Reducing Achievement Gaps in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM): Promising International Research, Policies and Practices

该项目将推动学生和教师创新技术体验(ITEST)计划的努力，以更好地了解和促进实践，通过参与现场实践、基于实验室/项目的创业任务和指导经验，提高学生在科学、技术、工程或数学(STEM)领域追求职业生涯的动机和能力。和耶尔迪兹技术大学(土耳其)提议召开一次国际会议，为来自STEM成绩高、中、低分数国家的教育部长、研究人员和从业人员提供一个论坛，从全球角度评估STEM学科的成绩差距问题，并制定更多全球解决方案，共享信息。本次会议将确定解决种族/民族、社会经济地位和性别之间存在的成就差距的主要挑战和机会，并随后提出解决方案和战略，为所有儿童提供平等机会获取知识和发展STEM技能。更具体地说，会议的主要目标是：(A)确定在高、低和中等成就国家解决STEM领域成就差距方面的主要挑战和机会；(B)侧重于高、低和中等成就国家在21世纪职业生涯所需的STEM知识和技能方面代表性不足的群体；(C)系统地评估会议产出，以确定有效或至少有望消除STEM成就差距的研究、实践和政策；(D)制定解决办法和战略，为所有儿童提供平等机会获取知识和发展STEM技能；选择6个国家(韩国、新加坡、澳大利亚、美国、土耳其和乌克兰)代表成就范围。这次会议汇聚了多个部门、级别和国家之间的合作，将对全球STEM教育质量的发展和提高产生持久的影响；这反过来将对在STEM领域为所有儿童提供平等机会产生直接的积极影响。会议将提供一个机会，通过从国际角度介绍政策、研究和实践，更好地理解STEM成就差距的结构性问题。

This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by engaging in hands-on field experience, laboratory/project-based entrepreneurship tasks and mentorship experiences.Georgia Institute of Technology (U.S.) and Yildiz Technical University (Turkey) propose an international conference to provide a forum for ministers of education, researchers, and practitioners from countries with high- medium- and low-STEM achievement scores to assess the problem of achievement gaps in STEM disciplines from a global perspective and to develop more global solutions share information. This conference will identify major challenges and opportunities for addressing the achievement gap that exist among racial/ethnic, socio-economic status and gender and subsequently suggest solutions and strategies to provide all children equal opportunities to acquire knowledge and develop STEM skills. More specifically, the major goals of the conference are to: (a) identify major challenges and opportunities for addressing the achievement gap in STEM fields for high-, low-, and medium-achieving countries; (b) focus on underrepresented groups in high, low, and medium achieving countries in terms of STEM knowledge and skills needed for 21st century careers; (c) systematically assess conference outputs to identify research, practice, and policies that are effective or at least promising to address STEM achievement gaps; (d) develop solutions and strategies to provide all children with equal opportunities to acquire knowledge and develop STEM skills; and (e) provide an opportunity for countries with high-, low-, and medium- STEM achievement scores to share information and learn about achievement gap in STEM fields.Six countries (South Korea, Singapore, Australia, United States, Turkey and the Ukraine) are selected to represent the range of achievement. Collaborations among multiple sectors, levels, and countries brought together by this conference will have a lasting impact on the development and enhancement of the quality of STEM education globally; this, in turn, will have direct positive effects on providing equal opportunities for all children in STEM fields. The conference will provide an opportunity to provide a better understanding of the structural issues of achievement gap in STEM through the presentations on policies, research, and practices from an international perspective.