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St. Margaret's School graduates know they are prepared for the challenges and choices of their first year in college. Our alumnae confirm this regularly. And this week, national research released by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute affirms what we've known for years: graduates of independent girls' schools have a distinct edge over their peers from coed schools.
The research, commissioned by the National Coalition of Girls' Schools, is part of UCLA's annual survey of college freshman, which added a segmented analysis of single-sex schools for the first time. The findings, assessed by Dr. Linda J. Sax and her colleagues, compare the achievements, aspirations and behaviors of 6,552 graduates of 225 independent girls' schools, and 14,684 of their peers from 1,169 coeducational independent schools. According to the report, independent girls' school graduates consistently assess their abilities, self-confidence, engagement and ambition as either above average or in the top 10 percent.
The new data from UCLA's nationwide, peer-reviewed study of women entering their first year of college reveal girls' school alumnae assess themselves stronger across the academic disciplines. The girls' school advantage is statistically significant in seven important areas:
• Academic confidence and performance
• Academic engagement: more time studying or doing homework, talking with teachers outside of class, tutoring peers and studying with others
• Confidence in math and computer abilities at the start of college
• Public speaking and writing skills
• Career aspirations in engineering
• Political engagement
• Considering college a stepping stone to graduate school
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A recent study shows graduates of independent girls'
schools report high confidence and academic ability.
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"I learned so much at St. Margaret's that helped me prepare for college," alumna Cameron Sgroi '00 commented. "St. Margaret's offers a challenging, structured experience where I learned how to prioritize and ask for help when I need it. Being able to do this helped me succeed in the far less structured environment of Virginia Tech and later at VCU, where I earned my Master of Social Work degree. Today, I use these skills to help others within the VCU Health System. I'm glad I had the opportunity to return to St. Margaret's during Career Day this year to share my experience with today's students."
"This study confirms the priorities we have set here at St. Margaret's," Head of School Margaret Broad said. "For the past 20 years, we have put research on teaching girls into practice. How our students use their time and resources sets patterns that will guide them throughout their lives. The new UCLA research supports our experience. Educating young women for life has always been our mission, and the college and career successes of our alumnae affirm how valuable this has been for generations of graduates."
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