Proposal for NSF Sponsored Workshop Improving and Assessing the Impact of Programs to Encourage High School Girls to Pursue Science, Engineering, and Mathematics

We are pleased to submit this request to participate in the NSF sponsored workshop Improving and Assessing the Impact of Programs to Encourage High School Girls to Pursue Science, Engineering, and Mathematics. We have been involved in the following NSF Programs for Women and Girls which have direct relevance to this workshop: (1) Female Involvement in Real Science and Technology (FIRST) Project and (2) Techbridge. Both programs are collaborative ventures between Chabot Observatory & Science Center (COSC) and the Oakland Unified School District.

FIRST is a multi-faceted program designed to encourage girls in science and technology. The programs support girls' interest in science and technology during the transition from elementary to middle school. Research suggests this is a critical period when girls make important choices regarding school and career options.

In FIRST, girls experience the wonders of science through hands-on experimentation with science and technology in after-school clubs. Students identify needs and questions related to their school or community and develop action projects to address these concerns. School gardens and watershed protection projects are just a few of the action projects taken on by FIRST clubs.

The FIRST program also supports ongoing training of teachers. Teachers are afforded opportunities to reflect, network, and learn new skills during monthly meetings, summer institutes, and mini-conferences. Training has addressed the needs and interests of participating teachers and has focused on scientific inquiry, gender equity, and integration of technology into the curriculum. FIRST also encourages teachers to follow up individually on areas of interest from their science classrooms and clubs and to strengthen their use of technology. As a result of these opportunities for individual and group learning, FIRST teachers have found support for their professional development and most importantly, time to review and refine their teaching practices and increase their students' engagement in science and technology.

Recognizing that our students rarely have the chance to see a successful and productive woman working in science with whom they can identify, we have worked hard to address this need. Through collaborations with local organizations and businesses, we have introduced role models to students in our after-school clubs and classrooms. These role models have discussed their careers as well as shared personal stories about their academic paths. Students have responded enthusiastically to these visits and describe aspirations that are directly related to the careers of these visiting role models.

FIRST has helped make parents more aware of the opportunities available to girls as well as the barriers that discourage girls from participating in technology and science. Families have become more aware of how they might unconsciously limit girls' access to science and technology and importantly, have learned new ways to support their daughters through parent-education nights, newsletters, discussions with teachers, and community outreach programs.

Like FIRST, Techbridge is a multi-faceted program that is designed to spark girls' interest in technology during the critical middle- to high-school grades. We have submitted a planning grant to NSF for this project which seeks to increase the numbers of girls enrolled in computer science courses in high school and students planning to pursue careers in technology related professions.

If you ask most children-- or even most adults-- to draw a picture of a technology specialist or a computer scientist you will probably get a picture of a man. Despite the personal and professional rewards in careers in technology, we still find that most girls and students of color do not imagine a career in technology. While opportunities in computer technology are expanding, fewer of these students are enrolling in computer classes in high school and college. Not only does this shortsightedness limit the career options and self-sufficiency of girls and students of color, but imagine how the development and applications of technology might be enriched by the talents of these groups.

Whether or not these students pursue scientific and technical careers, they must be science-literate and comfortable with technology in order to be competitive job seekers. Unfortunately, we find that poor and minority students have less access to computers and technology than more affluent and white students. In fact, the digital gap has widened in recent years. Girls are also less inclined to avail themselves of opportunities in technology.

Inspired by the awareness that girls, especially girls of color, are underrepresented in computer courses in Oakland schools, Techbridge will introduce girls to technology through project-based learning in after-school

clubs. From FIRST, we have found that the informal setting of these clubs is effective in increasing girls' confidence and competence.

Girls in each club will work with a team of two teachers from their school. Each after-school club will choose a project that uses various applications of technology to help address a need or answer questions related to their school or community. Participants will be encouraged to explore technologies such as video, environmental monitoring and tracking, Geographic Information Systems, and other applications that are relevant to their action projects. Not only does this approach appeal to girls but it also promotes learning in a meaningful context so that technology skills are likely to be acquired and retained.

Schools can and should be helping to level the playing field in technology. Unfortunately many teachers have not had adequate training in technology or in gender-fair teaching practices. Techbridge will provide training in gender-equity, project-based learning, integration of technology through the curriculum, and specific technologies applicable to projects. Our intent is to create a forum and network for teachers that does not now exist within the Oakland school system. From past programs we have learned that having this kind of channel for on- going training and exchanging ideas and concerns is highly valued by teachers and results in systemic change.

Our NSF proposal suggests creating a support system for girls that also includes two highly important focal points-- school counselors and parents. Currently, it is only to deal with disciplinary or other related problems that counselors meet with students and their families in Oakland schools. By making counselors part of the learning process, we hope to reinforce students' ability to make informed academic and career choices and to make counselors more "visible" to girls.

We are also looking forward to involving families in Techbridge. Girls develop a sense of themselves-- and their potential-- on the basis of what their personal experiences let them imagine. Unfortunately, parents sometimes inadvertently reinforce stereotypes by not encouraging girls to experiment with computers. With fewer opportunities to explore and learn from computers at home and in the classroom, girls get the message that their access to technology has a lower priority. Events like Family Technology Night will help parents understand what their daughters are doing in the after-school clubs and offer them strategies for supporting and reinforcing their daughters' achievements in technology.

From FIRST, we have found that role models can have a profound impact by expanding girls' views of science and scientists. For girls coming from low- income or minority backgrounds the chances of seeing a successful woman working in technology with whom they can relate is remote. Techbridge will address this need by offering girls opportunities to visit technology-related job sites as well as to network with girls and women who are involved in technology.

In addition to these program elements, Techbridge will include a research component that holds promise for better understanding girls' experience with technology. We are especially interested in looking at factors that hinder girls' access to technology, and increase girls' engagement with applications in classroom and community settings like science and technology museums. These findings will better inform the national debate on the gender divide in technology.

COSC is especially well suited to host programs like FIRST and Techbridge. As an informal science center, COSC brings material resources and facilities that provide a range of opportunities not normally available in schools and also offers the possibility of reaching students in a different way. Through FIRST and Techbridge, COSC creates an intimate, small-group setting where teachers and students can establish a supportive working relationship as they plan and implement their projects. From both students and teachers we have heard of the benefits of this context.

We have collected both quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate the FIRST Project. These data look at a number of variables that include: interest in science, confidence in science, displays of leadership, informal opportunities to engage in scientific activities, perceived differences between science in the classroom and in the after-school clubs, attitudes toward technology, performance in science class, career plans, and perceived gender differences.

Interviews were conducted with students, teachers, parents, and principals. In addition, we surveyed teachers, students, and parents. The information from these interviews and surveys is enriched by observations made by our Project Coordinator and by anecdotal evidence from teaches, principals, and parents.

We consider the evaluation plan to be important at every stage of our activities from the planning to the full implementation of after-school clubs, our teacher training, and parent education programs. We are collaborating with Dr. Lynn Phillips, nationally prominent program evaluation expert in the field of gender equity, to guide us in the development of a mixed-method evaluation that includes both quantitative and qualitative data. Dr. Phillip's work will shed light on factors that effectively engage girls in technology as well as identify factors in school, at home, and in the community that discourage girls' participation in technology. Special consideration will be given to gender and cultural norms that have traditionally precluded girls from becoming involved in technology. We will also be collecting information to identify best approaches for teacher training and parent education.

Lessons Learned Regarding Program Design and Implementation

As we conclude our third year of the FIRST Project we have learned important lessons regarding program design and evaluation. These lessons are helping to inform Techbridge, our next project for girls. We would welcome the opportunity to hear from others who are involved in programs for girls and to discuss lessons learned. We believe that candid discussions of successes and failures can provide important direction for all of us who are interested in increasing girls' participation in science, technology, and mathematics. We would be particularly interested in exploring the following concerns:

• How do you successfully involve parents in programs for girls? We hosted one FIRST Family Night that was well attended and another that was considerably less successful.

• What methods do others use to recruit students? What requirements do other programs hold for students? For their families?

• For those after-school programs, like FIRST and Techbridge, what support is needed in coed classes within the school day?

• For programs that include role models and mentors, what factors contribute to successes? How are problems with these relationships handled?

• In the area of technology, what programmatic concerns need to be considered when working with girls from different cultures?

Questions and Concerns Regarding Evaluation

We are interested in participating in this workshop and in developing an assessment plan that can be applied to NSF programs nationwide. We have recently collaborated with the Urban Institute, which is working with NSF to develop a set of outcome indicators to be used for annual reporting to Congress and to improve programs. With regard to evaluation, we are interested in:

• We appreciate the need for quantitative data that can be collected on students in programs nationwide and are interested in how programs such as FIRST and Techbridge impact on grades and achievement. However, we also believe in the importance of collecting qualitative data that examines girls' confidence and interest in science, technology, and mathematics. If the goal of NSF Programs for Girls is to increase their enrollment in courses in these areas of study and to increase their participation in careers in these fields, then we must also consider social and psychological factors that influence girls' enjoyment of and continuation in these fields of study.

• While follow-up data would help determine long-term impact of programs for girls, how realistic is this goal? In school districts where student mobility is high, how can PIs track students one or more years after the completion of programs?

• In any program there will be attrition. We would imagine that most programs gather interview and survey data from girls who remain involved in their activities. How many also track and interview girls who drop out of NSF programs to determine the academic and social factors that turn girls off to science, math, and technology?

We believe we could contribute to the debate on program design and evaluation given our experiences in the FIRST Project. While this program was intended for girls in elementary and middle school we think that many of the lessons learned from FIRST would be applicable to those working with girls in high school. We would also like to expand our understanding of these areas as we embark on a new program for middle and high school girls.