Back-to-School Empowerment Workshop

9/29/2009 6:00 PM - Boston Public Library

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Resources for Parents

Raising Confident, Competent Daughters

A job description for parents? Wouldn't we all like to have one! Being a good parent is one of the most difficult (and rewarding) jobs we will ever have. In light of recent research and classroom observations, raising a confident, competent daughter presents a particular set of challenges to parents and educators alike.

We're here to lend the expertise and insights we've gained in educating thousands of young women. The Coalition has a variety of resources for you as parents both on this site and in our publications.

Two NCGS publications are of particular note: Raising Confident, Competent Daughters: Strategies for Parents; and Dads & Their Daughters: Father-to-Father Strategies. These booklets contain practical and powerful strategies to help you in the important work that you are doing. A sampling of chapter titles from Raising Confident, Competent Daughters follows:

• Finding Her Voice: Helping Your Daughter Speak Up with Confidence

  As girls grow and develop, heir voices need to be encouraged. Learning to articulate thoughts and feelings goes hand-in-hand with developing self-confidence. Do you know whether your daughter speaks up in class? Is she comfortable disagreeing and dissenting? Is she encouraged to express herself clearly and openly? Does she share her thoughts and feelings with you, other adults, and peers?

• My Daughter the Physicist: Cultivating Your Daughter's Love of Math and Science

  From the earliest years of school, many girls receive subtle messages from teachers and peers that math and science are boys' fields. How can you help your daughter sustain an interest in math and science?
  Read This Chapter (PDF) »

• The Power of Peers: Surviving Your Daughter's Passion for the Phone

  Your daughter's time on the phone with friends may actually be a good thing, and here's why. Social scientists and psychologists have suggested that a collaborative and cooperative peer culture is important to girls and that girls understand themselves through their relationships with others. As girls draw closer to friends, they often become less emotionally dependent on parents. This is a natural process. In recognizing this, you can support your daughter and strengthen your own relationship with her.

• My Daughter and Sports: A Winning Combination

  Even today, some girls are discouraged from playing sports because it is "unladylike." However, sports teach skills that cannot be gained in English or math class, including: motivation, self-confidence, how to win and lose, how to compete, how to work with others, and how to assess and surpass limitations.
  Read this Chapter (PDF) »
  

• Being All She Can Be: Encouraging Your Daughter's Self-esteem

  As a parent of a daughter, you may notice that many girls tend to suffer a decline in how they feel about themselves as they pass from childhood into womanhood. Girls at age fourteen often are more insecure than they were at age eight. Why does this happen? Will it happen to your daughter? Parents have enormous influence over girls' perceptions of themselves and their world, and can take concrete steps help their daughters maintain a healthy self-image.

To order these and other titles, please visit our bookstore.

School Choice Checklist

It's also useful to evaluate your child's classroom experience. You and your daughter should be satisfied with the answers to the following questions:

• Are girls actively involved, called on and encouraged to participate equally?
• Do teachers understand and respond to the way girls learn?
• Are girls on the front lines of leadership?
• Are there women role models? Women in leadership positions on the faculty? In the administration?
• Are girls' sports as valued and supported as those for boys?
• Do girls persist and excel in higher level math and science classes?
• How well does the school listen to parents and encourage meaningful partnerships?
• What do other parents of girls say about the school?

Today there is a wide array of private elementary and secondary school options, and deciding which school a child will attend is among the most important decisions families will face. Every girl is unique, as is every school. The task of parents is to find the right match.

Also see:

Choosing the School That's Right for Your Child »