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Story posted January, 2008
Story updated January, 2011

Results:
• Graduation rate averages over 95% for the past 11 years.
• 100% graduation rate in 2010.

For too many young women growing up in the neighborhoods of East Harlem, college is at best a remote prospect. But The Young Women's Leadership School has dramatically changed the odds for some of East Harlem's most vulnerable students. The Young Women's Leadership School (TYWLS) is an all-girls public school serving grades 7 through 12 in East Harlem, New York City. It enrolls young women who too often face extreme disadvantages: 98% are students or color and a full 84% are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Girls in these circumstances often struggle during adolescence to fulfill their academic potential.

Since its founding in 1996, TYWLS has nurtured the intellectual curiosity and creativity of young women while addressing their unique developmental needs. The school is not for select gifted students but is available to motivated girls who are expected to work hard with the understanding their teachers will unfailingly guide and support them along the way. In all classes, TYWLS emphasizes inquiry as well as written and oral expression. Additionally, it encourages students to work cooperatively in groups and take on leadership responsibilities. The school also provides a range of before- and after-school activities to underpin classroom learning and improve skills.

Two critical characteristics of TYWLS's program are high academic standards and individualized college guidance. The school combines an academically challenging college preparatory program with strong support from teachers who all serve as advisors to individual students. Supported by the Young Women's Leadership Foundation, the school participates in the CollegeBound program. CollegeBound supplies the school with a qualified, trained full-time counselor whose aim is to make sure all the students go to college. Goal setting and visits to college campus begin before grade 11, when all students can take SAT-preparation classes. Seniors at TYWLS have individual school mailboxes where they receive college information and correspondence. . The school's high standards and intense support have paid dividends: Over the past seven years the graduation rate has been a remarkable 94.3%. In 2006, the truly stunning statistics were: 100% of the students graduated, and a 100% were admitted to college. The school's success has prompted the Foundation to replicate it in New York City. There are now Young Women's Leadership Schools in the Bronx, Jamaica, and Astoria, and a fifth in will open in the Fall of 2008

The Young Women's Leadership School has proven that college is an attainable goal for everyone. The school starts with the end in sight - college admission - and wraps the curriculum around this goal. By creating a nurturing environment while sustaining a rich and rigorous curriculum, the school motivates students to excel.

January 2011 Update: The Young Women's Leadership School continues to have very high graduation rates, averaging over 95% for the past 11 years.

Further details about this story can be found in our sources:
InsideSchools.org, "The Young Women's Leadership School."

NASSP, "Partnerships for Success: The Young Women's Leadership School."

For additional information, please contact:
Kathleen Ponze
Former Principal and Current Director of Education for the Young Women's Leadership Foundation
kponze@schools.nyc.gov

Or

Andrew Higginbotham
Acting Principal
drew.higginbotham@gmail.com

Photos courtesy of Young Women's Leadership School