ROX — Ruling Our eXperiences
ROX — Research-based program for girls in grades 5-12
Westerville Education Challenge in the fall of 2024 announced the adoption of ROX – the Ruling Our eXperiences program – as one of our supported initiatives in the Westerville City School District.
WEC’s goal with ROX is for every female student in the WCSD to be invited to participate in ROX programming before graduation, said WEC President Laura Hammer.
The program is open to all girls in grades 5-12. It’s expected that 300-400 girls in the Westerville district will participate in 2024-25.
About ROX
According to the ROX website, Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX) began in 2006 as a research study at The Ohio State University where Founder and CEO Dr. Lisa Hinkelman spent her career training graduate students in counselor education. As a licensed counselor working with adults and students in school settings, Dr. Hinkelman recognized that the issues facing female students mirrored the experiences of the adult women she was working with in counseling. This connection sparked a research agenda that sought to understand the challenges facing girls and what interventions existed to help them navigate these challenges.
Highly motivated to improve outcomes for future women, Dr. Hinkelman put research into practice and developed a comprehensive curriculum that could be delivered during the school day and that was available for any girl that expressed interested. Dr. Hinkelman founded Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc. (ROX) in 2011 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to create generations of confident girls who are in control of their own relationships, experiences, decisions and futures.
Since then, ROX has scaled nationally to grow programming across nearly 40 states with more than 7,500 girls annually and launched The ROX Institute for Research & Training to provide innovative, data-driven resources for the adults who support girls.
National Research
ROX studies the unique experiences of girls, capturing the opinions, behaviors and aspirations of over 17,000 girls across the country.
Program for Girls
ROX trains women who are licensed school counselors, social workers and educators to deliver a 20-week evidence-based program in schools to girls in grades 5-12.
Resources for Adults
ROX supports the adult influencers in girls’ lives, providing training and professional development, as well as practical tools and support for everyday use.
A Challenging World for Girls
According to RoX’ most recent national survey, The Girls Index 2023:
- 79% of girls report that they are under so much pressure they feel like they are going to explode.
- Over half of girls don’t believe they’re smart enough for their dream career.
- 1 in 2 girls are afraid to lead because they don’t want others to think they’re bossy.
Organizers Know the ROX Program for Girls Works
According to participant surveys and school district administrators:
- 86 percent of ROX program participants report higher levels of self-esteem and self-confidence.
- 9 in 10 ROX participants report they feel safer and more confident that they can protect themselves.
- 78 percent of ROX participants have improved attendance and/or increased connection to school
- A 63 percent decrease in bullying and relational aggression is reported among ROX program participants.
Find out more about the ROX program
The ROX program has been the written about in several national publications, including Education Week, Parents magazine, Newsweek, Forbes, and WSJ.
Click here to read much more about the nationally acclaimed, Central Ohio-based Ruling Our eXperiences program on the ROX website.