Program for Gender Equity in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (PGE): DEM:Women on the Prairie: Bringing Girls into Science through Environmental Stewardship

这一示范项目是一个由教师、公立学校教师和辅导员以及私营部门/非营利组织的专业人员组成的合作网络，它将提供和评估旨在支持和加强中学女生对SMET学科和职业的兴趣的活动。这些活动的依据是，研究表明，接触榜样、职业信息和亲身实践活动具有有益的效果。为参与的六年级和七年级女生举办的干预活动包括：暑期实践讲习班、工业现场图尔斯参观、课堂活动、与女科学家和女工程师的访问、与商业和服务组织联合开展的活动以及一个网站。此外，有研究表明，教师的专业发展、教师与科学家之间的互动以及实施解决多样性和性别平等问题的方法对于创造更加性别平等的教室至关重要，因此，将邀请中学和高中科学和数学教师与大学教师合作开展暑期讲习班活动。此外，还将邀请他们参加关于科学和数学教育中的性别平等的研究生课程，并开展可在合作网络内分享的行动研究项目。最后，将向学校辅导员、女童子军中女孩的父母和参加项目活动的女孩的父母分发关于各种小型和微型企业职业以及目前在这些领域就业的妇女的资料袋。总结性评价将侧重于比较参加项目活动的中小企业和技术培训课程的模式和课程成绩，并与未参加项目活动的相应抽样女孩进行比较。

This demonstration project, a collaborative network of faculty, public school teachersand counselors, and professionals in both private sector/non-profit organizations willdeliver and evaluate activities designed to bolster and reinforce the interest of middle-school girls in SMET disciplines and careers. These activities are based on research showing that access to role models, career information, and hands-onactivities have beneficial effects. A hands-on summer workshop, industrial site tours, classroom activities, visits with women scientists and engineers, activitiesdeveloped in conjunction with commercial and service organizations, and a web sitecharacterize the intervention for the 6th and 7th grade girls who participate. Furthermore, in response to research showing that professional development forteachers, interactions between teachers and scientists, and implementation of methods to address diversity and gender equity issues are of paramount importancein creating more gender equitable classrooms, middle-school and high-school teacherin science and mathematics will be invited to partner with University faculty in developing the summer workshop activities. In addition, they will be invited to participate in a graduate-level course on gender equity in science and mathematics education and conduct action research projects that can be shared within the collaborative network. Finally, packets with information on both various SMET careers and on women who are currently employed in these fields, will be distributed to school counselors, the parents of girls in Girl Scout troops, and the parents of those girls who participate in the project activities. Summative evaluation will focus on the comparison of SMET course-taking patterns and coursegrades of participants in the project activities compared to a matched sample of girls who did not participate.