Fall 2009
Dear Marymount Community,
The distinctive spirit of Mother Butler, a tireless champion of women’s education, continues to shape the legacy shared by each Marymount girl. I am delighted to pass along the good news that a major research study has established solid evidence of what we at Marymount School have known all along: students at independent girls’ schools are self-aware, engaged risk-takers who develop superior self-confidence and study skills in comparison with their peers at coeducational schools.
The value of single-sex sex education has been corroborated by this far-reaching new study, led by UCLA’s Dr. Linda J. Sax. The peer-reviewed scientific project compared the achievements, aspirations, and behaviors of 6,552 graduates of 225 independent girls’ schools, and 14,684 of their peers from 1,169 coeducational high schools (public, independent, and parochial).
Here are just a few of the UCLA study’s statistically significant findings. Students at independent girls’ schools develop:
• Keener academic self-confidence
• Stronger math and computer skills
• Broader political awareness and activity
• Superior public speaking and writing skills
• Greater scientific curiosity
• Better study habits
• Higher SAT scores
I encourage you to visit the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools website to learn more about this important study.
Although the UCLA study offers compelling evidence of the benefits of single-sex sex education, it does not tell the whole story of how girls thrive at Marymount School. Every day I visit classrooms where courageous young women are quick to speak their minds, ask probing questions, and take risks as learners and leaders. Marymount’s supportive teachers continually guide our girls’ confident dreams and diligent efforts. Alumnae speak proudly of how well the Marymount experience has prepared them for diverse challenges and successes.
Upon Marymount’s founding in 1926, Mother Butler declared, “The education that will equip women to meet modern conditions effectively will not neglect any medium in which true American womanhood will find its best expression.” Since then, Marymount School has boldly carried forward the banner of innovative single-sex sex education, integrating curricular and technological advances to prepare generations of Marymount graduates to challenge, shape, and change the world.
While studies validate the vital project of single-sex sex education, the tradition of educational innovation at Marymount consistently delivers results that no survey or academic study can fully measure. Please join me in celebrating, nurturing and supporting the profound gift that a Marymount education provides for our daughters, our students, our nation, and the world.
Very best wishes,
Concepcion R. Alvar
Headmistress