Aldine ISD opens an all-girls prep school
Aldine ISD leaders are celebrating their first allgirls leadership academy as a beacon of sisterhood and place where students can reach their potential.
Young Women’s Leadership Academy at the Parker Elementary School campus, which eventually will serve grades 6 through 12, teaches female students leadership skills with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math and offers rigorous coursework with extra support from educators.
The academy, a publicprivate partnership with Dallas-based nonprofit Young Women’s Preparatory Network, is Aldine’s ISD first single-gender college preparatory school and admits girls from the greater Houston area.
“We want our young women to have a space where they feel empowered,” Aldine ISD Superintendent LaTonya Goffney said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the school Friday. “We want our young women to have leadership opportunities and unique learning experiences and to hear directly from women working in STEM fields.”
The school opened its doors to girls in grades 6 and 7 in August and admissions will open to grade 8 next school year. It is the 10th school in Texas to open in partnership with Young Women’s Preparatory Network. Houston ISD has one near downtown.
The school offers courses in such areas as engineering and technology, with plans to add computer science and biomedical science classes at the high school level. The girls are required to complete community service projects and at least nine advanced placement classes.
Students start working on college readiness as soon as sixth grade. The school also exposes the students to career options and higher education, with regularly planned visits to universities.
The district is planning to open a Young Men’s Leadership Academy, a school of choice for boys in grades 1 through 8. That effort will be focused on closing the achievement gap for Black and Latino male students starting in the 20222023 school year.
YWLA Principal Jericah Jackson told the crowd Friday about the obstacles she faced in magnet programs as a middle school student and how those experiences inform her work.
“Even though I earned passing grades, I still struggled internally,” she said. “I struggled with all the advanced coursework, and I had this constant fear that someone would tell me that I didn’t belong.”
The single-gender atmosphere of the academy is designed to offset those challenges for young girls, she said.
“This is why my conviction is so strong to look for those girls who want to work at advanced levels,”
she said. “They will be supported to develop the skills
necessary to lead . ... Our educators will help them to succeed beyond their expectations. Every girl belongs here at Young Women’s Leadership Academy.”
Ennise Lima, a seventhgrader at the school, said there are many supports in place for students who need help with their studies.
“If you don’t understand something, we have tutorials and study hall,” she said. “You don’t have to be ashamed to ask for help; the teachers will help you.”
Joelena Danful, a sixthgrader at the academy, said she chose the school to challenge herself.
“I like the program a lot because it gives me opportunities that I usually wouldn’t get at another school,” Danful said. “It allows me to push myself so I can see my full potential.”
Danful, who previously attended Aldine ISD’s Wilson Elementary, said she was unsure at first whether she would enjoy the advanced courses.
“The homework is a lot,” she said. “But now I’m getting used to it and seeing how far I can go.”
The girls-only atmosphere fosters a “sisterhood” among the students, Danful said.
Others agreed. “I absolutely believe that working with all girls is better for me,” sixth-grader Gwendolyn Ramirez said. “There’s no bullying. We can all relate to the same things.
“I absolutely feel like I belong here,” she added. “They make room for you.”