Academic Overview

Our curriculum and pedagogy build on the inherent capacity of students to become engaged as lifelong learners through self-expression grounded in mind/body development.

Modern brain research supports the intrinsic connection between the brain and the body. Accordingly, The Girls Athletic Leadership Schools (GALS) uniquely focus on the seamless integration of academics and physical mastery in a healthy, competitive environment, allowing the emphasis of knowledge arrived at through the body to develop into lessons of Power, Flexibility, Focus, and Balance.

The role of movement serves two primary purposes in our schools: To optimize learning potential, and to boost students’ overall physical health and wellness through positive self-image and strong self-esteem. GALS’ integrated and balanced instructional approach provides a standards-based curriculum that is both skills-based and hands-on, in order to ensure each and every student meets our high expectations for success, well beyond achieving proficiency on state standards.

While there is a strong tradition and a growing number of single gender schools in the United States, GALS is the only school in the nation that predicates its environment on academic excellence and deep personal growth through the distinct lens of health and wellness. All girls are athletes; at GALS, we believe that if you have a body, you are an athlete, and we believe athletes understand what works in service to their overall health and wellness.

What does this look like at GALS? Every morning, girls are exercising to wake up their bodies and their brains prior to attending core content courses, and staff works with the girls to understand that moving and engaging the body will lead to a brain primed to learn. Students start their days with a variety of different workouts, including yoga, running, strength training, self-defense, team games, hip hop dance, Zumba, and more.

To maximize the benefits of Morning Movement, the bell schedule operates in a rotation — meaning, a GALS student goes to a different class each day after Movement. That way, students reap the brain benefits of Morning Movement in each of their classes on a different day of the week! Check out our bell schedule for more details.

Additionally, a signature element of the GALS model is our commitment to social-emotional learning (SEL). One way we integrate SEL into our school day is through the GALS Series class. Every GALS student has five core classes: Math, Science, ELA, History and GALS Series. The GALS Series has proven to be a key factor to improving our girls’ interactions with one another; maintaining a culture of love, support and respect; and providing students with coping skills and opportunities to form healthy relationships which will help lead them on a path to a happy and healthy life.

The GALS Series does this through a series of practices and principles developed by the Sanford Harmony, a social-emotional learning program, and specialists at GALS. In these classes, the girls participate in restorative circles and daily journal writing. They practice meditation and mindfulness, and participate in skits where they practice ways to handle tough situations. GALS Series instructors all have experience teaching social-emotional learning to adolescents and work closely with school staff to keep them informed on their students’ progress.

The success of the GALS Series is evaluated through several different measures:

Annual surveys: “Making Caring Common”, developed by the Harvard School of Education, will be administered to students, parents and staff. The survey allows schools to gauge whether they have a caring, inclusive community where students are building healthy relationships and developing key social and emotional skills. It also supports schools in learning where to focus additional efforts.

Suspension Rates: GALS had a 0% suspension rate for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years. The GALS Series classes teach our students ways that they can de-escalate conflict and provides tools to help our students solve their own problems peacefully and collaboratively.

Attendance Rates: GALS has an average attendance rate of 96.5%. This is above the local district goal of 95%. Students at GALS want to come to school and the GALS Series classes shows them that they are able, and worthy, to excel in their academic pursuits. Our students see the value of school as a path to a better future.

We also know qualitatively that the GALS Series is working. When nobody eats alone at lunch, we know the Series classes are working. When an autistic student receives a standing ovation at the school’s Talent Show, we know that the Series is working. When the student coming in last in a race was cheered on by her entire grade, we see the positive effects of these classes. GALS is a place where students feel happy and joyful and we credit the Series classes as a main contributor to our joyful environment.

The culture of GALS LA supports students fully in their lives and extends far beyond the hours of a traditional school day. Tutoring is offered every day after-school, as well as a variety of after school clubs and sports.