The Young Women's Leadership Charter School of Chicago opened its doors in August 2000, as part of an effort to provide better education for disadvantaged young women on the South Side of Chicago. The charter school focuses on teaching math, science and technology - in response to statistics showing women are underrepresented in these fields. The YWLCS runs from seventh through grade twelve; providing a single sex education meant to ameliorate Gender Inequities in the Classroom (WikiEd).
The school is diverse, drawing from many neighborhoods including Bridgeport, the South Side of Chicago, but also the west and southwest sides of the city. As a charter school, it admits applicants by random lottery. Approximately 96% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, the nationally accepted indicator of poverty level in schools.
First located on the Illinois Institute of Technology campus, YWLCS has since moved into its own building nearby. Their first class graduated in June 2004; media personality Oprah Winfrey was the guest speaker. In 2005, the guest speaker at graduation was Michelle Obama.
The YWLCS founders drew inspiration from The Young Women's Leadership School of East Harlem, and the school maintains a loose affiliation with the network of Young Women's Leadership Foundation schools (TWYLS). Another TYWLS network school, The Young Women's Leadership School of Queens (New York) opened in September 2005, in the Jamaica neighborhood with a register of 81 students, under the leadership of new principal Avionne Gumbs.
Famous quotes containing the words young women, young, women, leadership, charter, school and/or chicago:
“... if young women have a problem, it’s only that they think there’s no problem.”
—Gloria Steinem (b. 1934)
“A young man is not a proper hearer of lectures on political science; for he is inexperienced in the actions that occur in life, but its discussions start from these and are about these; and, further, since he tends to follow his passions, his study will be vain and unprofitable, because the end that is aimed at is not knowledge but action. And it makes no difference whether he is young in years or youthful in character.”
—Aristotle (384–323 B.C.)
“Apart from the fact that women posess the equipment for lactation, mothers seem no more predisposed to, or innately skilled at, child care than are fathers, siblings or non parents. Besides, women obviously come in a variety of shapes, sizes, talents and temperaments. Why shouldn’t they vary in degrees of motherhood?”
—Shari Thurer (20th century)
“A woman who occupies the same realm of thought with man, who can explore with him the depths of science, comprehend the steps of progress through the long past and prophesy those of the momentous future, must ever be surprised and aggravated with his assumptions of leadership and superiority, a superiority she never concedes, an authority she utterly repudiates.”
—Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902)
“Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing,
And like enough thou know’st thy estimate:
The charter of thy worth gives thee releasing;
My bonds in thee are all determinate.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The most powerful lessons about ethics and morality do not come from school discussions or classes in character building. They come from family life where people treat one another with respect, consideration, and love.”
—Neil Kurshan (20th century)
“Must we really see Chicago in order to be educated?”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)