HOUSTON — The new year will bring a new type of campus to Aldine ISD. The district is planning to open its first all-girls school.
"Right now, we’re in the planning phases," Principal Dr. Jericah Jackson said. "But we’re focusing on opening in the fall of 2021.”
Jackson is already on the job and said Aldine’s all-girls school will be called Young Women’s Leadership Academy.
"And we’re looking for these young women who may be the first generation to go to college,” Jackson said.
YWLA is opening in partnership with the nonprofit Young Women’s Preparatory Network which supports single-gender college-prep public education.
It currently has nearly a dozen campuses across Texas including Houston ISD's Young Women's College Preparatory Academy.
The focus in Aldine will be STEM education.
That stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
"But also we’re providing them opportunities to develop their leadership abilities and give them that effective support system so that way they can be prepared, not only just for a four-year college but also for these STEM careers,” Jackson said.
Various studies show that girls who attend single-gender schools have greater academic engagement and higher self-confidence. That's particularly true in what are considered male-dominated areas of study.
"In a single-gender school, they’re less likely to compare themselves to their co-educational peers,” Jackson said.
Traditional dual-gender schools aren’t going anywhere but the district believes another path to college and career success can’t hurt.
"It's all part of our strategic plan," Jackson said.
The Young Women’s Leadership Academy will launch with 6th- and 7th-grade girls.
You can find out more, including how to apply, here:
