Engineers are all about results, measurements and continuous improvement. One such Hamilton County school using that design model for academic success is Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA).
When CGLA opened in July 2009, it was the first charter school in Hamilton County. With 75 girls, it also was the first single-gender public charter school in Tennessee. CGLA positioned itself as an early adopter of the STEM curriculum: science, technology, engineering, math and later expanded with an additional tenet for the arts.
In 2011, I joined CGLA's board and received some valuable on-the-job training on charter school and nonprofit board operations. I learned charter schools are public schools. Yes, charter schools are, in fact, independent public schools that are held accountable for student results, but with 36 percent less funding compared to traditional public schools. A majority of charter schools serve nonwhite, or minority students. The current makeup of CGLA is 65 percent African-American, 29 percent Latina, 5 percent Caucasian, and 1 percent Asian. Ninety-seven percent of CGLA students qualify for free- and reduced-lunch and nearly 100 percent live in Chattanooga's urban core.
The hallmark of charter schools is autonomy and performance-based accountability. Charter schools must be proactive to offer a sustainable program, and I have observed how data-driven and result-oriented CGLA is under Dr. Elaine Swafford's leadership. CGLA now serves 294 students from grades 6 to 12 and expects to enroll 350 students for the 20152016 school year. CGLA earned Reward School for Progress designation in 2013 and 2014. Students surpassed the state average in algebra 1 and 2, biology, English 2, and U.S. history proficiency on standardized tests. CGLA's progress since 2012 includes:
* 36% increase in math proficiency
* 30 percent increase in science proficiency
* 64 percent increase in algebra 2 proficiency
* 56 percent increase in biology proficiency
* 91 percent graduation rate in 2014 - above the county and state average
Data and results are impressive, but more importantly, CGLA is changing the lives of young women. Non-traditional problems often require non-traditional solutions. CGLA launched a schoolwide mentoring program that partners with companies and community organizations. The school participates in the Million Women Mentors to promote girls in STEM careers. CGLA is joining forces with public and private entities to host a citywide mentoring event, Be a Mentor Take 12, to attract mentors for students across Chattanooga.
Many CGLA students are being recognized throughout the community for their leadership and participation beyond the school. The American Lung Association named senior Mariana Gutierrez a 2015 Young Woman of Distinction. Vinceia Crittenden, a junior, earned the David Fussell Outstanding Leadership Award from Boys & Girls Club of Chattanooga. Ninth-grader Carmen Gonzales and seventh-grader Honeydi Velasquez won first prize in the GigBridge App contest. They are only a few of the many CGLA young women beginning to believe in themselves and the opportunities their futures could hold.
CGLA's success did not happen overnight. There is a strong support system - a village for CGLA students. Board members, teachers, staff, volunteer mentors, donors, Swafford and school co-founder Dr. Sue Anne Wells work purposefully, in alignment with the school's mission and vision, analyzing, calculating, measuring and continuously striving to improve outcomes.
CGLA, its students, faculty, and administration deserve recognition for their stellar model of how education can fulfill CGLA's motto to "Unlock a World of Possibility" for young women.
Lulu Lim Copeland, in addition to being a CGLA board member, is the engineering technology manager at Chattanooga State Community College.