Why All-Girls STEM Education Matters

Historically, girls and women have been systematically tracked away from science and math throughout their education, limiting their access, preparation and opportunities to go into STEM fields as adults. Currently, Women make up only 34% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering.

At UAI, we aim to end the gender, racial and socio-economic barriers associated with women and gender expansive youth in STEM education and post secondary pursuits. As a core value of our school, we believe firmly that by offering an equitable, barrier free, high quality STEM education, our students reach their academic and social potential, regardless of their social or personal circumstances.

HOW DO WE DO THIS

• Power of Peer Role Modeling:

Research consistently highlights the significant impact of peer role modeling, particularly in single-gender educational settings like girls' schools. One of the key advantages of these environments is the abundance of STEM role models who reflect the students' identities and experiences. The adage "you have to see it to be it" rings especially true for girls in STEM.

When every student excelling in Advanced Calculus, Chemistry, or any other challenging STEM course is a girl, it sends a powerful and affirming message to all other girls at the school: they too can achieve success in these fields. This peer influence fosters a culture of confidence and ambition, where girls feel empowered to pursue their interests in STEM without hesitation.

This dynamic is a major reason why girls' schools produce a disproportionately higher number of women who go on to pursue careers in the sciences. The visible success of peers in STEM serves as a constant reminder that these subjects are not just for some but for everyone, reinforcing the belief that girls can and will excel in these areas.

• A Robust and Advanced STEM Curriculum Designed to Prepare Students for Success in Post-Secondary Education and Careers:

At UAI, we are committed to providing an exceptional STEM education that empowers our students to excel in their future academic and career pursuits. Our dedicated and highly trained team of teachers, administrators, and support staff work collaboratively to create enriching STEM learning experiences, both inside and outside the classroom.

Our curriculum is designed to challenge and inspire students, offering more than 7 Advanced Placement (AP) classes at the high school level. In addition, we offer a CUNY - LINCT Quantitative Reasoning Course and a Statistics Course for college credit, further enhancing our students' academic profiles.

We are proud of our long-standing partnership with NYU Tandon School of Engineering, where UAI students have the unique opportunity to take engineering courses on the NYU campus free of charge. This partnership, along with our rigorous curriculum, positions our students at the forefront of post-secondary STEM opportunities. To explore our comprehensive academic offerings, please click HERE to view UAI's 2024-2025 Course Catalog.

• Instilling a Mindset of Confidence and Capacity:

At UAI, we are dedicated to nurturing a mindset of confidence and capacity in our students, particularly in the realm of STEM. Through active, hands-on learning experiences, we emphasize the collaborative and community-oriented nature of STEM fields.

This approach encourages students to take academic risks, step out of their comfort zones, and engage deeply with challenging concepts.By creating an environment where girls are empowered to challenge societal and personal misconceptions about women's abilities in STEM, we help them to break down barriers and build a strong belief in their own potential.

Our focus on promoting a growth mindset equips students with the resilience to embrace challenges, view setbacks as opportunities for learning, and persist in the face of difficulties.This mindset not only prepares our students to excel in STEM but also instills in them the confidence to pursue ambitious goals and make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT

• Financial and Personal Security:

The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields will account for some of the fastest growing — and highest paying — jobs of the future. Yet girls and women are still not on par with boys and men in preparing for or entering into these fields.Giving women equal opportunities to pursue — and thrive in — STEM careers helps narrow the gender pay gap, enhances women’s economic security, ensures a diverse and talented STEM workforce and prevents biases in these fields and the products and services they produce. A typical STEM worker earns two-thirds more than those employed in other fields, according to Pew Research Center. And some of the highest-earning STEM occupations, such as computer science and engineering, have the lowest percentages of women workers.

• Ending Gender and Race Based STEM Bias:

Gender bias in school remains a significant barrier to girls’ progress in STEM. Black girls and women and Latinas are even more likely to be dissuaded from pursuing math and science, because they face discrimination and have less access to critical resources , opportunities and role models. The myth of the math brain is one of the most self-destructive ideas in American education – research shows no innate cognitive biological differences between men and women in math.