Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1060790
environments for women who work in the American tech industry, where they are paid less, passed over for job opportunities, and are subjected to harassment and discrimination. "Research shows that girls begin to deflate in STEM subjects between the ages of 11 and 17. is means that it's more dire than just potentials not being met — there are girls that aren't even being given the chance to wonder and dream," said English teacher Rose Agamegwa. "STEM dreams are normalized, welcomed and nurtured here at GALA." The school's innovative approach to provide girls and women with more opportunity in STEM fields is particularly relevant to equity-re- lated issues in the high-tech industry. These reached a boiling point in November at tech giant Google when more than 20 percent of the workforce walked out in protest of disparate and abusive treatment of women in the workplace, submitting a list of demands that included the ending of pay and opportunity inequi- ties. This organized defiance provided affirmation to girls who dream of careers in coding, computer science and other high-tech fields. It's almost as if lifetimes of being told "no" and "you can't" and "girls don't" have fueled the educators at GALA to tear down all impediments to these opportunities for their students. "We don't have barriers to AP classes," Hicks said. "If you want to take them, we'll support you." is unrestricted access to opportunity has led to some impressive AP enrollment statistics in both STEM and other subjects (see sidebar). And true to the school's focus on pro- viding tools for girls to be the tech visionaries of tomorrow, 100 percent of 10th-graders take AP Computer Science. Today, the 10th-grade girls in that class taught by Jon Landa are gig- gling while performing math calculations in their heads. One student holds up two playing cards, and the other selects which one is higher based on an identified algorithm. It's like a coder's version of the card game Speed, and these girls are fast. The din of noise grows with countless excla- mations of " that one" and the slapping of cards onto desktops. The students are enjoying the lesson, to be sure, but it's also obvious that they like each other. A visit to any classroom at the school reveals an attentive and engaged group of girls working together and supporting one another in the pursuit of knowledge. "It's more comfortable than in my past experiences at school ," said GAL A 10th-grader Sachi Hironura . "Before, if I was having a hard tim e in math class, a lot of the boys wouldn't respect that. That doesn't happen here." 'There's so much positivity' e educators at GALA are nearly all women, most with graduate degrees and all quick to share how teaching at GAL A is unique in more than just the obvious ways. Many of the women attended all-girls schools or col- leges and are excited for the experience of teaching at one, especially with the freedom and support that Principal Hicks and GALA provide. Hicks recruited the school's original educators, and the current staff interviews all prospec- tive teachers before anybody new joins the team. " We h av e t h e a u t o n o my t o t r y c re a t i v e t h i n g s h ere ," s ai d Mc Fa d d en , on e of th o s e f i rst t e a ch ers "They're doing real scientific work," says teacher Emilie Hill of her AP Physics students, including Denielle Parks (left) and Manon Abbou. 36 cta.org Emilie Hill the Innovation issue the Innovation issue I T I N O I N N E O S S V U A Innovation Issue 2018 I I 2018 Innovation issue the 2018