The Whole Girl Education model is designed to empower young women and gender-expansive youth throughout their education journey. The instructional approach is grounded in 11 practices that shape school design, programming, policy, and culture. These practices, which can be applied in any content area classroom, are interconnected and contribute to the development of competencies to foster confident, capable leaders who are equipped to succeed academically, personally, and in their communities. Whole Girl Education Practice Capsule Descriptions
Each practice operates within the broader contexts of Gender Consciousness and Culturally Relevant Teaching. Gender Consciousness serves as the starting point for the Whole Girl Education framework, focusing on what works best for girls and gender-expansive youth. Together with Voice, Connection, Imprint, Collaboration, Courage Cultivation, Restorative Practices, Attention to Relationships, Academic Rigor, and Rituals and Traditions, they enhance the student experience through women and gender-expansive representation, career readiness, student leadership and agency, and connected communities.
A range of supports are offered to schools to enable them to implement the model, including coaching and professional development. The model is currently operating in 13 affiliate schools across six states. Students reflect positively about developing confidence, and it has a demonstrated impact on postsecondary enrollment.
What Makes This Model Innovative?
Whole-Child Focus
Affirmation of Self & Others
Connection & Community
Related Models
Whole-Bodied Education
Girls Athletic Leadership Schools’ Whole-Bodied Education Model addresses the physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs of female students so they are empowered to be leaders of their own lives.
Whole-Bodied Education
The Whole-Bodied Education Model by Girls Athletic Leadership Schools (GALS) aims to support young women to become powerful advocates for themselves and leaders for their communities. It reflects GALS’ belief that academic growth is strengthened through social, emotional, and physical health support. All students are challenged, take risks, learn from failure, and leverage their individual strengths through rigorous, standards-based academic programming.
Specifically, Movement Modules and active pedagogy ensure students experience the connection between pushing themselves physically and thriving academically. In addition, they learn to be self-aware, to set goals, and to become advocates in their learning and growth through the GALS Series, a homegrown SEL curriculum that focuses on female adolescent development and empowerment. The single-gendered context is embraced as a strength, while difference and individuality within what it means to be female is celebrated as part of the distinct community that makes up the school.
There are three GALS schools operating in Denver and Los Angeles and serving 512 students, and two GALS-inspired schools exist in Guatemala and Israel. Students of GALS express confidence in their ability to be successful. GALS offers school visits, professional development, 1:1 coaching, and its GALS Series curriculum for schools interested in implementing the Whole-Bodied Model.
Goals
The goals of the Whole Girl Education model reflect the Student Leadership Network’s commitment to empowering young women to become confident, capable leaders who are equipped to succeed academically, personally, and in their communities.
Leadership & Self-Advocacy
Students respect themselves and others, strive for personal and academic excellence, and are committed to impacting their communities and the wider world to effect positive social change. Students demonstrate an awareness of their needs and communicate what they need to be successful in the school environment and beyond.
Identity & Self-Regard
Students develop a positive and healthy sense of themselves and who they are in the world, with consideration of the multiple and intersecting layers of their identity, including (but not limited to) race, gender, culture, and sexuality. Students develop self-respect and self-confidence that is not dependent on external validation.
Academic Preparedness & Growth Mindset
Students are prepared with the skills, knowledge, learning strategies, and academic habits they need for college and beyond. Students believe that, with practice and persistence, their intelligence and abilities can expand.
Experience
In the Whole Girl Education model, students are encouraged to explore diverse experiences and cultivate their voices in a supportive environment. Multiple perspectives are integrated into the curriculum, celebrating achievements of women throughout history and delving into topics of gender and intersectionality. Students have early exposure to various career paths; the model prioritizes career readiness and offers robust STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, mathematics) programming. Through hands-on experiences and mentorship, students gain the skills and confidence to pursue their goals. They develop strong relationships with their peers and teachers as they navigate their education journey.
The model instills the understanding that we exist in a society in which gender plays a significant role, in terms of both the manner in which a person experiences the world and the systems of oppression and potential for empowerment in that world.
The emphasis on Gender Consciousness grounds and gives mission to the strategic goal of empowering girls and gender-expansive youth to face, navigate, subvert, and/or challenge the kinds of gendered power dynamics they will encounter beyond school.
Engagement with Diverse Role Models: Scaffolded early college and career programming and events are designed to relate to students’ cultural identities and experiences. Additionally, students listen to guest speakers and panel discussions where women from various backgrounds share their success stories and insights. Students are encouraged to participate in both local and national conferences that focus on women, gender, and intersectionality.- Grounding the Curriculum in Diversity: The curriculum is inclusive of a wide range of voices, histories, and contributions, specifically the voices and experiences of people of color, immigrants, and those of other historically marginalized communities. Students see themselves represented in all aspects of the curriculum.
- Explicit Study of Gender and Intersectionality: Gender Consciousness and a deep understanding of intersectionality should guide the strategic goal of empowering students to challenge gendered power dynamics. Students understand that they will encounter restrictive gender norms and exclusive binary definitions. This emphasizes the importance of affirming and supporting diverse gender identities, including those of non-binary students.
A holistic approach to career readiness is essential for girls and gender-expansive youth to thrive in the professional world. Given the underrepresentation of women in STEAM, the model offers robust STEAM programming, with advanced coursework in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics. Additionally, a commitment to early career exposure and exploration ensures that students gain valuable insights from accomplished women professionals, fostering a diverse and prepared workforce. Examples include:
- Robust STEAM Programming: Students are provided access to advanced coursework in math, science, and computer science, promoting their excellence in traditionally male-dominated fields. Schools can also offer opportunities for students to engage in fieldwork and lab work alongside professional scientists as well as after-school programs in robotics, engineering, coding, and various other STEAM subjects.
- Early Career Exposure and Exploration: Career fairs showcasing women professionals from diverse fields provide students with insights into various career paths. Students can participate in job-shadowing experiences to observe and learn from professional women. Additionally, students are exposed to and actively engage with women in fields where representation of females, especially women of color, is limited.
Fostering leadership and agency is essential for success in school and beyond, especially for girls as their confidence and risk-taking may be challenged. Students are actively encouraged and provided with opportunities to express their opinions, ideas, and diverse identities both within and outside the classroom. This includes participating in classroom discussions, influencing instructional and curricular decisions, and shaping the overall school environment. Students participate in a range of activities that empower them to find and use their voice. Examples include:
- Student-Centered Discussion: Students engage in activities like accountable talk, Socratic seminars, fishbowl discussions, literature circles, debates, and gallery walks to encourage them to express their thoughts and engage with peers.
- Student Feedback on Learning: Through surveys and process-focused exit tickets, students reflect on their own learning experiences and share their feedback to inform future learning experiences.
- Student Engagement in School-Wide Decision-Making: Students have opportunities to engage in school-wide decision-making through roles in student government, teacher hiring committees, participatory budgeting, student representation on School Leadership Teams, and equity teams that introduce and implement initiatives.
Connection in the Whole Girl Education model is seen as the positive relationships and bonds that students form within their school communities. It encompasses their sense of belonging, trust, and engagement within and outside the classroom. A connected school promotes and models relationships between students, teachers, the curriculum, themselves, their families, and the broader community. Students participate in a range of activities to build connection. Examples include:
- Advisory: This structured, small-group setting facilitated by an advisor fosters self-reflection, social-emotional learning, community building, and discussions on current events. Regular meetings provide a space for students to connect with both peers and a trusted adult. Advisors should strive to create intentional student groupings that support positive relationships and provide guidance to help students build connections.
- Restorative Circles: Restorative circles focus on maintaining healthy relationships between students and fostering a mutually respectful and supportive community. They provide a platform for conflict resolution and building connections among students.
- Peer Mentorship: Peer mentorship involves student-led workshops, big sister–little sister programs, older students sharing knowledge with younger ones, peer mediation programs, and student-led restorative circles.
Supporting Structures
Implementing the Whole Girl Education model requires several shifts to supporting structures within the school—especially to instruction and culture.
Schools must implement culturally relevant and culturally sustaining practices, integrating diverse identities into teaching, with a focus on leadership, health, college/career awareness, and STEAM.
Schools must implement culturally relevant and culturally sustaining practices throughout their curriculum and instruction. These practices prioritize embracing students’ identities, recognizing diversity as a valuable source of knowledge, and actively addressing questions of equity and justice. Students’’ cultural backgrounds, interests, and lived experiences are integrated into all aspects of teaching and learning, both within individual classrooms and across the entire school. This includes connecting topics, texts, and contexts to students’ diverse identities and exploring relevant social justice issues. Schools should conduct curriculum or instructional audits and gather student input through surveys.
In addition, the approach to curriculum emphasizes four core pillars of programming: Leadership, Health & Wellness, Early College & Career Awareness, and STEAM. Four Core Pillars of Programming
Schools must create a positive culture that promotes students’ sense of belonging through rituals, traditions, and inclusive policies.
Embracing a positive school culture that promotes students’ sense of belonging, emphasizes high expectations, and celebrates their growth and achievements is a requirement for schools adopting the Whole Girl Education model. Rituals and traditions should be used to nurture relationships, reduce stress, enhance productivity, and strengthen the sense of community within the school. Schools should facilitate communal experiences like outdoor leadership activities, cultural exchanges, and challenge days to encourage unity and self-reflection. Intergenerational customs, mentorship traditions, and classroom rituals, including daily check-ins and mindfulness practices, also can be used to bolster students’ sense of belonging.
Schools must also adopt inclusive policies and practices to create a safe environment, support students’ well-being, and address harm with trauma-informed approaches. This includes training for all adults, discipline audits, conflict resolution structures, and involvement of students in reviewing discipline policies, all rooted in community input, thereby cultivating a nurturing and inclusive school culture.
Teachers must participate in training to apply the Whole Girl Education practices.
Teachers serve as both content area teachers and advisors, and require training and professional development from SLN to learn about and apply the 11 core practices. Training also covers Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) and trauma-informed practices to ensure that teachers are equipped to meet the diverse needs of all students. Additionally, teachers are expected to engage in collaborative teamwork and to serve as models of Culturally Responsive Teaching.
Advisory or scheduled time for social-emotional learning is critical.
Dedicated time for advisory or social-emotional learning (SEL) is required and should be scheduled into the school day. While it is a requisite part of scheduling, there are no specific requirements for minutes or days per week, so schools have the flexibility to schedule in ways that reflect their school community’s needs.
Schools must implement culturally relevant and culturally sustaining practices, integrating diverse identities into teaching, with a focus on leadership, health, college/career awareness, and STEAM.
Schools must implement culturally relevant and culturally sustaining practices throughout their curriculum and instruction. These practices prioritize embracing students’ identities, recognizing diversity as a valuable source of knowledge, and actively addressing questions of equity and justice. Students’’ cultural backgrounds, interests, and lived experiences are integrated into all aspects of teaching and learning, both within individual classrooms and across the entire school. This includes connecting topics, texts, and contexts to students’ diverse identities and exploring relevant social justice issues. Schools should conduct curriculum or instructional audits and gather student input through surveys.
In addition, the approach to curriculum emphasizes four core pillars of programming: Leadership, Health & Wellness, Early College & Career Awareness, and STEAM. Four Core Pillars of Programming
Schools must create a positive culture that promotes students’ sense of belonging through rituals, traditions, and inclusive policies.
Embracing a positive school culture that promotes students’ sense of belonging, emphasizes high expectations, and celebrates their growth and achievements is a requirement for schools adopting the Whole Girl Education model. Rituals and traditions should be used to nurture relationships, reduce stress, enhance productivity, and strengthen the sense of community within the school. Schools should facilitate communal experiences like outdoor leadership activities, cultural exchanges, and challenge days to encourage unity and self-reflection. Intergenerational customs, mentorship traditions, and classroom rituals, including daily check-ins and mindfulness practices, also can be used to bolster students’ sense of belonging.
Schools must also adopt inclusive policies and practices to create a safe environment, support students’ well-being, and address harm with trauma-informed approaches. This includes training for all adults, discipline audits, conflict resolution structures, and involvement of students in reviewing discipline policies, all rooted in community input, thereby cultivating a nurturing and inclusive school culture.
Teachers must participate in training to apply the Whole Girl Education practices.
Teachers serve as both content area teachers and advisors, and require training and professional development from SLN to learn about and apply the 11 core practices. Training also covers Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) and trauma-informed practices to ensure that teachers are equipped to meet the diverse needs of all students. Additionally, teachers are expected to engage in collaborative teamwork and to serve as models of Culturally Responsive Teaching.
Advisory or scheduled time for social-emotional learning is critical.
Dedicated time for advisory or social-emotional learning (SEL) is required and should be scheduled into the school day. While it is a requisite part of scheduling, there are no specific requirements for minutes or days per week, so schools have the flexibility to schedule in ways that reflect their school community’s needs.
Supports Offered
The Student Leadership Network offers the following supports to help schools implement their approach.
Their offerings vary in scope and depth of service so that each school can access the Whole Girl Education model at the appropriate programmatic level.
Professional Development
Cost Associated
Professional development, offered either virtually or in-person, is customized to a school’s needs. Teachers are trained in the 11 Whole Girl Education practices and how they can be applied to the classroom and school.
Other professional development (PD) opportunities include Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), the Leadership Institute, and Summer Advisory Intensive, as well as the annual conference.
Coaching
Cost Associated
Coaching is offered to support teachers and school leaders to embed the Whole Girl Education practices and strategies into their school design.
INFUSE
INFUSE is a multi-year action research and professional development program to embed Whole Girl Education practices and strategies to strengthen classroom practice and school culture using a gender-conscious and culturally responsive lens.
Reach
Impact
The Whole Girl Education model has had an impact on postsecondary success and agency for students in The Young Women’s Leadership Schools (TYWLS), a network of schools in New York City, where the model was designed.
TYWLS students demonstrated high rates of pursuing postsecondary pathways:
- 94% of TYWLS graduates have enrolled in college at any time (up through the lass of 2022).
- 65% of TYWLS graduates who enrolled in college at any time completed a degree. 19% of those who earned a bachelor’’ earned a master’s, JD, PhD, or other professional degree.
- 18% of degrees earned by TYWLS alumni are in STEM fields, exceeding the 12% national average for women earning STEM degrees.
- 96% of TYWLS students graduate on time.
Students and teachers from TYWLS reflect on the impact that using their voice and supporting risk-taking has on developing student advocacy and agency.
“I feel like all of our voices are really heard. The TYWLS community makes sure everyone’s voice is heard no matter their age, race, or ethnicity. I think that having your voice heard is very crucial to growing as a student and as a person because confidence is a vital trait to have for the real world… When TYWLS gives us the space to talk about certain topics or make us feel like our voices matter, we gain confidence.” – TYWLS 8th grader
“When I think of supported risk-taking, some of my favorite projects come to mind—specifically, Digital Dance, Coding Exchange, Femstrate, Tech Crew, and Tech Explorers—all of which push students beyond what they think they are able to achieve while also supporting voice, connection and collaboration. Students should never feel like they have to wait till they’re older to have a positive impact on the world, when they can start now!” – TYWLS Teacher