This morning was the first Girls Coalition funder briefing, "Pathways to STEM Careers: Where are the Girls?" Many thanks to our panelists and sponsors for making this event fantastic!
For those who were unable to attend this morning, we wanted to be sure to share some key insights that were shared by our experts.
Stats and Facts:
* Women make up only 25% of the over 5 million scientists in the United States. Women of color make up just 2% of that group.
* Women account for more than
half of graduate students in some science fields. In 2006, women made up 76% of graduate
students in psychology, 56% in biological sciences, and 54% in social sciences.
Ways to Take Action:
1. Help girls get over the "Yuck! Factor" of science: Provide girls with opportunities to engage in science early and often--and to get dirty while doing it.
2. Take a Team Approach: Science in schools is often taught as a solitary manner. Research on best practices in science education demonstrate that taking a team approach is more effective. Engage girls in collaborative efforts on science projects and experiments.
3. Help girls see science in everything: Science is
all around us and is part of everything we do! Help girls to think about how their day-to-day lives connect with science.
4. Science as a "helping profession": Girls report that they want to be in careers that help people. Help girls see the ways in which STEM careers are helping people by creating solutions to problems, medicines
and new technologies.
5. Create a pathway to higher education: Colleges are rethinking their recruitment practices in engaging girls in science. Work with your local higher education partner to connect girls with science resources on a local campus. Seeing other female students in action help girls to feel more confident about their future in the sciences.
6. It's never too early! Many girls decide they are
interested in STEM careers in ELEMENTARY school. Mish Michaels saw her first
hurricane and decided she wanted to be a meteoroligist in grammar school.
I really admire this, I mean it really looks interesting!
Posted by: Term papers | 11/03/2009 at 09:13 PM
Thanks you for sharing and may you have many thought provoking conversations!
Posted by: Term Papers | 11/13/2009 at 02:24 AM