Introduction

Young adolescent girls come to schools in a variety of shapes and sizes, racial and sexual identities, with varying abilities, interests, and talents. They come from families across the spectrum of social class backgrounds from poor to wealthy. They are our daughters and granddaughters, sisters and nieces, students and friends. Because we care about them, we want their schooling experiences to be interesting, authentic, and safe. We want to challenge their minds and bodies to stay alert to an inviting, diverse, and sometimes unjust world.