellness.

Students will start in the morning with exercise, have opportunities for movement throughout the school day and must participate in extracurricular activities.

Labels: girls school, charter school

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During World War II, Rosie the Riveter was an iconic image that represented the strength and abilities of women who were supporting the war effort by working in previously male-dominated workplaces such as factories.

Sixty-five years later, Rosie is still serving as a symbol of female empowerment, this time as the inspiration for a charter school for girls in Southern California. Bob Pool of the Los Angeles Times described the innovative objective of Rosie the Riveter High in a Dec. 3 article:

The Long Beach charter school was created in 2007 to help prepare teenage girls for careers as welders, plumbers, carpenters, electricians and other trades.

Today, its 50-member student body includes girls and boys, but its organizers still attempt to break down barriers for women seeking careers in what largely remains a man's world.

"It's about trying to change the way society looks at women," said Lynn Shaw, who helped create Rosie the Riveter High. "We just feel that women should have an equal opportunity." ...

"The idea had been to call the school Youth Opportunity Charter High School or something like that," Shaw said. "But that sounded really boring."

The group's executive director, Alexandra Torres Galancid, suggested that they name it after Rosie instead.

Labels: education, charter school, career

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The growth of a Manhattan charter school for girls has prompted a bit of controversy, as officials grapple to find a way to accommodate the schools expansion without having a negative impact on other schools in the area.

An article in the Nov.27-Dec. 3 edition of The Downtown Express provided the following details about the debate:

Girls Preparatory Charter school, with grades kindergarten through fifth, wants to expand to include middle-school grades 6 through 8. The Department of Education has proposed three alternative plans to rearrange several district schools to make room for the charter school ...

But parents at Shuang Wen, a district bilingual English-Mandarin school with grades K to 8, at 327 Cherry St. near Montgomery St., and parents at P.S. 20 on Essex St. near E. Houston St., dont like the idea of sharing space with other district schools to accommodate the charter school expansion. &

Some parents at the meeting contended that the D.O.E. alternative plans for Girls Prep take resources away from mostly low-income immigrant students. They characterized the loss of resources as a violation of their civil rights.

But Miriam Lewis Raccah, founder and executive director of Girls Prep, said she understood Shuang Wen and P.S. 20 parents concern because her school is also squeezed for space. She said Girls Prep has been successful in small, shared spaces and that other schools could also be successful.

Labels: girls school, charter school, new york

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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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