Student Leadership Network

Mission & History: Student Leadership Network supports young people growing up in diverse, underserved communities to gain access to educational opportunities that help prepare them to lead successful lives. In 1996, Ann and Andrew Tisch partnered with the Center for Educational Innovation and the New York City Department of Educationto launch The Young Women's Leadership School (TYWLS) of East Harlem, the first all-girls public school to open in the United States in 30 years.Their vision was to providegirls growing up in underserved communitieswith a high-quality college preparatory education modeled after the finest private schools. Today, Student Leadership Network impacts more ... read more Mission & History: Student Leadership Network supports young people growing up in diverse, underserved communities to gain access to educational opportunities that help prepare them to lead successful lives. In 1996, Ann and Andrew Tisch partnered with the Center for Educational Innovation and the New York City Department of Educationto launch The Young Women's Leadership School (TYWLS) of East Harlem, the first all-girls public school to open in the United States in 30 years.Their vision was to providegirls growing up in underserved communitieswith a high-quality college preparatory education modeled after the finest private schools. Today, Student Leadership Network impacts more than 2,500 students through our six all-girls public schools and has inspired dozens of single-gender and gender-expansive Young Women's Leadership Network (YWLN) schools to open nationwide starting in 2000. In 2001, with a vision to make the college dream a reality for students from underserved communities, Student Leadership Network launched CollegeBoundInitiative (CBI) in both single-gender and co-educational settings. Today, nearly 13,500 students in 27 Title One public schools in New York, NY and Rochester, NY are impacted by the work of CBI (including the six TYWLS schools), which places full-time college counselors in partner high schools. CBI's Directors of College Counseling help students with college selection, tours, test preparation, financial aid, scholarship resources, applications, essays, interviews, and so much more. CBIDirectorsof College Counseling create a college-going culture across their schools, working with students as early as the sixth grade. CBI has achieved the following outcomes: Since 2001, CBI has supported more than 20,000 students to enroll in college. Historically, 94% of CBI graduates have been accepted into college. CBI students earn four-year college degrees at nearly four times the rate of their peers nationally, according to an independent program evaluation. Program Overview: The Young Women's Leadership Schools (TYWLS) are a network of all-girls public middle and high schools (6th-12th grade) that provide a single-gender, college preparatory choice to girls and gender-expansive youth from underserved communities. TYWLS schools are open to girls and gender-expansive youth of all academic abilities who aspire to post-secondary education. The TYWLS "whole girl" model of education is based upon girls' education research and weds comprehensive college and career awareness, collaborative learning, and connections to the world with social-emotional supports that enable girls to achieve their fullest potential. TYWLS schools boast a 97% high school graduation rate, a nearly 100% college acceptance rate for graduating seniors, and an average financial aid package of more than $20,000 per student annually. CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) is a comprehensive, school-based program that places a full-time Director of College Counseling (DCC) into Title One partner schools to deliver personalized college access services to all students. DCCs empower students to overcome obstacles to obtaining a postsecondary degree by providing grade-appropriate lessons and activities for students that are delivered year-round. CBI's personalized approach to college advisement (average 100:1 student-to-counselor caseload compared to the national average of 500:1) directs students to well-matched, four-year postsecondary institutions with high degree-conferral rates for their under-represented students and offer generous supports that bolster financial aid, enrollment, persistence, and success.