FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 27, 2007
CONTACT: Matt Mackowiak
Sen. Hutchison Welcomes New Students to Irma Rangel Magnet School
Sen. Hutchison Applauds the Pioneering Work of the First Public All-Girls Magnet School in Texas
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas’ senior Senator, today joined students, parents, faculty and staff in welcoming some 100 new girls to Irma Rangel Magnet School in Dallas at an installation ceremony. Sen. Hutchison handed ceremonial carnations to the newest students of the girls-only magnet school and shared words of admiration and encouragement for the work being done at the school, made possible by an amendment she offered in 2001.
“The Irma Rangel School is so important, because it is helping young women become the leaders of tomorrow,” said Sen. Hutchison.
“In a very real sense, all of the students, faculty, parents and staff are pioneers in what is rapidly becoming a major trend in America’s education system – making single-gender education an option for more parents and students. And we need to continue this trend – not just for the sake of each individual, but for the success of our entire state,” Sen. Hutchison said.
In 2001, Sen. Hutchison sponsored an amendment to the No Child Left Behind Act, directing the U.S. Department of Education to provide guidelines for single-sex schools and classrooms. This created more flexibility for educators to offer single-sex classes, programs and extracurricular activities at the elementary and secondary levels, and has made same-gender public institutions like the Irma Rangel Magnet School possible.
Prior to the Hutchison amendment, regulations generally prohibited single-sex classes and extracurricular activities in public and private coeducational schools, with very limited exceptions, such as for physical education classes involving contact sports, or sex education classes.
Numerous studies have indicated that girls enrolled in same-gender programs express themselves more confidently in the classroom and pursue more courses in mathematics and science than they do in coed environments.
Established in 2004, the Irma Rangel School is the first public all-girls magnet school in Texas. It currently serves over 400 students in grades 6-11, and in 2008 will be complete with the addition of a 12th grade class. The school was named in honor of the late Irma Rangel, who served alongside Sen. Hutchison in the Texas House. Ms. Rangel represented the 43rd district of Texas in the State Legislature for 26 years.
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