Young Women's Leadership Charter School (YWLCS) was a grade 9-12
charter high school for girls in
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
* Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
*Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
.
The school was established in 1999. it had almost 350 students; it was Chicago's only public school only for girls.
The school used a lottery to determine admission. The school is diverse, drawing from many neighborhoods.
The school closed in June 2019 due to lack of enrollment and financial issues.
History
YWLCS 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
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. The
charter school
A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...
focuses on teaching math, science and technology - in response to statistics showing women are underrepresented in these fields. The YWLCS runs from ninth through grade twelve;
providing a single sex education meant to ameliorate gender inequities in the classroom.
First located on the
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...
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.
See also
*
Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa (OWLAG) is a boarding school for girls, grades 8–12, in Henley on Klip, Gauteng Province, South Africa. The school is a project begun by the American entrepreneur and philanth ...
References
External links
Young Women's Leadership Charter School
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Public girls' schools in the United States
Charter schools in Chicago
Girls' schools in Illinois
Women's Leadership Schools
Public high schools in Chicago
Public middle schools in Chicago
Women in Chicago