Readers React: All-girls schools empower the next generation of women leaders

To the editor: The suggestion that single-sex, all-girls schools are mired in gender stereotypes belies today’s reality and the life-changing impact of single-sex public education, especially for low-income girls. (“What’s wrong with single-sex schools? A lot,” Opinion, Jan. 25)

Providing inner-city girls a choice to pursue a rigorous single-sex public education, with supports similar to the best private schools, means that they too now have access to an outstanding education and better future.

Research from the Young Women’s Leadership Schools (TYWLS) in New York City demonstrates that this model of public school choice works: Alumnae achieve four-year college degrees at nearly triple the rate of their low-income peers. It is no surprise that schools across the country, including the Girls Academic Leadership Academy in Los Angeles, are modeled on TYWLS’ best practices of all-girls education.

Girls in single-sex schools are reading philosophy, coding, analyzing water samples from coastal estuaries and excelling in math. They are on their way to breaking all gender stereotypes and becoming the next generation of women leaders.

Laura Rebell Gross, New York City

The writer is director of girls education at the Young Women’s Leadership Network.

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