GI Model Schools

The Cartwright School, Phoenix, AZ

The Cartwright School serves primarily minority boys and girls in early education.  Located in the heart of Phoenix, AZ, and a part of the Cartwright School District, Cartwright is supported by the City of Phoenix Human Services Department and the Greater Phoenix Urban League Head Start program.  This ECE school has seven classrooms, one boy-only, one girl-only, and five coeducational, and has fulfilled the designation of Gurian Model School.

Head Start Program Coordinator Marion Hill, the first administrator to ask for the Model School Pilot, recently told Michael Gurian: “From the beginning, I have seen our work with GI in the context of helping minority children and families under the Equity and Excellence project of the National Urban League.  The success of the first year of our Cartwright pilot with GI has been stunning.  We are honored to become a Model School.”

Evaluation of the GI strategies and implementation occurred both anecdotally and in data sets from Head Start CLASS and e-Deca evaluation in three-month intervals.  Even with Covid-19 protocols interrupting the school year, both CLASS and e-Deca valuation showed significant improvement in most behavioral and academic areas statistically, with anecdotal support for the success provided by teacher journals, parent feedback, and case manager assessment.

Two major components of both Head Start goals and the Pilot itself–literacy and behavior management–showed significant improvement.  Math showed improvement, as well, and decrease in gender stereotyping also grew as the pilot went on.  This latter point is a crucial one.

For decades, Gurian Institute research from school districts across the country has shown a decrease not an increase in gender stereotyping when sex-differences are accounted for in pedagogy.  Cartwright’s pilot confirmed this finding.  Boys developed more hands-on empathic social skills and reading improvement, and girls developed more use of early childhood engineering interests and object-based structural play.

Further Comments:

“Even during online Covid learning (the 2020 – 2021 + school years), the Pilots have elicited good anecdotal results. Head Start evaluation components were suspended federally, so Head Start’s CLASS and Teaching Strategies data were not collected last year, but local internal data was collected. We found that even when teachers practiced helpful learning strategies online, children learned better, especially boys of color in literacy areas and girls of color in STEM areas,” according to Greater Phoenix Urban League COO, Natalie Alvarez and Education Coordinator, Dr. Ariana Lopez.

Ms. Alvarez told us recently, “We are proud of the success we are seeing in the Pilot classrooms, even through Covid schooling, and will continue to gather data and expand the Pilots into more classrooms. Especially with anti-racism compliance in federal programs, we see the GI Pilots as supporting both basic child development needs and also the empowerment of staff and children of color. We are impressed with the data we are seeing and committed to expanding access to the success components of these GI teaching strategies.”

Dr. Lopez confirmed Ms. Alvarez’s assessment, “Online schooling is not preferred, but it was mandated, and the Gurian strategies were helpful in keeping children and families involved in learning at home. We are glad to be back in school now, utilizing the strategies in person again and collecting data again. As it has done in previous years, the data again looks very good for the Pilot classrooms. What started as Pilots to address preschool-to-prison pipeline issues has expanded to include each of the Head Start learning components.”

“I wanted to conclude the year with a thank you to the Gurian institute for all that you all have done for me as a teacher this year.  I transferred over from an all boys class to a class that had both girls and boys.  The parents have been raving about my practices with their little ones, including how much they enjoy it and how they wish that their children had those practices from the start. The parents have said how much their child have grown from having the practices that I implement daily.  The Gurian strategies have given me so many ways to  get my creative teaching and their child development juices flowing.”

— Martina Andrews, Cartwright/Head Start Teacher

Burlingame Intermediate School, Burlingame, CA

BIS is special.  All of our elementary roads lead here and we strive to create a rich and inspired educational environment that brings out the very best in every student.  To that end, we cultivate an academic curriculum that is challenging, innovative, and differentiated so that each student simply loves to learn.  Additionally, we are proud of our forward thinking emphasis on social emotional learning.  We believe in educating the whole child by helping them deal with all the challenges they face during this transitional period of their lives.

At BIS, we embrace a mindset that always looks at ways to become better – we adopt early, experiment often and adjust when necessary – because we believe that these are truly the 21st century skills that children need to become the best they can be.  Our vision is that our kids develop a true “real world education” where they accumulate knowledge, confidence and resiliency.

But, what is BIS’ “secret sauce”?  What makes us really amazing?  It is our unique community – the bonds that incoming students have formed from their neighborhood elementary schools combined with the community building focus that is a hallmark of our school culture, gives students the security, confidence, and social support to thrive in this big environment full of opportunities to grow – and move forward from BIS as well adjusted kids with limitless potential.

We are proud to be a Gurian Model School.  Our work with the Gurian Institute has been instrumental in improving our instructional strategies.  Due to Mr. Gurian’s research and the Gurian Institute training program, we now have a better understanding of how both boys and girls learn best, and we use this training as a focus when reviewing and redesigning our practices and policies.  Simple shifts have increased engagement and helped all students to learn at high levels.  We look forward to continuing this work with the Gurian Institute over the next many years.

–Pam Scott, Principal, 2019

Chattanooga Preparatory in Chattanooga, TN

Chattanooga Preparatory (“Chattanooga Prep”) is an all-boys public charter school that opened its doors to sixty 6th grade students in August 2018. Located in the Highland Park area close to downtown Chattanooga, Chattanooga Prep is positioned to provide a unique and impactful educational opportunity for the young men in our urban communities.

“Chattanooga Preparatory is one of America’s leading edge schools for boys, and with staff innovation and exciting training from both the Gurian Institute and the National Center for the Development of Boys, the school has already shown both qualitative and quantitative success.  With boys struggling so much in our American schools, Chattanooga Prep is serving not only the boys in its classrooms but the neighborhood and city.  I believe this school will become a model for others across the country and thank both the National Center and the Gurian Institute for providing us with their research and strategies-based tools for success.”

–Ted Alling, Founder, Chattanooga Preparatory

In March, 2019, I visited Chattanooga Preparatory, accompanied by Troy Kemp, Executive Director of the National Center for the Development of Boys. We observed classrooms, met administrators and teachers, and spent time with the students–the young men–themselves. My work as an educational consultant and thought leader has taken me to more than a thousand schools in thirty years. My visit to Chattanooga Prep was one of the most satisfying in my career.

Open just one year, the school has already reached high standards of quantitative and qualitative achievement. New assessments of student performance in math, for instance, compared to before-attendance, show a 600% increase in ‘mastery’ a year later, and doubled achievement in ‘on track.’ Similarly, literacy scores have shown a 300% improvement. These are significant quantitative gains by any standard.

At Chattanooga Prep, student and staff satisfaction is high, providing a powerful qualitative measurement of success. Teachers are moving around the classroom; staff make themselves available and hold students to high standards; and male learning styles are understood and accommodated.

The boys themselves are challenged, confident, clear in expectations of them, empathic of others, and inculcate lessons and behavior standards well suited to both individual needs and a collective culture. As one student put it during our visit, “I finally belong somewhere–here–and it is a really good feeling.”

The Gurian Institute designated Chattanooga Prep a Gurian Institute Model School in April, 2019. We are joined in that enthusiasm by the National Center for the Development of Boys, which is also designating the school its first National Center for the Development of Boys Model School, at the same time. Both of our organizations are committed to supporting Chattanooga Prep on its continued journey of expansion into new grades and levels.

–Michael Gurian, Executive Director, The Gurian Institute

Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, PA

The Academy of the New Church Secondary Schools has been in the business of education for the last 134 years. We have taught both girls and boys separately, and together, and have done a commendable job of this. That being said, we knew we could do it better, and we see that this is happening since we have been working with the Gurian Institute.

One of our goals is to become the recognized model in secondary school education, leading the way in the integration of natural and spiritual knowledge and complementary gender education. For over a century, we have been successful in these efforts thanks in large part to our educational philosophy which is firmly rooted in our theology.

The Gurian Institute provides compelling scientific evidence for the significant differences in brain chemistry between males and females. The mission of the Gurian Institute is to provide evidence and strategies around the concept that “understanding the physiological and chemical brain differences between boys and girls and learning gender-friendly strategies can make a positive difference in their academics and behavior.”

We are inspired by the changes we are seeing in our classrooms. We see happy, balanced and more engaged students thanks to what we are applying from the Gurian Institute. By way of our theological teachings and the Gurian’s brain-based strategies, we believe our students will be ready to tackle whatever comes their way when they leave ANC and head into the world as active and compassionate adults.

– Kira R. Schadegg, ANC Girls School Principal, and Jeremy Irwin, ANC Boys School Principal.  Please visit:  www.ancss.org.

Army and Navy Academy

Since its inception in 1910, the Army and Navy Academy’s curriculum has combined rigorous college-preparatory classes with a leadership training program. As the only military boarding school for boys on the West Coast, the Academy in Carlsbad, California ensures that the Cadet experience focuses on responsibility, citizenship, and character development.

Army and Navy Academy educates tomorrow’s leaders through small class sizes for young men in grades 7-12. The Academy is pleased to be named a Gurian Institute Model School, in recognition of its commitment to single-gender education and use of teaching techniques developed specifically for how boys learn best.  The Academy is proud to be the only military school among the Gurian Institute’s Model Schools.

The Gurian Institute’s programs and training have taken our Academy’s education to even higher levels of excellence in educating young men to be the best men they can be.

Southwest Leadership Academy, Philadelphia, PA

The vision of SLA is to build leaders one child at a time by changing their definition of reality. This change will allow our students to believe in their importance, know their potential, and seize their opportunities, which are fundamental concepts of leadership.

Through the transformation of our students, we ultimately aim to transform the Southwest community by bringing leadership, integrity, courage, concern and scholarship back into the community.

Cherokee Creek Boys School, Westminster, SC

Cherokee Creek Boys School is a small therapeutic boarding school for boys ages 10-15 located about 2 hours north of Atlanta in the foothills of the blue ridge mountains of South Carolina.    Founded in 2003, our mission as a learning community is “to challenge boys and their families to discover what is real and true about themselves and the world around them.” Our values-based  curriculum is based upon the work of cultural anthropologist Dr. Angeles Arrien as we nurture not only the academic needs of these boys but their social, physical, spiritual and psychological needs as well.

Because we provide 24 hour care for our students, we are able to apply brain- based research to all aspects of our program.  Our model of the P.A.T.H. —Personal enrichment, Academics, Therapy and Health/Recreation— helps us provide balance  and harmony in their daily life.  Strategies like movement, competition, creativity, down time, are met both inside and outside the classroom.  In the class rooms yoga balls, standing desk and 10 students per class provide an optimal environment for learning. Our wooded campus filled with creeks and on a river give us the opportunity for outside classrooms, exploring and play.. .which is, of course learning.

We have created and maintained a holistic, hands on, experiential environment where “boys can be boys” learn about themselves – how they learn, how they communicate, how they can build or rebuild relationships, and how they can advocate for what they need to thrive as young men in an increasingly complex world.

In 2012, we proudly became the first therapeutic Gurian Model School, creating a wonderful partnership that keeps us constantly focused on cutting edge research about boys, their XY brains, and how they learn.  Michael’s work in gender-based differences in learning solidified what we already knew to be true – boys do learn differently!  His extensive research and publishing in the field of educating boys fit everything we theorized as a best practice and continually challenges us to grow.

We have been blessed to have Michael visit our school on numerous occasions where he has been a regular key speaker at our Family Seminars, helping parents, students and staff understand boys from a new, research-based perspective.  The board and staff of Cherokee Creek are proud to have this sincere and close alliance with Michael Gurian and his groundbreaking work.

“You rock Michael!  We are grateful that you are part of our tribe and offering such support for our team and the families we serve.  I love sharing about our affiliation with your work and our Gurian Institute Model School designation when I’m speaking with potential families. Just yesterday I was speaking with a mother in Nashville for the first time. She has 3 boys and came across your work years ago and it’s helped to guide her as a parent. She’s hoping that CCBS is the right place for their son… and that she’ll meet you at a seminar someday soon.  Thank you again for your enthusiasm and support for our sweet little school in South Carolina!

—Shaler Cooper, Director of Admissions, Cherokee Creek Therapuetic  Boys School

Crespi Carmelite High School, Encino, CA

“We have embraced the Gurian Institute and it has enhanced our school in numerous ways. We recently hosted Michael Gurian for a lecture on ‘The Purpose of Boys’…We have had many inquiries stemming from that evening (attended by over 700 people).

As the Director of Admissions, Marketing, and Public Relations, I can report that The Gurian Institute team has helped us rise above our competing schools. We have come to the forefront of educating boys in the Los Angeles area.” -Robert Kodama, Crespi Carmelite High School, Los Angeles, CA

Hillsborough County Public Schools, Tampa, FL
Boys Preparatory Academy at Franklin Middle Magnet School
Girls Preparatory Academy at Ferrell Middle Magnet School

In August 2011, the Boys Preparatory Academy at Franklin Middle Magnet School and the Girls Preparatory Academy at Ferrell Middle Magnet School (grades 6-8) opened their doors as the first single gender public schools in Hillsborough County. The school district had been operating single gender classes in a few elementary schools since 2008 under the guidelines of the 2006 Amendment to Title IX by the U.S. Department of Education. The Preparatory Academies at Franklin and Ferrell are magnet schools with the magnet theme of College Preparatory. The theme emphasizes pre-advanced placement coursework to prepare students for Advanced Placement courses in high school.

An extraordinary amount of training was implemented with both faculties prior to the opening of the Preparatory Academies and has been ongoing ever since. The original training focused on current brain research on the differences between the male and female brains, their developmental stages, and the implications on classroom instruction. The Gurian Institute has been instrumental in providing training to educators in Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) through workshops held locally, as well as teachers and administrators attending the Summer Institutes presented by the Gurian Institute in Colorado Springs.

Currently, HCPS has single gender programs within twelve elementary schools and one high school, along with the two middle school preparatory academies. Three additional elementary schools are in the training and planning phase in preparation to open single gender programs within their schools. With one district administrator and several teachers trained as Gurian Institute Certified Trainers, ongoing professional development is provided to over 100 teachers. The effects of creating single gender environments in public school settings combined with using the research based on neuroscience to identify and implement instructional strategies differentiated for boys and girls have been astonishing.

HCPS has seen academic growth among its single gender programs that place them among the top performing schools in the district in reading, writing, math and science, as measured by the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test. Additionally, perception surveys completed by over 900 students, parents and teachers in 2013 demonstrated that the majority of respondents among all three key stakeholder groups agreed that, based upon their experience, students are more motivated to achieve, students’ academic needs are better met, and students develop greater self-confidence in a single gender environment as compared to their previous experience in a co-gender environment. The majority of the respondents also agreed that the students have adjusted well and are having a positive experience in the single gender environment. Many respondents reported that academic achievement and character development were positive outcomes of the single gender environment. More specifically, many stated that the students had fewer distractions and greater academic focus in the single gender environment.

Lovett Middle School, Atlanta, GA

In April of 2016, The Lovett Middle School in Atlanta, GA was awarded certification as a Gurian Model School.  It re-certified as a Model School in 2019.

The journey of partnership began when Debbie Franks joined the faculty in 2004 having previously worked at Montgomery Bell Academy, a boys’ school in Tennessee. When she was appointed Middle School Academic Dean and Dean of Students at Lovett the next year, she presented the idea of single-gender classes to department heads.

In 2006/2007, as the new principal of the Lovett Middle School, Mrs. Franks asked for volunteers to pilot single-gender classes. Teachers of seventh grade English and math volunteered and in the summer of 2007, the pilot teachers attended the Gurian Institute in Colorado.

The Lovett – Gurian Institute relationship blossomed from there.  All teachers in the Middle School have received Gurian Institute training, and Michael Gurian and GI trainers have visited the school to work with administration, staff, and parents.

Lovett sponsored the Gurian Winter Institute in January of 2020, a major training event that takes place over a three day period and attracts learners from around the world.

Mrs. Franks notes, “The school culture at Lovett has benefited immensely from our association with the Gurian Institute, and the theory and strategies the Institute offers have augmented the Lovett community’s search for excellence in many positive ways, including recruitment, assessment, behavior, and academics.”

O’Dea High School, Seattle, WA

The connection we made with the Gurian Institute has been crucial to this year’s growth. The process of incorporating Gurian Institute strategies into our teaching practices and school vision has strengthened our teacher effectiveness, student performance, and parent buy-in to our school’s mission.

The Gurian Institute has enhanced our ability to promote what O’Dea has to offer to boys across the Puget Sound area. The Institute’s programs have also gone further to help us improve our parent outreach, student mentoring, innovative teaching, and faculty collaboration.

If your school is looking for innovative professional development and support that can positively affect your mission, outreach and student enrollment, I encourage you to go to The Gurian Institute.” – Frank Lazarek, Assistant Principal, O’Dea High School, Seattle, WA

St. John Vianney High School, St. Louis, MO

St. John Vianney High School is honored to be recognized as a Gurian Institute Model School. This award and our partnership with the Gurian Institute symbolizes our commitment to developing young men for spiritual, academic, and personal excellence in the Catholic, Marianist tradition. At St. John Vianney High School we pride ourselves on providing a high quality education for young men.

Since partnering with the Gurian Institute we have seen ACT scores rise, attendance rates improve, and discipline issues decrease. The strategies, methodologies and research base the Gurian Institute has provided our school community is what helps us to remain a Top 50 Catholic High School in the country and the premier school for educating young men in St. Louis.

To find out more about Vianney or to arrange a visit, please contact Dr. Tim Dilg, Principal, and visit our website.

View a recent news article about Model School designation HERE.
And view a St. John Vianney interview with Michael Gurian HERE.

Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, TX

Central Catholic High School is a college preparatory school educating in the Marianist tradition young men from diverse backgrounds for success through the development of scholarship, leadership and moral character.

Benefits of Becoming a Gurian Institute Model School

10 Things You Will Love About Being a GI Model School

1. Promotes your school to a whole new level by having a Michael Gurian presentation onsite.
2. Being a prolific writer and having been on the NY Best Seller list, Dr. Gurian can bring media attention to your event to promote your school and bring in a wider audience.
3. After the event, Dr. Gurian has an ongoing platform to share information about your school and your positive implementation of gender-friendly strategies through media interviews, keynotes and future books.
4. Energizes the staff, parents and community to reflect on how boys and girls learn differently through analysis of academic and behavioral data.
5. Delivers hands-on professional development using the latest research regarding brain gender differences and high-impact gender-friendly instructional strategies that can be used immediately.
6. Ensures on-going and embedded support through classroom observations, immediate feedback, and action planning.
7. Builds sustainability by having an GI onsite certified trainer and annual networking support through attending the annual SI Summer Institute.
8. Offers a tremendous marketing opportunity in terms of the school’s ability to meet the learning needs of their students population in a very specific way.
9. Becomes a model for other schools to see gender-friendly instruction in action and learn how to successfully implement the program school wide.
10. Increases your competitive edge in raising student enrollment numbers, alumni investment, and community outreach.

Contact the Gurian Institute at info@gurianinstitute.com for information on how a professional development plan can be designed to meet the needs of your organization and the families you serve.