(4/2004) - Every year we receive hundreds of inquiries from families looking for educational alternatives. Some want academic challenge, others a diverse boarding community, and still others a caring and sophisticated faculty. But each year we also meet many parents seeking a way to protect their daughters from what they see as a harshness in the world toward girls.

There are ways in which girls' schools do protect and shelter girls. We work hard to protect the natural inquisitiveness that many girls begin to lose in the teenage years. We create an environment that protects girls' self-esteem. We offer messages about beauty, worth, and success that, unlike much of what the culture says to girls, protect their wholeness and integrity. Apart from the din of daily life, we also take time to listen to girls' hopes and ideas. And we fiercely protect their goals, admire their courage, and encourage their belief in their ability to change the world.

But constant sheltering is not good for girls. Girls also need the hurly-burly of the real world.

Sometimes the hurly-burly is, in fact, harsh, and girls have a tough time with it. Girls want to be part of important debates and they notice when they are not. They see that opportunities are not always equal for men and women. They are sure they can do anything, but they also know that it will be harder for them to do some things than it will be for their brothers. Girls know this age will be filled with challenges, but they dream big nonetheless.

A good school helps girls hold onto their dreams by ensuring the development of their powerful minds. A second language; mathematical muscle; thoughtful writing; a scientific as well as an artistic imagination; a sense of history, literature, and the richness of human thought—these are vital to a girl's future. Such an academic curriculum taught with passion and devotion creates a mind that can sustain itself, solve problems, and grow. No girl should be denied this.

But we also know that it is not just the academic learning. If we are truly committed to girls, we must get them out of the classroom and into the work world. They have to know, and begin to explore, the realities of the life ahead.

We might ask, for example, that teenage girls run small businesses. A business shows girls the economics and complexities of work. It helps them understand responsibility, cooperation, and goals.

We can design programs to involve girls in community service. The idealism of young girls is potent stuff. Let them put their energy and compassion to work. Let them see the value and thrill of helping their neighbors. Let them test their values in the real world.

We can lead girls to a deep connection with our shared culture. Give them a chance to work in non-profit historical and arts organizations. Let them become experts and share their knowledge. Let them understand the tremendous contribution of women to the history of these organizations.

Finally, let's allow girls to work with mentors one afternoon each week. Allow girls to explore career ideas and discover that what a real lawyer does isn't what they see on television.

Just as girls need to analyze chemical compounds, read poetry in Spanish, and understand evolution, girls need to experience the practicalities inherent in becoming responsible adults. It is this full and broad exposure to the world that leads girls to independence.

The education that begins by seeking a safe harbor ends with girls who are powerful participants. School and parents lead them toward that moment when, prepared and fortified, they begin to be makers of the world. The shelter of a purposeful education transforms a girl with potential into a young woman prepared to act.