Launching a Girls’
Public School:
Leaders’ Perspective
Paula Harris, Trustee member, Board of Education
Delesa O’Dell Thomas, Principal
Jyoti Malhan, Dean of Instruction
Houston ISD
Young Women’s College
Preparatory Academy
Established Fall 2011
Leaders’ Perspective
The First All Girls Public School in a large Urban
School District
Our Biggest Challenge
“COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDER BUY IN”
Single Gender Schools
• A very new model for our parents
• A very new model for our students
• Different from a large comprehensive high
school
• A magnet program- selective admission
process
HISD's Single-Sex Schools:
Not Quite a Hot Ticket . (Jan. 27,
2011) Houston Chronicle
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/...
The Houston school board announced with
great fanfare two months ago the opening of
separate schools for girls and... Forty girls and
23 boys have applied for the schools, which
have slots for 200 girls and 250 boys, HISD
spokesman Jason Spencer tells Hair Balls. …
Our Outreach to our community
• Create a brochure with our girls who applied
• (took pictures at Rice Univ. campus)
• Sought our parents as our spokespersons
• Sought our new teachers to recruit at their
• campuses
• Created a genderschools eblast for all parents
who applied
Contd…
• Sought our students to recruit at their
campuses
• Constant communication and aggressive
follow up with anyone who applied or
contacted us
• Buy in from applicants and parents was our
strongest ally
• Word of mouth more powerful than anything
else
May 7 – Our first parent
information session !
We were blown away !!
Have not looked back since !!!
At our parent session we talked about our
– Our new campus (location, security)
– Our curriculum (Pre AP /AP)
– Our teachers (Highly qualified and experienced)
– Our innovative camps (STEM, Writers in Schools)
– Our afterschool activities and electives
Preliminary responses from our
stakeholders
• I did not want to come to this school in August
but I do not want to leave now- 9th grade
student
• I forced her to come but she loves it now- 6th
grade parent
• My friend wants to know what else can she do
to get her daughter here. She has perfect
scores on the state test- YWCPA parent
• Was that change of class, so quiet- future
parent touring campus
Benefits of Attending
YWCPA
• Single gender / no distraction from boys
• Uniforms
• Magnet (separate and unique)
• Nurturing learning environment
• Each girl receives a I-Mac during school year
• Spring Board Curriculum
• Acceleration/College Preparation
• Private school concept in a public school
• Sisterhood
10 REASONS TO ATTEND YWCPA
1. The HISD Advanced Placement magnet school
2. Rigorous college preparatory curriculum with all Core coursework Pre AP/AP
3. Highly qualified experienced teachers with master’s and doctoral degrees
4. Personal MacBook laptops for every girl
5. College tours starting in 6th grade
6. Free mandatory STEM based summer camps for all girls starting in 6th grade
7. Partnership with IPAA for creating a Petroleum Academy at YWCPA
8. Two years of high school foreign language credit in Middle school
9. Algebra for all by 8th grade (15% of our girls take Algebra in 7th)
10. Dual credit classes in 11th and 12th grade
Enrichment & the Arts
After School Programs
• Strings
• Volleyball/basketball/lacrosse/soccer clubs
• Photography
• Theater
• Step Team
• Dance
• Clown Art
• Science Club
• History Club
• Cheerleading
• Mentoring
Rigor and Innovation drives our
curriculum
• A group of 7th graders in Pre AP Algebra I ( a 9TH grade course)
• All 6th graders are taking 7th grade math
• Mac book computers for every girl
• Innovative and unique summer program opportunities on and off
campus ( WITS, 3D Prototyping camp taught by Rice Univ., DUKE TIP
Kaplan class, underwater robotics)
• Partnership with IPAA (sponsorships, internships, engineering
courses)
• UH partnership ( Students from College of Engineering teach twice a
week)
•
Rigor and Innovation drives our
curriculum, contd…..
•Electives and after school programs include robotics, orchestra,
lacrosse, theater arts, choir, leadership and team building
•History fair state level wins
•NASA partnerships
•Visit from Ms America
•Research /Dissertation class for middle school
•61 out of 119 students in 7th grade invited to test for Duke Tip scholar
program
Thanks to a national study conducted by UCLA's
Graduate School of Education & Information
Studies(2010), we have well-documented evidence
that all-girls school graduates entering their first year
of college consistently assess their abilities, self-
confidence, engagements and ambition as stronger
across the academic disciplines than do their peers
from coed schools.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10204/1074653-109.stm#ixzz1m5GtIVou
U.S. senators Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.,
write this opinion article in support of offering the option of single-gender
instruction, saying studies show it can improve student performance --
particularly in math and science.
International Day of the Girl: Why Science & Math Programs Matter
Reaching young women by the time they enter college is not soon enough.
…to increase female representation in STEM majors it is essential to engage
girls in related activities at K-12 levels. A few organizations have recognized
this gap and created programs to address it. Microsoft's DigiGirlz Hi-Tech
Camp, Black Girls Code and the NSF-funded National Girls Collaborative
Project support STEM programs for underserved communities.
Current Research & News
A Right to Choose Single-Sex Education
One of the 5 schools out of 45 at
the middle school level to meet
AYP based on first year’s state test
scores. ( though we did not count
for the same as we were in our first
year).
Year 1: We are proud of our Girls’
Exemplary Performance !!!
STAAR 2012
7th Grade Data
STAAR EOC 2012
Biology Data
Young Women’s College
Preparatory Academy
2012 EOC Summary
STAAR End of Course (9th grade)
Subject Spring Percentages Summer Percentages
Geometry 94 100
Biology 99 99
World Geography 95 99
ELA – Reading 88 94
ELA – Writing 61 86
Algebra 1 92 93
Our Campus
1906 Cleburne, Houston TX, 77004
Young Women Today,
Leaders Tomorrow
Foundation for the
Education of Young Women
Our Core Values
1. College Preparation
2. Leadership
3. Wellness Skills
Sponsorship/Funding/Partnership
• FEYW
• Private Donations
• Grants
• Advisory Council
• Texas Wall Street Women (TXWSW)
• Independent Petroleum Association of America
• Junior Achievement
• Sally Ride Science
• Space Center Houston, NASA
• General Electric
• Texas Association of Minority Engineer s
• Writers in The Schools
YMCPA & YWCPA
• Extended lunch
• PTOs collaborate
• Socials/dances
• Service learning projects
• Leadership Events
Admission Requirements
• Must have a 75% or better average in all classes
• Must have met state requirements for advancement
to the next grade level
• Must desire and be committed to attend a four-year
college or university.
• Must have good attendance and behavior
• If selected for admission, must attend an interview
with parent, guardian, and/or primary caregiver.
– W
We will prepare and apply to the best!!!
Our girls at the Apple store
Golf as an elective class
History Fair winners and STEM Exposure
Walk for Juvenile Diabetes Visits to Rice & other Universities
Partnership with IPAA
Introduce a girl to Engineering Day at
Exxon
Doctor’s day Outreach at YWCPA
Stem Camp at Tyler
FEYW Schools
Houston
Austin
Dallas
Lubbock
Fort Worth
San Antonio
We are a…
Contact Information
Paula Harris, HISD Trustee
pharris@slb.com
Delesa O’Dell- Thomas, Principal
dthomas1@houstonisd.org
Jyoti Malhan, Dean
jmalhan@houstonisd.org
WEBSITE
http://schools.houstonisd.org/YWCPA
Questions and Answers

NASPPE PPT

  • 1.
    Launching a Girls’ PublicSchool: Leaders’ Perspective Paula Harris, Trustee member, Board of Education Delesa O’Dell Thomas, Principal Jyoti Malhan, Dean of Instruction Houston ISD
  • 2.
    Young Women’s College PreparatoryAcademy Established Fall 2011
  • 3.
    Leaders’ Perspective The FirstAll Girls Public School in a large Urban School District Our Biggest Challenge “COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDER BUY IN”
  • 4.
    Single Gender Schools •A very new model for our parents • A very new model for our students • Different from a large comprehensive high school • A magnet program- selective admission process
  • 5.
    HISD's Single-Sex Schools: NotQuite a Hot Ticket . (Jan. 27, 2011) Houston Chronicle http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/... The Houston school board announced with great fanfare two months ago the opening of separate schools for girls and... Forty girls and 23 boys have applied for the schools, which have slots for 200 girls and 250 boys, HISD spokesman Jason Spencer tells Hair Balls. …
  • 6.
    Our Outreach toour community • Create a brochure with our girls who applied • (took pictures at Rice Univ. campus) • Sought our parents as our spokespersons • Sought our new teachers to recruit at their • campuses • Created a genderschools eblast for all parents who applied
  • 7.
    Contd… • Sought ourstudents to recruit at their campuses • Constant communication and aggressive follow up with anyone who applied or contacted us • Buy in from applicants and parents was our strongest ally • Word of mouth more powerful than anything else
  • 8.
    May 7 –Our first parent information session ! We were blown away !! Have not looked back since !!! At our parent session we talked about our – Our new campus (location, security) – Our curriculum (Pre AP /AP) – Our teachers (Highly qualified and experienced) – Our innovative camps (STEM, Writers in Schools) – Our afterschool activities and electives
  • 9.
    Preliminary responses fromour stakeholders • I did not want to come to this school in August but I do not want to leave now- 9th grade student • I forced her to come but she loves it now- 6th grade parent • My friend wants to know what else can she do to get her daughter here. She has perfect scores on the state test- YWCPA parent • Was that change of class, so quiet- future parent touring campus
  • 10.
    Benefits of Attending YWCPA •Single gender / no distraction from boys • Uniforms • Magnet (separate and unique) • Nurturing learning environment • Each girl receives a I-Mac during school year • Spring Board Curriculum • Acceleration/College Preparation • Private school concept in a public school • Sisterhood
  • 11.
    10 REASONS TOATTEND YWCPA 1. The HISD Advanced Placement magnet school 2. Rigorous college preparatory curriculum with all Core coursework Pre AP/AP 3. Highly qualified experienced teachers with master’s and doctoral degrees 4. Personal MacBook laptops for every girl 5. College tours starting in 6th grade 6. Free mandatory STEM based summer camps for all girls starting in 6th grade 7. Partnership with IPAA for creating a Petroleum Academy at YWCPA 8. Two years of high school foreign language credit in Middle school 9. Algebra for all by 8th grade (15% of our girls take Algebra in 7th) 10. Dual credit classes in 11th and 12th grade
  • 12.
    Enrichment & theArts After School Programs • Strings • Volleyball/basketball/lacrosse/soccer clubs • Photography • Theater • Step Team • Dance • Clown Art • Science Club • History Club • Cheerleading • Mentoring
  • 13.
    Rigor and Innovationdrives our curriculum • A group of 7th graders in Pre AP Algebra I ( a 9TH grade course) • All 6th graders are taking 7th grade math • Mac book computers for every girl • Innovative and unique summer program opportunities on and off campus ( WITS, 3D Prototyping camp taught by Rice Univ., DUKE TIP Kaplan class, underwater robotics) • Partnership with IPAA (sponsorships, internships, engineering courses) • UH partnership ( Students from College of Engineering teach twice a week) •
  • 14.
    Rigor and Innovationdrives our curriculum, contd….. •Electives and after school programs include robotics, orchestra, lacrosse, theater arts, choir, leadership and team building •History fair state level wins •NASA partnerships •Visit from Ms America •Research /Dissertation class for middle school •61 out of 119 students in 7th grade invited to test for Duke Tip scholar program
  • 15.
    Thanks to anational study conducted by UCLA's Graduate School of Education & Information Studies(2010), we have well-documented evidence that all-girls school graduates entering their first year of college consistently assess their abilities, self- confidence, engagements and ambition as stronger across the academic disciplines than do their peers from coed schools. Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10204/1074653-109.stm#ixzz1m5GtIVou
  • 16.
    U.S. senators KayBailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., write this opinion article in support of offering the option of single-gender instruction, saying studies show it can improve student performance -- particularly in math and science. International Day of the Girl: Why Science & Math Programs Matter Reaching young women by the time they enter college is not soon enough. …to increase female representation in STEM majors it is essential to engage girls in related activities at K-12 levels. A few organizations have recognized this gap and created programs to address it. Microsoft's DigiGirlz Hi-Tech Camp, Black Girls Code and the NSF-funded National Girls Collaborative Project support STEM programs for underserved communities. Current Research & News A Right to Choose Single-Sex Education
  • 17.
    One of the5 schools out of 45 at the middle school level to meet AYP based on first year’s state test scores. ( though we did not count for the same as we were in our first year). Year 1: We are proud of our Girls’ Exemplary Performance !!!
  • 18.
  • 19.
  • 20.
    Young Women’s College PreparatoryAcademy 2012 EOC Summary STAAR End of Course (9th grade) Subject Spring Percentages Summer Percentages Geometry 94 100 Biology 99 99 World Geography 95 99 ELA – Reading 88 94 ELA – Writing 61 86 Algebra 1 92 93
  • 21.
    Our Campus 1906 Cleburne,Houston TX, 77004
  • 22.
  • 23.
    Foundation for the Educationof Young Women Our Core Values 1. College Preparation 2. Leadership 3. Wellness Skills
  • 24.
    Sponsorship/Funding/Partnership • FEYW • PrivateDonations • Grants • Advisory Council • Texas Wall Street Women (TXWSW) • Independent Petroleum Association of America • Junior Achievement • Sally Ride Science • Space Center Houston, NASA • General Electric • Texas Association of Minority Engineer s • Writers in The Schools
  • 25.
    YMCPA & YWCPA •Extended lunch • PTOs collaborate • Socials/dances • Service learning projects • Leadership Events
  • 26.
    Admission Requirements • Musthave a 75% or better average in all classes • Must have met state requirements for advancement to the next grade level • Must desire and be committed to attend a four-year college or university. • Must have good attendance and behavior • If selected for admission, must attend an interview with parent, guardian, and/or primary caregiver.
  • 27.
    – W We willprepare and apply to the best!!!
  • 28.
    Our girls atthe Apple store Golf as an elective class
  • 29.
    History Fair winnersand STEM Exposure
  • 30.
    Walk for JuvenileDiabetes Visits to Rice & other Universities Partnership with IPAA
  • 31.
    Introduce a girlto Engineering Day at Exxon Doctor’s day Outreach at YWCPA
  • 32.
  • 33.
  • 34.
  • 35.
    Contact Information Paula Harris,HISD Trustee pharris@slb.com Delesa O’Dell- Thomas, Principal dthomas1@houstonisd.org Jyoti Malhan, Dean jmalhan@houstonisd.org WEBSITE http://schools.houstonisd.org/YWCPA
  • 36.