CHICAGO -- Girls growing up in one of Chicago's toughest neighborhoods will soon have their own public school to prepare for careers in technology and science.
The Young Women's Leadership Charter School -- the only all-girls public school in Chicago -- will hold its first classes this fall. Born out of the efforts of a small group of women interested in helping disadvantaged girls, the school's mission is to "provide options to those who normally couldn't afford them," said Mary Ann Pitcher, director of the project.
"As society moves more and more toward technology, everyone will need an education in technology, just to be informed citizens. This school will give girls, especially ones from low-income homes, a head start," she said. "We want to equip them with skills for their careers, but we will also use technology as a tool for learning."
The college preparatory school will be located on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the intensive curriculum includes seven years each of math, science, and computing. During the first year 150 children will attend sixth and ninth grades, and the charter school intends to add seventh, eighth, and high school grades over the next three years.
Part of a larger overhaul of the Chicago public school system, charter schools are a three-year-old experiment. The aim behind these publicly funded, privately operated institutions is to free teachers from the sticky regulations governing public schools.
Charter schools follow a different calendar and teach various curricula, and teachers aren't required to have certification. A nonprofit board holds the charter -- essentially a renewable five-year contract.
Currently 12 charter schools operate in Chicago, instructing 5,000 students -- or 1 percent of the public school population. The Young Women's Leadership Charter School, which won approval from the Chicago School Board last month, "is the most unique proposal I've seen," said Greg Richmond, director of Chicago's charter schools.
"When you say, 'a public girls school,' parents respond," he said. "They've wanted the option of a girls school outside of private schools. The [organizers] are concerned about the inner city and kids without opportunities.
About 20 women, all volunteers, are behind the push for the tech-centric girls school. The group is "interested in helping young women facing self-esteem loss in adolescence," said Jeanne Nowaczewski. She heads the public education project at Business and Professional People for the Public Interest, a nonprofit law and social policy firm.
"We believe, and research supports, that girls profit and thrive given the opportunity of single-sex education," she said. "Young women of means have that option, but girls in the public schools of Chicago don't."
Enrollment in all-girls -- and all-boys -- schools has risen over the last decade. Studies have long shown that boys and girls develop learning skills differently. Educators also say that separating boys and girls in the classroom allows children to learn more effectively without the distraction of the opposite sex.
"In a same-sex environment, girls have every opportunity to stand up, be smart, express themselves in the classroom, and fill leadership roles," Pitcher said.
At the Young Women's Leadership Charter School, the environment is also intended to nurture children who otherwise aren't likely to enter jobs and schools in technical areas.
The number of women studying technology lags behind men. Last year, only 17 percent of high school students taking the advanced placement test in computer sciences were girls. In 1997, 14 percent of Ph.D.s in computer science and computer engineering were earned by women, according to the Computing Research Association.
Women and minorities are also lost in the gender gap of technical professions. The Office of Technology Policy reported less than a third of jobs in the computer sciences belongs to women and minorities.
Although the desks in the classrooms are open to girls throughout the city, Nowaczewski said, "We're committed to the neighborhood. Our mission is to serve the girls in this community."
Bronzeville is a predominately African-American community, and many of the students will come from the public housing projects that dot this South Side neighborhood.
"We'll also reach out to the Asian population in Chinatown, to Bridgeport, which is mainly Caucasian, and to Pilson, a Latino community," Nowaczewski said. "Part of a complete education is diversity."
"Research shows that high school girls don't take the same number of math and science courses as high school boys," she said. "And when they don't have a strong background, they won't wind up in a technology-related profession."
School officials don't expect the girls to choose a career path in the sixth grade, Pitcher said. They just want to give girls more options.
"Children in the inner city grow up seeing lives going in terrible directions, and they learn what they don't want. But many times they don't know what they do want, because they haven't been exposed to the choices."
Pitcher, a veteran educator of Chicago public schools, acknowledged that attracting kids to the school's demanding course load could pose a challenge. "But kids often are excited to try something new and different, to be trendsetters. And we have an abundance of parents who are interested."
Because its teachers don't need certification, many of the school's instructors are experts in their fields. To stay abreast of the constant shifts in technology, the Young Women's Leadership Charter School already has in place an advisory council of 40 math, science, and tech professionals, including women from Chicago-area Internet startups.
During middle school, students will participate in community service projects, and high school girls will take part in internships and mentoring programs. A health clinic at the school will be available to both girls and their families. Those programs are a means to reach out to the surrounding community, Nowaczewski said.
"We are intent on creating a strong community," Pitcher said. "We feel we are a part of something that will yield value to everyone -- kids and adults."
