Women's Educational Equity Program FY 2005 Grantee Abstracts

*Cal Poly Pomona*

**Project Goal/Background:** The goal of the Mentoring And Professional
Development Equity Project at Cal Poly Pomona is to develop and
implement a model that will increase the number of women eligible to
join the professional workforce in the math, computer, and physical
sciences. The project focuses on the critical junior and senior years in
college for women majoring in chemistry, computer science, mathematics,
and physics. These upper-division women will have many opportunities to
interact and network with women role models, such as women professors in
academia and women professionals in industry. Mentoring and professional
development activities will include participating in formal research
seminars, engaging in informal discussions concerning issues about women
in science through email and Internet chat rooms, conducting research
projects, visiting industry sites, and participating in professional
conferences. This project will increase the educational equity at Cal
Poly Pomona and also will provide a model for other universities.

**Objectives:** The objectives of the four-year Mentoring and
Professional Development Equity Project are the following:

• To determine the baseline graduation rate of women in targeted majors
at Cal Poly Pomona;

• To increase the graduation rate for women in this project by five
percent from the present baseline;

• To deliver mentoring and professional development opportunities over
the four years of the program to at least 50 percent of women targeted
in this project;

• To determine some of the other factors that influence women in the
targeted majors who leave without graduating; and

• To document the successful transition of women in the project into the
professional workforce.

**Project Outcomes:** At the end of four years, the expected educational
outcomes for the women served by the Mentoring and Professional
Development Equity Project are:

-   Increased graduation rates;

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-   An increase in the targeted population's awareness of support
    available through the project;

-   An increase in the number of women who become role models after
    graduation when they join the professional workforce; and

-   The development of action items with respect to the educational
    environment in college of science and additional interventions that
    could be part of the university's broader plan.

**Contact:**

Barbara A. Burke, Ph.D.

Telephone: (909) 869-3664

Email: baburke@csupomona.edu

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

3801 West Temple Avenue

Pomona, CA 91768

***GEM-SET Mentoring for Success***

**Project Goals:** The overall goal of this mentoring program is to
increase the number of low-income women students in Cook County Public
Schools who pursue and excel in Advanced Placement (AP) or college level
courses in mathematics, science, and computer science. This goal will be
achieved through two main objectives including:

-   Connecting high school students to positive role models at UIC with
    a special emphasis on undergraduate women students with similar
    ethnic/racial backgrounds,

-   Increasing the access to college level (AP) courses within the high
    school and as part of the City Colleges of Chicago "College Excel
    Program for High School Students."

**Conceptual Background:** There is clearly a gender gap when comparing
the number of female and males taking AP courses in science, technology,
and math (NSF, 1999). Research shows that the gender gap is slight up to
about sixth grade, then in junior high and senior high the gap widens
and differences in achievement levels increase each year (Metz & Staffin
1996). The reasons for the leak in the pipeline have been explained in a
variety of ways, including a pedagogy that favors male learning styles
(AAUW, 2000), a Greek mythology that steers girls into other academic
pursuits (Margolis and Fisher, 2002), and gender-based societal
stereotyping that clusters career choices based on gender (Thom, 2001).
Research also shows that quality mentoring can have an impact on
decisions such as course selection and career goals (Rhodes, 2002). The
GEM-SET Mentoring for Success program will add to the body of literature
that shows how mentoring can positively impact high school students'
academic pursuits.

**Research Question:** Does mentoring have an impact on Advanced
Placement and college-level course selection in science, technology, and
math?

**Study Design:** UIC undergraduate students will be selected to mentor
high school students in Cook County Public Schools over a four-year
period. Participants in the Girls' Electronic Mentoring for Science,
Engineering, and Technology (GEM-SET) will be offered the opportunity
for intensive mentoring as part of the GEM-SET Mentoring for Success
after school program. The students who receive this intensive AP course
coaching will be expected to choose AP courses in higher numbers and to
receive better grades than the group that does not receive the GEM-SET
Mentoring for Success after school program. The program aims to recruit
at minimum 6 undergraduate mentors, and 60 high school students who will
be tracked over 4 years. The researchers will compare the outcomes of
the 60 mentored students to 60 non-mentored students from the same
schools, with similar race/ethnicity and socio-economic backgrounds. The
outcome variables that will be tracked are retention in the program,
number of AP and/or college level courses selected, and grades in the
selected courses.

Contact:

Sarah Shirk

Telephone: (312) 413-1636

Email: SSHIRK1@UIC.EDU

University of Illinois at Chicago

Ctr. For Research, Women and Gender

1640W. Roosevelt Rd.

CRWG 5 Floor

Mail Code 980

Chicago, IL 60608

## *IRCO Young Women's Equity Project*

**Project Goal/Background:** The four-year Young Women's Equity Project
(YWEP) will serve low income, limited- English proficient young Portland
metro area refugee/immigrant African and Slavic women, ages 14 through
23, who suffer multiple forms of discrimination. Services, provided by
bilingual/bicultural staff in coordination with schools, include 1) Math
and Science Awareness Activities (over 50 participants annually), 2)
Individualized Support (50 participants annually), and 3) Academic
Support Activities (over 50 participants annually). YWEP will increase
the number of young women pursuing advanced courses and entering highly
skilled careers in mathematics or science (including computer science)
in which they have been underrepresented.

**Project Objectives:**

1)  Reduce socio-economic cultural barriers and stereotypes associated
    with traditional gender roles;

2)  Increase family and community support for young women to succeed in
    educational and career opportunities in the fields of math and
    science;

3)  Increase participants' understanding of educational and career
    opportunities in the fields of math and science;

4)  Improve participants' academic performance in math and science
    fields;

5)  Enhance IRCO's existing partnerships with local educational
    agencies, institutions of higher education, community partners, and
    parent, teacher and student groups by increasing opportunities for
    young women.

**Project Outcomes:** 1) 85% of participants will have increased
awareness of math and science courses, and fields of study; 2) 80% of
participants will be enrolled in math/science classes; 3) 75% of
participants will maintain a 3.0 or "B" GPA in all math and science
classes attempted in the academic year of the reporting period; and 4)
75% of participants will be placed in summer practicum, internships, job
shadows, short-term employment that are related to math/science careers.

**Contact:**

Jenny Crawford

Telephone: (503) 234-1541

Email: <jennyc@mail.irco.org>

IRCO

10301 NE Glisan Street

Portland, OR 97220

## *Project ISIS*

**Project Goal/Background:** Project ISIS is designed to cultivate the
mathematical talents and interests of women at two critical points in
their academic careers: school and college. ISIS focuses on middle
school girls to motivate interest, strengthen academic preparation, and
increase informational resources for parents/guardians so that they can
support their daughters in pursuing college preparatory courses and
experiences. Female undergraduates who demonstrate interest in
mathematics are guided on a pathway to careers in mathematics and
teaching.

In this vein, the goals of Project ISIS are:

1)  Provide educational opportunities and support for middle school
    girls to improve their mathematics academic performance and
    encourage them to pursue higher education and careers in mathematics
    related fields;

2)  Establish an academic, financial, and mentoring support structure
    for female undergraduates who are considering teaching as a career,
    or who are pursuing advanced degrees in mathematics-related
    professions; and

3)  Implement evaluation and dissemination strategies to maximize
    project impact, support replication, and advance the knowledge of
    the mathematics community.

**Project Outcomes:** There are several outcomes that are anticipated
from this project. Project ISIS will increase the pool of middle school
girls matriculating through mathematics courses by improving the project
participants' performance and strongly encouraging them to enroll in
more mathematics courses. It is expected that a solid academic
background will support these girls in pursuing a higher education in
mathematics and careers in mathematics related fields. ISIS will build
parent/guardian awareness of the support structure for middle school
girls. ISIS will increase the number of female undergraduates who pursue
degrees in teaching or advanced study in mathematics by providing
academic, financial and mentoring support.

**Contact:**

Dr. Pamela Clute

Telephone: (951) 827-5425

Email: Pamela.clute@ucr.edu

University of California

Alpha Center

College Building South

Riverside Riverside, CA 92521

***Women in Biotechnology and Information Technology (WIBIT)***

**Project Goal/Background:** WIBIT combines informal after school
science and technology activities at the middle school level with
enrichment of formal science and technology classes at the high school
level to provide young women with a clear pathway to advanced
science/technology classes and science careers. The WIBIT curriculum
integrates information technology into biotechnology exploration where
students use the techniques of biotechnology to produce a product or
investigate a crime, and then use information technology to express
their findings through marketing their product online or creating an
interactive computer game. Components of the curriculum are based upon
tested models that are further developed and combined in new ways to
create a gender-neutral learning environment in which students both act
as scientists investigating products and problems, and as content
producers in a technology-rich environment.

**Project Objectives/Goals:**

**OBJECTIVE 1:** To increase the knowledge base of low-income women and
girls in science and technology and in careers in these fields.

[Anticipated Outcomes at Project Completion:]{.underline}

• 60% of the female students participating in the middle school after
school program will be from low-income households;

• 70% of students participating in the middle school after school
program will increase their knowledge and skills in computer technology
by at least 50% by the end of the project;

• 60% of students participating in the middle school program will reach
the "apprentice" level of mastery of knowledge and skills in
biotechnology and information technology;

• 15% of students participating in the middle school program will reach
the "expert" level of mastery of knowledge and skills in biotechnology
and information technology; and

• 80% of students participating in the middle school after school
program will increase their level of knowledge about science and
technology careers.

***Women in Biotechnology and Information Technology (WIBIT)***

• The number of the female students participating in the enriched high
school classrooms that identify sciences and technology as potential
career paths will increase by at least 5% per year; and

• 50% of parents of participating students will attend at least one of
the project's parent activities designed to enhance parental knowledge
of science/technology careers.

**OBJECTIVE 2:** To increase the participation of low income women and
girls in advanced science classes.

[Anticipated Outcomes at Project Completion:]{.underline}

• 45% of female students participating in the middle school after school
program will choose to enroll in enriched science/technology classes
when they reach high school;

• The number of female students participating in the middle school
program who choose to enroll in advanced science classes in high school
will increase by at least 5% per year; and

• The number of female high school students enrolled in the enriched
classrooms who choose to enroll in advanced science classes in high
school will increase by at least 5% per year.

**OBJECTIVE 3:** To engender systemic change in secondary school science
and technology that promotes gender equity in those fields where women
and girls have traditionally been underrepresented.

### Anticipated Outcomes at Project Completion

• By the end of the project, 50% of science and technology teachers in
participating schools will participate in one or more of the summer
workshops that teach gender-neutral educational methodologies;

• 80% of teachers participating in the summer workshops will reach the
"apprentice" level of mastery of knowledge and skills in biotechnology
and information technology;

• 15% of teachers participating in the summer workshops will reach the
"expert" level of mastery of knowledge and skills in biotechnology and
information technology;

• 90% of participating teachers will integrate at least one unit in
their science/technology classroom based on content and methodologies
that they learned in the summer workshops;

• 40% of participating teachers will adopt gender-neutral teaching
methodologies in other units of their science/technology classroom;

> • At least two science classes in each high school will participate in
> classroom enrichment;

• By the end of the project, both high schools will, if financially
feasible, integrate the MESA model fully into their science/technology
curriculum; and

• Overall student science scores on the WASL (Washington Assessment of
Student Learning) will rise at targeted schools, with the greatest
increase being among female students.

**Contact:**

Karen L. Michaelson, Ph.D.,

Telephone: (509) 744-0972

Email: kmichaelson@sisna.com

827 West First Avenue, Suite 418

Spokane, WA 99201

***Project Science Math And the Right Technology (SMART)***

**Project Goal/Background:** Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS)
proposes Project Science Math And the Right Technology (SMART), a
program that will help teenage mothers excel in math, science and
computer science courses and enable them to gain the skills needed to
pursue post-secondary education in highly skilled fields. Grant funds
will be used to promote educational equity for pregnant and parenting
teenagers attending the district's two Teenage Parent Program (TAPP)
schools. Project SMART is a partnership between four district programs,
The Louisville Education and Employment Partnership (LEEP), the Computer
Education Support Unit, JCPS eSchool, and TAPP.

The foundation of the project is to provide teenage mothers with
advanced technology in the classroom that can help increase their
academic skills in math, science and technology. While many TAPP
students may not be academically performing as well as their peers, this
is due more to circumstance than aptitude. Project SMART will provide
the 600 students who attend TAPP schools annually with classroom
technology that is not currently available in most JCPS schools.

This technology includes student wireless laptops, teacher laptops with
projection systems, ProScope microscopes and graphing calculators. TAPP
students will be immersed in technology in their math and science
classrooms daily so that they can develop the math, science, and
technology skills teenage mothers need to be better prepared for a
technologically demanding workplace, post-secondary education and/or
training.

The project's three components will help increase girls' skills in math,
science, and technology while increasing their awareness of career
opportunities in traditionally underrepresented fields. These components
include: 1) integrating technology into all math and science classrooms,
2) providing students distance learning opportunities to pursue math and
science courses on-line for high school and/or college credit and 3)
providing school-to-work opportunities which emphasize math, science,
and computer science careers,

The following objectives serve as the framework for the project's goal
of assisting pregnant students and parenting teenagers to remain in
school, and graduate and transition successfully to post-secondary
education, training or the workforce.

**Project Objectives:**

**Objective 1:** To increase students' academic abilities in math,
science and technology through the integration of technology in math and
science classrooms as indicated by a 3% annual increase in standardized
test scores.

**Objective 2:** To provide opportunities for sophomores, juniors, and
seniors to pursue advanced courses in mathematics or science (including
computer science) as indicated by a 5% annual increase in enrollment.

**Objective 3:** Provide school-to-work transition, guidance, and
counseling activities which focus on technology careers for a minimum of
70 TAPP students annually in order to ensure that girls have the
necessary knowledge and skills to successfully enter a technologically
demanding workplace, post secondary education and/or training.

**Contact:**

LEEP Director

Telephone: (502) 485-3787

Email: lwitt1@Jefferson.k12.ky.us

546 South First Street

Louisville, KY 40202

***WISE Start: Increasing Opportunities for Native American Women in
STEM Programs***

**Project Goal/Background:** The South Dakota School of Mines and
Technology (SDSM&T) is a small, focused science and engineering
university. In a state where 8.3% of the population is Native American,
2.6% of SDSM&T's undergraduate population are Native Americans. The
institution has set as a priority the goals of increasing the number of
Native American in its science, technology, mathematics and engineering
(STEM) programs and increasing the completion rate of this group so that
it is on par with the institutional rate.

The WISE Start program focuses on low-income, Native American women and
thus addresses the Invitational Priority for "projects designed to
increase the number of low-income women and girls pursuing and excelling
in advanced courses in mathematics or science (including computer
science), and entering highly skilled careers in which they have been
underrepresented."

**Project Objectives:**

The objective of the WISE Start program is to develop a model approach
to developing a sustainable program that will attract and retain Native
American women to STEM programs. Specifically, measurable goals of the
program are:

1\. At least 75% of each cohort will be retained into the second year of
college study in science or engineering at the South Dakota School of
Mines and Technology;

2\. At least 85% of each cohort will complete 28 or more college level
course credits by the end of their first year; and

3\. All cohort students will achieve a cumulative grade point average of
at least 2.25 out of 4.0 at the end of their first year of college
study.

The program will work with two cohorts of Native American women, the
first comprised of students about to enter our university and the second
of students one year away from doing so. Students will participate in
SDSM&T's JumpStart program, an intensive four-week residential summer
bridge program that includes courses in college algebra and chemistry
along with programming to assist students in making the transition to
the expectations of a STEM curriculum. Upon matriculation, students will
participate in a Mentors and Mentees (M&M) program modeled after the
successful program of the same name at Purdue. This program will be
expanded for WISE Start students with mentoring from Native American
women who are engaged in science based professions and additional
programming to address the cultural challenges faced by this group in a
predominantly white, male environment.

The program will capitalize on existing efforts at SDSM&T to recruit and
support women and minorities. The majority of funding requested will go
as direct support to the students involved, paying the cost of
participation in the JumpStart program as well as the cost of room,
board, tuition, and fees for the first college year.

**Contact:**

Dr. Karen L. Whitehead

Telephone: (605) 394-2256

Email: Karen.Whitehead@sdsmt.edu

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

501 East Saint Joseph Street

Rapid City, SD 57701

***Access for Young Women***

The Forest Hills Community House (FI-ICI-I) is a not-for-profit
multi-service settlement house serving the Borough of Queens in New York
City. We are requesting a grant for the expansion of our model gender
equity program --- Access for Young Women (AFYW). The program will
involve 100 young women ages 12 to 18 most of whom are recent immigrants
to the United States, or daughters of immigrants. AFYW will develop them
as leaders and advocates for gender equity, involve them in a technology
project, and expose them to careers in mathematics, science, and
engineering.

The year-round program will operate at four sites, serving the seven
school districts that comprise Queens. The young women will:

> • Conduct research on gender equity and education issues;

• Explore nontraditional careers, with particular emphasis on math,
science, technology and computer science;

• Address underlying causes of bias and inequity in education through
presentations and other public events, including a full-day conference
on gender equity and education issues;

• Focus public attention on issues of educational gender equity and
Title IX compliance through the conference and by convening a
county-wide Task Force comprised of young people, educators, youth
workers, colleges and universities, museums and cultural institutions,
and elected officials to examine gender equity in education and its
social roots and make recommendations for action in families, schools
and communities;

• Work with female role models and mentors that are representative of
their racial and ethnic background and immigrant status;

> • Develop technology skills; and

• Work collaboratively with other youth-focused organizations doing
gender-based and equity work in New York City and nationally to share
strategies and disseminate findings.

**Project Goal:** Goals for the project, which will be measured through
quantitative and qualitative evaluation include:

> • An increased understanding of gender bias and gender equity among
> participants;

• Greater knowledge of career options in math science, engineering,
computer science and technology;

> • Acquisition of new skills in technology;

• An increased number of young women who identify career goals in
mathematics and science; and

• Dissemination of information about gender bias in education and
careers, obstacles to non-traditional fields, and the technology gap to
a broad audience.

**Contact:**

Susan Matloff

\(718\) 592-5757

<SMATLOFF@FHCH.ORG>

Forest Hills Community House

Youth Services---Children & Teen Services

108-25 62 Drive

Forest Hills, NY 11375

## *University Of Texas At El Paso---Project Action For Equity*

**Project Goal/Background:** This proposal is for a grant under the WEEA
Program, requesting funds to move forward a collaborative agenda to
engage UTEP's Colleges of Education and Engineering, School of Public
Health, eight school districts, and local AAUW affiliate, in promoting
equity in education for girls and women, with a focus on STEM programs
of study. Project Action for Equity (ACE) is driven by a long-term plan
by UTEP to enhance educational and career opportunities for Hispanic
girls and women on the US/Mexico border who suffer multiple forms of
discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, limited English proficiency
and socioeconomics status.

The goals of Project ACE are to: 1) foster participation of school,
university and community educators in advancing gender equity issues in
grades K-20; 2) increase the representation of Hispanic girls and women
in STEM programs of study; and 3) institutionalize reforms in UTEP's
program of studies for future teachers to advance gender equity. ACE
activities will include: interactive workshops and seminars for 800
girls and women; training for 111 K-20 teachers and university faculty
on gender equitable practices in STEM instruction; development and
dissemination of project materials in English and Spanish through an
interactive web portal; and institutionalization of service-learning at
UTEP's College of Education to promote gender equity. This project will
impact 800 girls and women on the US/Mexico border. Eleven UTEP faculty
members will work with 300 future teachers, each one of whom will
interact with children and families in her/his future career as a
teacher.

**Contact:**

Josephina V. Tinajero

Telephone: (915) 747-5572;

Email: <TINAJERO@utep.edu>

UTEP College of Education

500 West University

El Paso, TX 79968

## *University of Kansas*

**Project Goal/Background:** Young women with disabilities leave school
with less positive adult outcomes than their male counterparts.
Employment rates for women with disabilities are reported to be 20% to
30% lower than women without disabilities or men with or without
disabilities (Doren & Benz, 2001). Research indicates that males with
disabilities are more likely to be employed, earn higher wages, work
full time, and remain employed than are females. When employed, females
with disabilities are more likely to be employed in unskilled jobs than
males in spite of a lack of difference between sexes in I.Q.,
achievement, and basic job skills (Hasazi, Gordan, & Roe, 1989;
Sitlington & Frank, 1993).

The Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities, University
of Kansas, proposes to develop and evaluate a gender equitable
self-directed education to employment model to enable young women with
disabilities to direct their own education and transition paths and gain
skills, experience, and support in nontraditional vocational areas and
to achieve competitive employment outcomes in their chosen careers. The
model is based on two innovative and validated employment- focused
approaches and an effective, field-tested curriculum guide and
materials: the Self-Determined Career Development Model (SDCDM)
(Wehmeyer, Lattimore, et al, 2004), Customized Employment (Office of
Disability Employment Policy, 2004; Parent, 2004), and Gender Matters
(Rousso & Wehmeyer, 2002).

The first year of the project will involve materials development,
teacher training, and pilot-testing the gender equitable self-directed
education to employment model in seven schools around the state of
Kansas. In years two and three the model will be implemented for 70
young women with disabilities enrolled in fourteen high schools in
Kansas. The efficacy of the model will be evaluated through examination
of student, teacher, school, and employment outcome data. In addition,
three longitudinal studies will be conducted including: 1) the impact of
the gender equitable education to employment process on the
goal-attainment problem-solving skills of young women with disabilities;
2) the impact of the gender equitable education to employment model on
young women with developmental disabilities; and 3) the impact of the
gender equitable self-directed education to employment model on teaching
practices. In year four, project activities will focus on large scale
training and dissemination of information and materials to people who
can most benefit from it, including young women with disabilities,
teachers, transition specialists, paraprofessionals, school
administrators, family members, and community agency representatives,
using a variety of methods and formats.

**Project Outcomes:** The anticipated outcomes to be accomplished as a
result of completing the proposed activities are as follows: 1) a gender
equitable vocational curricula and materials will be developed; 2) 21
schools will implement the gender equitable education to employment
model; 3) 84 middle and high school young women will gain skills and
experience in self determination and non-stereotypical vocations; 4) 70
young women with developmental disabilities will become competitively
employed in nontraditional careers; 5) teachers, paraprofessionals, and
transition specialists in Kansas will gain training, technical
assistance, and resources to incorporate a gender equitable education to
employment model in their school programs; and 6) educators,
administrators, and interested persons nationwide will receive
information, materials, and resources to promote the gender equitable
self-directed education to employment model in their local school
systems.

**Contact:**

Wendy Parent

Telephone: 785-864-1062;

Email: <parent@ku.edu>

Life Span Institute

University of Kansas

2385 Irving Hill Road

Youngberg Hall

Lawrence, KS 66045-7563

***Raising Interest in Science & Engineering (RISE)***

The Miami Museum of Science and Planetarium, in collaboration with
Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), SECME (formerly the South
East Consortium for Minorities in Engineering) and Florida International
University is proposing a project aimed at raising awareness of, and
interest in, engineering and advanced technology among high school
girls, particularly girls of color. Titled RISE, (Raising Interest in
Science and Engineering), the project is a response to the continued
under-representation of women and minorities in science, engineering,
and technology (SET) fields, as documented in the 2002 report Title IX
at 30.

Key objectives are:

• To extend RISE programming to SECME Clubs at the lowest-performing
high schools in Miami-Dade County, building girls' content knowledge,
interest and motivation to pursue SET careers;

• To enhance the skills of M-DCPS high school science teachers through
professional development in technology integration, gender equity
strategies, and development of hands-on science and engineering
activities;

• To increase parental/guardian awareness and elicit their support for
their daughters' SET education and related career aspirations;

• To implement a comprehensive evaluation plan and contribute to the
field by examining the impact of combining formal and informal learning
environments on equity-based education; and

> • To broadly disseminate program strategies and professional
> development materials.

RISE builds on established relationships between the collaborating
partners. Through an exploratory grant from the National Science
Foundation in 1996, the Museum developed an exemplary model aimed at
reducing attrition in advanced math and science courses among middle
school girls. Through a subsequent collaboration with M-DCPS this model
was adapted and replicated by all M-DCPS middle schools working through
the network of extracurricular

engineering clubs sponsored by SECME. Building on lessons learned in the
middle school effort, the Museum will extend RISE programming to the
high school level, adding new components related to teacher development
and parent involvement.

The project will recruit a total of 80 girls --- 20 per year from four
of Miami's most underserved high schools. Girls will participate in 10
Saturday workshops during which they will be introduced to hands-on
tabletop science exhibits and the technology and design skills needed to
create them. They will then take part in a 4-week Summer Academy during
which they will design and build their own tabletop exhibits and create
web pages documenting their experience. The following school year, RISE
girls will lead exhibit design challenges with fellow SECME Club
participants at their school, and will also serve as Museum
interpreters, demonstrating their exhibits to the public. During the
11^th^ and 12^th^ grades, they will also be eligible for internships at
the Museum, in local SET- related businesses, and at Florida
International University. They may also enroll in advanced science
courses for college credit under Florida's Dual Enrollment Program.

RISE will provide professional development for all of the science
teachers at each target high school, aimed at enhancing gender equity
teaching strategies, raising awareness of technology and engineering
career opportunities, and improving technology integration skills. The
project will also include a strand for parents and guardians of
participants, raising their awareness of how they can support their
daughters' pursuit of science education and careers, and preparing them
to take part as paid assistants in the SECME after-school clubs at their
daughters' schools.

RISE strategies, materials, and findings will be disseminated through
web-based and print media, as well as through presentations and
workshops conducted each year at the national meeting of the Association
of Science and Technology Centers, as well as the national SECME Summer
Institute that convenes representatives from SECME's broad- based
alliance.

SECME is the nation's largest pre-college alliance, linking 38
universities and 110 school systems in 17 states, aimed at increasing
the number of underrepresented students prepared to enter the SET
pipeline.

A third-party evaluator will conduct an intensive formative and
summative evaluation of four project domains (girls, teachers, parents,
and institutional), to provide formative input for project
implementation and to assess project outcomes and institutionalization
strategies.

RISE will reach 220 participants directly (80 girls, 60 teachers, and 80
parents), and approximately 9,450 students at the four target high
schools via impact on SECME Clubs and science classrooms.

**Contact:**

Judy Brown

Telephone: (305) 646-4246

Email: jabrown@miamisci.org

Miami Museum of Science & Planetarium

3280 S. Miami Avenue

Miami, FL 33129

#### Learning Environment Advancing Development (LEAD) - Women Students Project 

To lead more women students, many of whom face the difficulties of inner
city life, to pursue careers in mathematics, in particular, and science,
engineering and technology, in general.

Medgar Evers College (MEC) of the City University of New York (CUNY) has
79% women students, 98% minority, and serves as a beacon to the
community. There is: 1) a high attrition rate in lower division
mathematics courses, and 2) a majority of students who do not take
mathematics courses beyond pre-calculus.

To improve this situation, the Department of Mathematics of MEC and the
College plan to attain the following objectives and achieve the above
stated goal during the two-year period 2005-2007:

1.  Increase the number of women students completing mathematics courses
    by offering programs tailored to the needs of students, that
    include: synchronizing academic and supplemental instruction,
    curriculum development, career and personal advisement/counseling,
    and creating a conducive learning environment with higher
    expectations from each of the students.

> 2\. Motivate MEC women students to select either mathematics or a
> science by: a) building their self-confidence in doing mathematics; b)
> bringing them in contact with their peers who are performing at the
> highest level in their courses, and also with minority and other women
> who are successful in STEM careers; c) encouraging them to do
> undergraduate research with math and science faculty at MEC and
> elsewhere; d) making them present their research in conferences and;
> e) see their achievements in programs at school and media.

The target populations consist of freshmen and sophomores taking
mathematics courses from basic skills to pre-calculus and juniors and
seniors majoring in sciences and mathematics. The college will meet its
goal and objectives by implementing the activities under the following
four categories:

1.  Improvement of instruction through process and content for early
    intervention,

2.  Tutoring,

3.  Counseling and motivation, and

4.  Undergraduate research and mentoring.

These activities form a systemic effort, part of a comprehensive plan to
promote women's equity, and will be carried out by a team of eight
experienced college faculty from mathematics (4), psychology (1),
Post-Secondary Readiness Center (PSRC) (1), and counselors - Student
Advocacy and Support Services (SASS) (1), the Freshman Year Program
(FYP) (1), consisting of four men and four women, and three African
Americans. Every student at MEC comes in contact with these departments
for a year or more.

Innovation: The proposed activities are similar to the successful
programs around the country to increase the number of minorities and
women in STEM. The important difference is that the activities in this
proposal have the undercurrent of the Theory of Constraints (TOC), and
we will work to create success in our existing students. Through a
demonstration of that success we hope to attract more high-achieving
students. Findings of and communications with other exemplary programs
such as Meyerhoff Program at UMBC, Women's Equity Programs in the
country and e-mentoring programs will be used.

TOC, created first in 1990 for business and industry, is used by
thousands of businesses, such as Proctor and Gamble, and US Armed
Forces. From 1996 TOC is applied in education in counseling, curriculum
development, instruction, training, and conflict resolution by schools
in Michigan, California, Texas, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. In the
Philippines and Malaysia TOC is taught as a subject beginning from
elementary schools. TOC has been used in over 50,000 classrooms and five
continents, but it is the first time TOC is being used systematically to
improve retention and increase STEM enrollment in a college. The project
is self-sustaining after the grant period since it changes thinking
paradigm.

Significant Deliverables

1.  Instructional process and content - on mathematics;

2.  Online courses and test banks before calculus to provide
    supplementary instruction;

3.  A TOC manual to build students' self-confidence and equip female
    students with logical tools to overcome various barriers and develop
    life-long problem solving ability; and

4.  A viable counseling, undergraduate research, and mentoring program.
    Any college, especially urban, around the country, can adapt these.

**Contact:**

Umesh Nagarkatte

Phone: (718) 270-6425

Email: <UMESH@MEC.CUNY.EDU>

Research Foundation of CUNY

Math Department

1150 Carroll Street

Brooklyn, NY 11225

***Expanding Your Options: The Road to the Future***

Expanding Your Options is a statewide project designed to address the
needs of young girls and adult women who face an ever continuing
challenge to excel in areas of education, employment and earnings. This
project is designed to educate and promote gender equity in all three of
these areas. Expanding Your Options is a collaborative effort to meet
the needs of girls and women across the State of South Dakota. It will
be administered by South Dakota Women Work!, which is a network of
members committed to promoting equity and women's issues throughout the
state and Southeast Technical Institute. South Dakota Women Work! is a
nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women from diverse
backgrounds and assisting them to achieve economic self-sufficiency
through job readiness, education, training, personal and professional
development, and employment. Southeast Technical Institute is a
regionally accredited two-year, Associate of Applied Science degree
granting institution whose mission is to develop and provide high
quality technical education.

The extensive partnership with organizations and educational
institutions across the state is designed to provide training to
counselors, administrators, educators, job placement specialists, and
Bureau of Indian Affairs administrators, educators, and personnel to
make certain that the requirements of Title IX are met, as well as
promote equity in education regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, limited
English proficiency, disability, or age.

Economic and educational disadvantage will be a prime criterion for
choosing participants. The target population is elementary, middle and
high school age girls, including pregnant and parenting teens, school
dropouts, alternative school students, and other at-risk youth, single
mothers, and displaced homemakers. The emphasis will be on serving
Native American and other minority girls and women.

**Contact:**

Dianne Kothe

Telephone: (605) 367-7485

Email: <DIANNE.KOTHE@SOUTHEASTTECH.COM>

Southeast Technical Institute

2320 N. Career Avenue

Sioux Falls, SD 57107

***West Virginia Women Work Women Can Do***

One of the major issues that remains to be resolved as we begin the
21^st^ century is gender equity in the workplace. Long-established
barriers to male-dominated occupations still exist. Traditional,
out-dated, nineteenth century attitudes and expectations for girls and
women are still rooted in many of the skilled trades. Equitable
compensation for equitable effort continues to plague the advancement of
women in high-wage professions.

West Virginia Women Work! was established in 2000 to provide
opportunities for women to enter into nontraditional careers. Women Can
Do will not only assist women in the present, but will open the door to
middle school and high school girls for their futures.

Women Can Do will focus on two major activities.

The first of these is Step-Up for Women which is a postsecondary
training program that prepares low-income, under-trained women to enter
the trade skills labor market and compete on an equal basis with their
male counterparts. Seventy-two participants will be served at three
sites throughout West Virginia. The program provides hands-on training,
math instruction, GED preparation, and career counseling. Program
"graduates" are assisted in securing internships and apprenticeships
with the established trade unions. Participants are encouraged to
explore career advancement and entrepreneurship

Second, 300 middle and high school girls will have the opportunity to
participate in one of three Girls Can Do conferences designed to open
the door to nontraditional, high-wage occupations. The conferences will
include hands-on workshops in a variety of occupations, presentations by
successful role models, and strategies for goal setting and
decision-making as they complete their high school years and enter
postsecondary training.

**Contact:**

Janis Gunel

Phone: (304) 598-0114

Email: <JGUNEL@MOUNTAIN.NET>

1137 Van Voorhis Road

Chelsea Square

Morgantown, WV 26505

***Minneapolis High Tech Girls' Society; Building An Equity System***

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) launched the High Tech Girls' Society
(HTGS) in 2003 to increase representation of girls in traditionally
male-dominated courses of study, such as aviation, engineering, and
information technology. The Society provides hands- on learning
activities and mentoring to girls, in cooperation with colleges,
universities, and employer partners; and in conjunction with a rigorous
academic and technical curriculum. The project model is based on
strategies that have been proven effective to improve retention and
achievement of girls in non-traditional fields, and specifically to
improve achievement of students facing multiple disadvantages. Anecdotal
evidence of success abounds, as reflected in the participation of 90
girls in the club's second year of operation, representing the full
diversity of MPS students---68% low income, 73% students of color, 23%
limited English, 14% with disabilities.

HTGS advocates know that more girls are participating in non-traditional
classes and skill competitions as a result of the Society. But district
leaders want to expand the activity and to formally evaluate its impact
on girls' enrollment and achievement in high level math and science, and
on their measurable progress toward high-tech, high-wage post-secondary
programs and careers. Evidence of such impact will provide a rationale
for ongoing support of the activity.

Project leaders will need to build capacity to support the program while
decreasing central staffing. This will be done by using grant resources
to train school-based leaders; to deploy a school-based service delivery
system, to develop on-line tools for communication, scheduling,
recordkeeping and dissemination among partners, and to improve
efficiency of district-level equity program coordination.

Objectives and expected educational outcomes for girls and women served
by the project:

> 1\) To increase the number and percentage of girls pursuing and
> excelling in advanced courses in mathematics and science, as well as
> high-tech, traditionally male-dominated career preparation classes;
> and

2\) To increase the number and percentage of girls who indicate
increased knowledge of non-traditional careers in math and science,
including computer science, and who plan to pursue such careers, and who
take measurable steps toward non-traditional pathways.

**Contact:**

Wendie Palazza

Phone: (612) 668-0652

Email: wpalazzo@mpls.k12.mn.us

Minnesota Public Schools

807 NE Broadway

Minneapolis, MIN 55413