News and Announcements

2009-2010 Calendar Announcements

October 2 - Color Wars
October 3 & 4 - Citywide H.S. Fair at Brooklyn Tech
October 7 - Curriculum Night, 7-9p.m.
October 8 - 11th grade College Trip to Temple University
October 12 - School Closed in observance of Columbus Day
October 13 - Afterschool programs start
October 13 - College Readiness Parent Workshop 6:30-8 p.m. for 9th, 10th & 11th grade parents
October 14 - PSAT's for 10th & 11th grade students
October 14 - 9th grade college trips
October 14 - 8th grade to Museum of Natural History
October 14 - 7th grade to Ellis Island
October 14 - H.S. Informational Session for all 8th Graders 7:00-8:30 p.m.
October 15 - All 10th graders to SUNY Purchase College
October 18 - Breast Cancer Awareness Walk on Queens Blvd. 11a.m.
October 19 - College Fair in Gym 9:30-11:30 a.m.
October 29 - Parent Teacher Daughter Conference (PTDC) 5:30-8:00 p.m.
October 30 - Half Day for students dismissal at 11:00 a.m.
October 30 - Parent Teacher Daughter Conference (PTDC) 1-3:00 p.m.
October 30 - TYWLS, Queens Masquerade Day
November 2 - TYWLS, Queens Las Vegas Variety Show
November 3 - Election Day. Students will not be in attendance.
November 4 & 5 - Overnight Trip to YMCA Camp Bernie for 7th and 9th Grade
November 11 - School Closed in observance of Veterans Day
November 16 (Tentative Date) - Half Cap Ceremony
November 26 & 27 - School Closed in observance of Thanksgiving

Click here for the Citywide School Year Calendar including more school closing dates

TYWLS in the News!

November 2006
CBS News Online
Girls Only At New York School
See the Video here: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2208103n

September 2006
The NYSun
Out & About
Read the article here: http://www.nysun.com/article/40524?access=481909

September 14, 2006
New York Daily News
Title: You go, girls

It was 10 years ago that the Young Women's Leadership School, anall-girls public school, opened its doors on 106th St. in East Harlem to its first class of seventh-graders. They're throwing a party today with much to celebrate.

At the start, the school's same-sex methods had many opponents,including the New York Civil Liberties Union, the local chapter of theNational Organization for Women and the New York Civil Rights Coalition. Fortunately, all challenges failed.

Today, the school serves 418 girls in grades seven through 12, drawn primarily from Harlem and the South Bronx. On enrollment, they're all over the map academically, some high-achieving, some far behind. But, clad in uniforms, they buy into a culture of respect, high expectations and hard work.

Last year, every student passed the do-or-die Regents exams in math, English, science and history. Every single one. Of the school's 283graduates, 100% have been accepted to college. Oh, and when three slots opened up in the ninth-grade class last year, 2,100 students applied. There are lessons here. First, the hyperventilating critics of doing things differently in public education - the same ones who shriek at charter schools or performance-based pay - were dead wrong. Big surprise there.

Second, same-sex education isn't a radical notion. It is, in fact, a time-tested idea that has thrived in private schools for generations because, for some students, it simply works.

And third, it's parents, students, teachers, principals and community members who shape public education more than anybody else. Philanthropists Ann and Andrew Tisch were the driving force behind the Young Women's Leadership School, and they have established a foundation dedicated to replicating it. There are three sister schools in New York, including one that opened this year in Astoria, as well as schools in Chicago and Philadelphia.

Much success to them, and many congratulations to the girls. For, as Ann Tisch says, "They're still the heroes in this story."

September 13, 2006
New York Sun
Title: City's Pioneering Single-Sex Public School Turns 10
By GABRIELLE BIRKNER - Staff Reporter of the Sun

A mile north of Spence, Chapin, and Nightingale-Bamford, another all-girls school, The Young Women's Leadership School is celebrating a milestone anniversary this month. Ten years after TYWLS opened amid protestations from civil liberties and civil rights groups, the East Harlem school New York's contemporary experiment in public, single-sex education is throwing itself a birthday party tomorrow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About 750 students from public girls' schools across the country are expected at the gala. Attendees will screen "Because of Us," a documentary about the school produced by the TYWLS's benefactor, the Young Women's Leadership Foundation. The school boasts a 100% graduation rate and sends its students to some of the nation's most prestigious colleges.

"This school is very important historically," the president of the National Association for Single-Sex Public Education, Leonard Sax, said. "When it was founded, single-sex schools were thought of as something for rich people."

All of New York City's single-sex public schools, relatively common through the early 1960s, had become coeducational by the mid-1980s. The model was revived in 1996, when Andrew Tisch and Ann Rubenstein Tisch partnered with the city public schools to establish the school on East 106th Street.

TYWLS opened despite opposition from groups like the New York Civil Liberties Union, which claimed that single-sex schools violate the Title IX " the federal law banning gender-based exclusion. Today, TYWLS serves 425 middle school and high school students, who reside primarily from Harlem and the South Bronx. Almost all of the students are black and Hispanic, and about 85% of them qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches, according to data provided by the school.

There is no admissions test for applicants, and the student body comprises young people with a wide range of ability levels, Ms. Tisch said. "It's not a gifted school and it's not a magnet school," she said. "This is a model that made a lot of sense: It didn't involve a brain drain or a vouchers or anything that would dismantle the system."

The Young Women's Leadership Foundation also established girls' leadership schools in Chicago and Philadelphia, in addition to one in the Bronx and two in Queens. Foundation grants fund university-based summer programs for students, supplementary teaching materials for educators, and full-time college advisers.

"There's peer pressure in every high school, and it's certainly here," the TYWLS college counselor, Christopher Farmer, said. "What we've done here, though, is create a culture where it's cool to be prepared, it's cool to do your homework, and it's cool to go to class." Nationwide, there are 241 public schools that offer single-sex learning opportunities, Dr. Sax, the author of "Why Gender Matters: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know About the Emerging Science of Sex Differences," said. Of those, 51 are entirely single-sex in format, with no co-educational electives, lunch breaks, or activities, Nine of those 51 schools are in New York City, according to data provided by his organization. He said more such schools are opening each year across the country.

"In co-ed schools, with boys, you'll hear, I don't want to go to college,'" a 16-year-old TYWLS senior, Ashley Brown, an aspiring nurse practitioner, said.

"They pull you back from reaching your goals. With the girls here, you're more inspired to succeed."

Q896 About Us Overview Photo Album Policies & Regulations Schedules Statistics Maps & Directions News & Information Events Links News and Announcements FAQ Academics & Activities Athletics & Fitness Parents Parent Support Students Clubs & Organizations Student Support Educational Support Admissions and Graduation Requirements College & Careers Faculty Food Services Health Transportation Operations Custodial Find a School Zip Code OR School Name or Number Advanced Search	News and Announcements 2009-2010 Calendar Announcements October 2 - Color Wars October 3 & 4 - Citywide H.S. Fair at Brooklyn Tech October 7 - Curriculum Night, 7-9p.m. October 8 - 11th grade College Trip to Temple University October 12 - School Closed in observance of Columbus Day October 13 - Afterschool programs start October 13 - College Readiness Parent Workshop 6:30-8 p.m. for 9th, 10th & 11th grade parents October 14 - PSAT's for 10th & 11th grade students October 14 - 9th grade college trips October 14 - 8th grade to Museum of Natural History October 14 - 7th grade to Ellis Island October 14 - H.S. Informational Session for all 8th Graders 7:00-8:30 p.m. October 15 - All 10th graders to SUNY Purchase College October 18 - Breast Cancer Awareness Walk on Queens Blvd. 11a.m. October 19 - College Fair in Gym 9:30-11:30 a.m. October 29 - Parent Teacher Daughter Conference (PTDC) 5:30-8:00 p.m. October 30 - Half Day for students dismissal at 11:00 a.m. October 30 - Parent Teacher Daughter Conference (PTDC) 1-3:00 p.m. October 30 - TYWLS, Queens Masquerade Day November 2 - TYWLS, Queens Las Vegas Variety Show November 3 - Election Day. Students will not be in attendance. November 4 & 5 - Overnight Trip to YMCA Camp Bernie for 7th and 9th Grade November 11 - School Closed in observance of Veterans Day November 16 (Tentative Date) - Half Cap Ceremony November 26 & 27 - School Closed in observance of Thanksgiving Click here for the Citywide School Year Calendar including more school closing dates TYWLS in the News! November 2006 CBS News Online Girls Only At New York School See the Video here: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2208103n September 2006 The NYSun Out & About Read the article here: http://www.nysun.com/article/40524?access=481909 September 14, 2006 New York Daily News Title: You go, girls It was 10 years ago that the Young Women's Leadership School, anall-girls public school, opened its doors on 106th St. in East Harlem to its first class of seventh-graders. They're throwing a party today with much to celebrate. At the start, the school's same-sex methods had many opponents,including the New York Civil Liberties Union, the local chapter of theNational Organization for Women and the New York Civil Rights Coalition. Fortunately, all challenges failed. Today, the school serves 418 girls in grades seven through 12, drawn primarily from Harlem and the South Bronx. On enrollment, they're all over the map academically, some high-achieving, some far behind. But, clad in uniforms, they buy into a culture of respect, high expectations and hard work. Last year, every student passed the do-or-die Regents exams in math, English, science and history. Every single one. Of the school's 283graduates, 100% have been accepted to college. Oh, and when three slots opened up in the ninth-grade class last year, 2,100 students applied. There are lessons here. First, the hyperventilating critics of doing things differently in public education - the same ones who shriek at charter schools or performance-based pay - were dead wrong. Big surprise there. Second, same-sex education isn't a radical notion. It is, in fact, a time-tested idea that has thrived in private schools for generations because, for some students, it simply works. And third, it's parents, students, teachers, principals and community members who shape public education more than anybody else. Philanthropists Ann and Andrew Tisch were the driving force behind the Young Women's Leadership School, and they have established a foundation dedicated to replicating it. There are three sister schools in New York, including one that opened this year in Astoria, as well as schools in Chicago and Philadelphia. Much success to them, and many congratulations to the girls. For, as Ann Tisch says, "They're still the heroes in this story." September 13, 2006 New York Sun Title: City's Pioneering Single-Sex Public School Turns 10 By GABRIELLE BIRKNER - Staff Reporter of the Sun A mile north of Spence, Chapin, and Nightingale-Bamford, another all-girls school, The Young Women's Leadership School is celebrating a milestone anniversary this month. Ten years after TYWLS opened amid protestations from civil liberties and civil rights groups, the East Harlem school New York's contemporary experiment in public, single-sex education is throwing itself a birthday party tomorrow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. About 750 students from public girls' schools across the country are expected at the gala. Attendees will screen "Because of Us," a documentary about the school produced by the TYWLS's benefactor, the Young Women's Leadership Foundation. The school boasts a 100% graduation rate and sends its students to some of the nation's most prestigious colleges. "This school is very important historically," the president of the National Association for Single-Sex Public Education, Leonard Sax, said. "When it was founded, single-sex schools were thought of as something for rich people." All of New York City's single-sex public schools, relatively common through the early 1960s, had become coeducational by the mid-1980s. The model was revived in 1996, when Andrew Tisch and Ann Rubenstein Tisch partnered with the city public schools to establish the school on East 106th Street. TYWLS opened despite opposition from groups like the New York Civil Liberties Union, which claimed that single-sex schools violate the Title IX " the federal law banning gender-based exclusion. Today, TYWLS serves 425 middle school and high school students, who reside primarily from Harlem and the South Bronx. Almost all of the students are black and Hispanic, and about 85% of them qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches, according to data provided by the school. There is no admissions test for applicants, and the student body comprises young people with a wide range of ability levels, Ms. Tisch said. "It's not a gifted school and it's not a magnet school," she said. "This is a model that made a lot of sense: It didn't involve a brain drain or a vouchers or anything that would dismantle the system." The Young Women's Leadership Foundation also established girls' leadership schools in Chicago and Philadelphia, in addition to one in the Bronx and two in Queens. Foundation grants fund university-based summer programs for students, supplementary teaching materials for educators, and full-time college advisers. "There's peer pressure in every high school, and it's certainly here," the TYWLS college counselor, Christopher Farmer, said. "What we've done here, though, is create a culture where it's cool to be prepared, it's cool to do your homework, and it's cool to go to class." Nationwide, there are 241 public schools that offer single-sex learning opportunities, Dr. Sax, the author of "Why Gender Matters: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know About the Emerging Science of Sex Differences," said. Of those, 51 are entirely single-sex in format, with no co-educational electives, lunch breaks, or activities, Nine of those 51 schools are in New York City, according to data provided by his organization. He said more such schools are opening each year across the country. "In co-ed schools, with boys, you'll hear, I don't want to go to college,'" a 16-year-old TYWLS senior, Ashley Brown, an aspiring nurse practitioner, said. "They pull you back from reaching your goals. With the girls here, you're more inspired to succeed."

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