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NCGS PURPOSE
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The National Coalition of Girls' Schools (NCGS) is the leading advocate for girls' schools, connecting and collaborating globally with individuals, schools, and organizations dedicated to educating and empowering girls.
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IN THE NEWS
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The Sydney Morning Herald
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THE COALITION CONNECTION
August 12, 2016
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 Dear NCGS Community,
Welcome back! I hope you are returning to your campuses feeling renewed and ready for the start of a new school year.
As a new school year begins, NCGS is pleased to announce our next Educating Girls Symposiums. These one-day professional development offerings take place in various regions of the country to provide educators with an opportunity to convene and exchange best practices for teaching and working with girls. The theme changes every 18-24 months based on the relevant and timely issues within NCGS member schools.
 When determining the new theme, we asked, "How do our schools create such a sense of community?" From the outside it may look like this happens organically, but those involved in our schools know it actually takes a lot of dedicated people working in concert to create and sustain vibrant learning environments. Starting in February 2017, we will be discussing this phenomenon in our Educating Girls Symposiums, School Communities: The Power of Many Voices. The symposiums will address:
- How do the various "communities" in your school -- students, teachers, administrators, admissions teams, advancement officers, parents, and more -- collaborate to create a space where girls feel safe, valued, and appreciated?
- How does your school resolve conflict when any one of these voices is perceived to overshadow others?
- How are the mission, vision, and values of your school reflected in the development of your school community?
Participants will hear from keynote speakers and explore these questions and more in peer-led breakout sessions. All educators -- heads of school, administrators, faculty, counselors -- who work with girls at the PK-12 level in girls' and coed schools are welcome. February 22, 2017 New York, NY Keynote speakers for the New York symposium will include 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee and Ali Michael, Director of P-12 Consulting Services and Professional Development at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education. Click here to read more about these inspiring women. And if you are on the west coast, be sure to save the date for the second session: October 23, 2017 Los Angeles, CA NCGS looks forward to supporting your school community throughout the year!
Best Wishes,
Megan
Megan Murphy Executive Director
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Register for the Conference on Coordinate Education
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 Participants will hear from distinguished keynote speakers Dr. Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy (Dean, School of Education, American University) and Scott Steinberg (expert on online privacy/safety, social media, and technology in education), and attend panel discussions and peer-led workshops. The conference schedule is now available online.
Click here for rate information and to register. Coming from out of town? Click here to reserve a room at the conference hotel.
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Global Online Professional Development Opportunity for Faculty & Administrators
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It's not too late for your school to join the Global Girls Inspiration Network (GGIN), an online professional development opportunity offered in partnership by NCGS and Online School for Girls (now a division of One Schoolhouse). GGIN will help educators around the world connect, discuss key questions and challenges in teaching and mentoring girls, and develop shared understandings from a girls' school and a global perspective. The GGIN is comprised of a series of at least 10 four-week long "Conversations" scheduled throughout the year that address hot topics in girls' education. Each Conversation is led by an experienced facilitator who is deeply connected to the girls' school community.
What makes the GGIN unique?
- Cost-effective: For one low annual fee, every faculty and staff member at your school can participate in as many "Conversations" as they like.
- Flexibility: Conversations only require one to two hours of involvement per week and are asynchronous, meaning that participants can sign on and comment or read materials whenever it fits into their schedules.
- Global perspective: The GGIN offers an innovative way to meet many schools' strategic objective to develop in every member of its community a more comprehensive worldview.
Click here to learn more about the exciting Conversations planned for October 2016 to July 2017.
For more information about program fees and FAQs, click here. Ready to enroll your school now? Click here!
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Order New "Girls' School Advantage" Brochure
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 Are you ready for the new admissions season? Do have the latest NCGS publication to help you make the case for girls' schools this fall? NCGS has published a new version of our ever-popular The Girls' School Advantage booklet. Research statistics were updated with more recent findings and new photos added with student testimonials. The flow of information was also reorganized to have supporting research follow correlated content about the unique benefits and outcomes of girls' schools. Be sure to stock up on copies of the new Girls' School Advantage booklet before the start of the busy admissions season! Click here for the order form and to learn more about the full suite of NCGS publications.
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Highlights from the NCGS "Listening & Learning Tour"
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This summer, members of the NCGS team traveled from the west coast to the east coast. Director of Member and Administrative Services Paige Rannigan and Program Associate Eliza McGehee spent time in Washington, DC, and Director of Strategic Initiatives & Professional Development Jen Shakeshaft was in Northern California gathering ideas for our upcoming 2017 NCGS Conference, Education Innovation: Building Cultures of Creativity. Here's what they had to say from the road:
"We [Paige and Eliza] had the pleasure of attending the Girl Up Leadership Summit in July. Over 275 young female leaders participated in the 'by girls, for girls' conference, which included three days of leadership training, presentations by influential speakers, skills-based workshops, and an official lobby day on Capitol Hill. We took part in the first-ever Partner and Investor Collaborative that brought together innovators, big thinkers, corporate leaders, and philanthropists for provocative conversations about the challenges and opportunities girls face. NCGS also partnered with the National Women's History Museum to host a booth during the Social Good Marketplace where conference attendees learned about influential female change makers of the past, present, and future. We enjoyed meeting many girl leaders from NCGS member schools and learning about the impact Girl Up is having at schools and in communities around the world."
While in the DC area, Paige visited three NCGS member schools:
"My first stop was DC's first public school for girls, Excel Academy Public Charter School, which serves girls in grades PK-8. During a tour, we stopped at the beautiful school garden maintained by the students. Excel Academy encourages healthy eating habits by providing nutritious meals using ingredients directly from its garden. During a meeting with the Assistant Principal for the Middle School, I learned this year will be the first with an 8th grade class. Excel has added a grade level each year since it opened in 2008. A big focus this year will be for the placement coordinator to assist graduating students in finding the best high school to fit their individual needs and interests.
Just a short drive from Excel, I visited Washington School for Girls (WSG), a tuition-free, Catholic day school serving 120 girls in grades 3-8. The middle school campus is located within a new Arts Recreation Center that provides lots of extracurricular activities like ballet and theater in which the WSG girls participate. I learned from the WSG leadership team about many inspiring aspects of the school that makes it unique, such as their graduate support program through which all alumnae continue receiving support from WSG throughout their high school years. Another big initiative this summer is the school's conversion to a year-round academic calendar. They decided on this model based on research that shows keeping kids active and involved in school sustains achievement levels. WSG also has an extended day program in which all students are required to participate.
My last stop was at Oakcrest School, a Catholic day school, located in McLean, VA, serving approximately 200 girls in grades 6-12. Currently under constructions is a new campus located in Vienna, VA, which is set to open in fall 2017. Members of the leadership team told me about Oakcrest's mentoring program where a faculty or staff member mentors one girl individually throughout her entire first year at the school, no matter what grade she enters. Additionally, I learned about the school's impressive athletic program, which is very competitive and highly ranked."
"I [Jen] had the incredible good fortune to attend the second Wonder Women conference in Oakland, CA, presented by the innovative team at Leadership + Design. Along with 34 other talented and passionate female educators, I learned about the habits and skills sets of successful leaders, explored new ways of getting and giving critical feedback, took part in my first-ever design thinking challenge, and much more. It was an exhilarating four days! I left with innovative ideas for NCGS conference programming, a better sense of my own 'signature presence,' and 34 wonderful new friends."
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