Developing Sustainable Ecosystems that Support Women Transitioning from Incarceration into Technology Careers

发展可持续生态系统，支持女性从监禁过渡到技术职业

• 批准号: 2314275
• 负责人: Hyunjin Seo
• 金额: $ 165.81万
• 依托单位: University of Kansas Center for Research Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2314275&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Developing; Sustainable; Ecosystems; Support; Women

Structural inequities contribute to the disproportionate incarceration of Black and African American women, as well as women from the working class. This project will work toward redressing these inequities through developing and researching an ecosystem designed to support formerly incarcerated women's transition into careers that require technology-based skills or computational thinking. This ecosystem will be comprised of partnerships among workforce agencies, libraries as informal learning institutions, community-based organizations, and universities in Kansas and Missouri. In the context of these partnerships, library practitioners, specialists in computer science education, and formerly incarcerated women will refine an existing hybrid program, which includes both digital platforms and in-person learning at libraries, and which teaches vital technology skills that support women's transition into the workforce. Justice-impacted women, who participated in previous iterations of this program, will act as peer mentors to new cohorts of women during the last few months of their incarceration, as well as through the first years of their workforce transition. Research will explore whether and how different elements of the ecosystem enhanced the capacity of participating organizations to provide sustainable supports that effectively fostered employment while reducing recidivism. Because many contemporary occupations require a range of technology skills, this project will advance knowledge and practice regarding institutionalized supports that benefit women and their dependent children through enhancing capacity to obtain secure employment. Formerly incarcerated women, employment navigators from workforce agencies, library practitioners, and university researchers will iteratively improve an existing program designed to foster the workforce re-entry of justice-impacted women. New features of this existing program include peer mentors and an ecosystem approach that considers local labor markets and provides corresponding employment resources. Research will explore whether and how the partnerships contributed to the organizations' net capacity to provide employment-focused technology education programs for women transitioning from incarceration, in addition to whether and how participation in the ecosystem shifted the practices of individual library practitioners, employment navigators, and peer mentors. Research will also identify the major components of a sustainable ecosystem that supports employment-focused technology education among justice-impacted women. To achieve these research purposes, the project team will generate data such as pre- and post-surveys of over 600 participating women, in addition to interviews with a sub-sample of women; pre- and post-interviews with library practitioners, employment navigators, and peer mentors; observations of in-person and digital educational sessions; and focus groups at co-design sessions. Longitudinal and constant comparative analyses of these data sources will generate empirically based and actionable insights regarding how relevant agencies can partner together to foster sustainable systems that effectively support formerly incarcerated women's transition into a technology-based workforce. Results will be shared widely through a project website, library association meetings, professional journals in technology education and research, and workforce services networks. This Integrating Research and Practice project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which supports projects that: (a) contribute to research and practice that considers informal STEM learning's role in equity and belonging in STEM; (b) promote personal and educational success in STEM; (c) advance public engagement in scientific discovery; (d) foster interest in STEM careers; (e) create and enhance the theoretical and empirical foundations for effective informal STEM learning; (f) improve community vibrancy; and/or (g) enhance science communication and the public's engagement in and understanding of STEM and STEM processes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

结构性不平等导致黑人和非裔美国妇女以及工人阶级妇女被监禁的比例过高。该项目将致力于通过开发和研究一个生态系统来纠正这些不平等现象，该生态系统旨在支持以前被监禁的妇女过渡到需要基于技术的技能或计算思维的职业。这个生态系统将由劳动力机构、作为非正式学习机构的图书馆、社区组织以及堪萨斯和密苏里州的大学之间的合作伙伴关系组成。在这些合作伙伴关系的背景下，图书馆从业人员，计算机科学教育专家和以前被监禁的妇女将完善现有的混合计划，其中包括数字平台和图书馆的亲自学习，并教授支持妇女过渡到劳动力的重要技术技能。参加过该计划的前几次迭代的受司法影响的妇女将在她们被监禁的最后几个月以及她们劳动力过渡的头几年担任新女性群体的同伴导师。研究将探讨生态系统的不同要素是否以及如何增强参与组织提供可持续支持的能力，从而有效促进就业，同时减少累犯。由于许多当代职业需要一系列技术技能，该项目将通过提高获得安全就业的能力，促进有利于妇女及其受抚养子女的制度化支助方面的知识和做法。以前被监禁的妇女，劳动力机构的就业导航员，图书馆从业人员和大学研究人员将反复改进现有的计划，旨在促进受司法影响的妇女重新进入劳动力市场。这个现有计划的新特点包括同侪导师和生态系统方法，考虑当地劳动力市场，并提供相应的就业资源。研究将探讨伙伴关系是否以及如何有助于组织的净能力，为从监禁过渡的妇女提供以就业为重点的技术教育计划，以及参与生态系统是否以及如何改变个人图书馆从业人员，就业导航员和同伴导师的做法。研究还将确定可持续生态系统的主要组成部分，以支持受司法影响的妇女以就业为重点的技术教育。为了实现这些研究目的，项目团队将生成数据，如对600多名参与妇女的前后调查，以及对妇女子样本的访谈;对图书馆从业人员、就业导航员和同伴导师的前后访谈;对面对面和数字教育会议的观察;以及共同设计会议的焦点小组。对这些数据来源进行纵向和持续的比较分析，将产生基于经验和可操作的见解，了解相关机构如何能够共同合作，以促进可持续的系统，有效支持以前被监禁的妇女过渡到以技术为基础的劳动力。成果将通过项目网站、图书馆协会会议、技术教育和研究专业期刊以及劳动力服务网络广泛分享。这一研究与实践相结合的项目由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助，该计划支持的项目：（a）有助于研究和实践，认为非正式STEM学习在STEM中的公平和归属感中的作用;（B）促进STEM中的个人和教育成功;（c）推动公众参与科学发现;（d）培养对STEM职业的兴趣;（e）促进STEM职业的发展。（e）为有效的非正式STEM学习建立和加强理论和经验基础;（f）提高社区活力;和/或（g）加强科学传播和公众参与和理解STEM和STEM过程。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的评估被认为值得支持。影响审查标准。