inspired education
Creating leaders out of girls: The Ann Richards School
Nov 14, 2011 | 9:00 am
They blame the low income women for ruining the country because they are staying home with their children and not going out to work. They blame the middle income women for ruining the country because they go out to work and do not stay home to take care of their children."
So go some of the many words of wisdom that came from Ann Richards' mouth. The late Texas governor was beloved by many, and even her detractors seem to admire her intelligence and strength.
It is in her spirit that Austin's first all-girls public school opened in August 2007, as part of the Austin Independent School District. Richards was a steadfast advocate for high-quality education, and always said that teaching was the hardest work she had ever done. She was an ardent feminist and throughout her career dedicated herself to breaking down barriers for women to fully participate in career and community.
The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders exemplifies that legacy. It is a college preparatory school that educates Austin females, preparing them to attend and graduate from college and giving them the confidence and skills necessary to do so. At the time of her death in September 2006, Richards was actively involved in planning the school, visiting other successful single-gender schools and urging that the best practices of these schools be used to create academic, leadership and wellness programs in the school that bears her name.
The goal is for 100 percent of graduates to apply to and be accepted at a university. The Ann Richards School is also unique because it primarily serves girls from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. In its first year, 230 girls were enrolled in grades six and seven. The school has added one new grade each year, and will graduate its first class in 2013. Other high-profile women have championed the school; Sandra Bullock was a founding member of the Advisory Board and an early supporter of the school.
Principal Jeanne Goka isn't afraid to dream big for her students. Goka had always wanted her daughter to go to an all-girls school. "That wasn't available to her," Goka says, "but I felt very passionately about girls' education. I had read a lot about it and was very excited to be able to start the Ann Richards School."
Previously the director of the magnet program at Kealing Middle School, Goka used her experience and research into all-girl education to develop many of the programs at the Richards School. "Having this opportunity was really a gift for me."
The decision to create an all-girls school in Austin was based on research into single-sex education, including much of the data such as Goka herself found. Studies show numerous positive side effects of such education for girls:
- Establish comfortable places in which girls can learn and explore the world.
- Provide an opportunity for girls to consider issues of gender identity and the variety of roles girls and women can consider in today's and tomorrow's society.
- May be particularly helpful to girls at the developmental level of early adolescence.
With all-female classrooms, girls are more likely to explore subjects that they may be discouraged from elsewhere or that aren't seen as traditional for girls, such as science, engineering, physics, etc. Melissa Sustaita, Communities in Schools program manager and counselor at the Richards School, has seen the benefits first-hand. "In my work on other campuses, it was not uncommon for me to get several girls in my office each week to address boy-related issues," she says. "I observed how these social interactions greatly interfered with the girl's ability to focus and learn." Instances of sexual harassment at co-ed campuses are also very common. "Girls at single-sex schools appear to be more confident, motivated and forward-thinking," Sustaita has observed. "I attribute this to the strong focus on academics and fewer negative social interactions."
These are areas that the Ann Richards School focuses heavily on. "The reason is that we have a lot of girls with high interest in math and science, but for whatever reason they lose that interest and motivation in middle school," Goka says. The STEM Exploratory program, for example, covers courses in science, technology, engineering and math, geared toward middle-school grades. In high school, students choose one of three pathways, which is like a college major for high school: Media Technology, Biomedical or Engineering.
"Because we know that many of our students will have to work during their time at college, all three of these areas will give them high skill levels, to be able to get jobs that will pay a little better. It's all part of the theme of getting the girls to college, and getting them through college so that they can support themselves."
The Ann Richards School is the only middle school in AISD that has achieved the highest level of exemplary by the Texas Education Agency. Its students also recently became the first students in the world to use Dell’s new Latitude 2100 notebooks, designed specifically for students, with a Dell donation of 30 computers in 2009 to the sixth grade.
Dell Public Sector President Paul Bell said, “The women at the Ann Richards School represent America’s potential. Equipped with the right technology and skills they need to learn and achieve, they are the cornerstone of this country’s future competitiveness. Early exposure to 21st century skills is critical to developing accomplished students and a highly skilled workforce, which is key to any nation’s long term competitiveness.”
"All of our leadership opportunities force the girls to do things that they wouldn't normally do," Goka adds. "But it also gives them the opportunity to take risks, and even to fail. Because we are there to help pick them back up and let them start over again."
She is a big believer in risk-taking. "At this age, girls begin to take risks, and we try to provide plenty of risk-taking opportunities for them—but where they're safe, and we have a net underneath to catch them." Two such programs are yoga and roller derby. "This gives them the risk of what to do with their bodies, how they are changing and how to deal with that. Some of them have never skated before, but roller derby gives them a chance to show some aggression. It lets them be a part of the team."
AISD also has plans to start a School for Young Men, and recently received a $4.6 million donation from the Moody Foundation to help start it. "We believe we can duplicate the success of the Ann Richards High School with a school for young men—and I'm proud that the Moody Foundation believes so as well," says AISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen. "Great things are happening at the Ann Richards School. Many thanks to our young women for modeling a quality school environment that inspires investors!"
Goka expresses extreme pride in her students. "I’m so proud of the transformations we’ve seen take place in our girls," she says. "We provide an environment rich with opportunities to ensure each girl has the tools to succeed in college and her career, live a healthy lifestyle and be a leader in her community. The achievements of our students are a testament to our mission and values."