(no subject)

From: Joy Wallace (joywallace@attbi.com)
Date: Wed Jul 10 2002 - 15:09:25 EDT


Subject:[EDEQUITY] Promoting Gender Equity in Science

In elementary school, roughly the same number of girls and boys are
interested in science and math. But beginning in about sixth grade, more
girls than boys begin to drift away from these subjects. One consequence of
this leaking pipeline is that women remain underrepresented in most
technical professions - while our nation's need for scientists and
engineers remains unmet.

In 4th grade, the number of girls and boys who like math and science is
about the same. But by 8th grade, twice as many boys as girls show an
interest in these subjects
(Educational Equity of Girls and Women, National Center for Education
Statistics, 2000).

By 8th grade, girls' interest in math and confidence in their math
abilities have eroded, even though they perform as well as boys in this
subject
(Report of the Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and
Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, 2000).

Fewer girls than boys enroll in computer science classes, feel
self-confident with computers, and use computers outside of school
(Report of the Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and
Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, 2000).

Media images of female scientists and engineers are rare
(Report of the Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and
Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, 2000).

The highest median starting salary for college graduates is in the fields
of computer science and engineering, those that have the lowest percentage
of women
(Educational Equity of Girls and Women, National Center for Education
Statistics, 2000).

The percentage of girls who say they like science from 4th to 8th to 12th
grade, goes from 66% to 47% to 48% (Educational Equity of Girls and Women,
National Center for Education Statistics, 2000).

The percentage of girls who say they would not study math anymore given the
choice from 4th to 8th to 12th grade, goes from 9% to 15% to 50%
(Educational Equity of Girls and Women, National Center for Education
Statistics, 2000).

The percentage of girls who believe that anyone can do well in math if they
try declines from 90% to 71% to 46%, from grades 4, to 8, to 12
(Educational Equity of Girls and Women, National Center for Education
Statistics, 2000).

Women make up only 19% of the science, engineering and technology workforce
(Report of the Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and
Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, 2000)

. Of the 10 fastest growing occupations, 8 are science, math or technology
related
(Before It's Too Late: A Report to the Nation from the National Commission
on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, 2000).

Jobs requiring math and science skills will increase by 5.6 million by 2008
(Before It's Too Late: A Report to the Nation from the National Commission
on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, 2000).
urging and empowering girls in their exploration of fields from
astro biology to zoology, from environmental engineering to rocket science.
The Sally Ride Science Club?, a national club to help sustain girls'
interest in, and enthusiasm for, science, math and engineering. We are also
organizing community Science Festivals and national design contests, and
collaborating with Space Camp®, science centers and museums to develop
exciting actiearchable photos of the EarI SS EarthKAM is a NASA sponsored
program that provides stunning, high quality photographs of our planet
taken from the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. Since 1996,
ISS EarthKAM students have taken thousands of photographs of Earth by using
the world wide web to direct a digital camera on select space flights from
the Space Shuttle and
International Space Station Website: www.earthkam.ucsd.edu

Eisenhower National Clearing House
Resources for K-12 Math and Science Education
Website: www.enc.org

NASA's Planetary Photo journal
Searchable photos of our solar system
Website: www.photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov

NASAexplores
Activities and articles about space travel
Website: www.nasaexplores.com

NASA Space Link
Aeronautics and space resources
Website: www.spacelink.nasa.gov

Quest
NASA's K-12 Internet Initiative Online adventures and opportunities to
communicate with people working at NASA.
Website: www.quest.arc.nasa.gov

ORGANIZATIONS
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Website: www.aaas.org

National Coalition of Girls' Schools (NCGS)
Website: www.tiac.net/users/ncgs

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
Website: www.nctm.org

Gettin Girls Interested in Computer Science

Cynthia Lanius
http://math.rice.edu/~lanius/club/girls3.html

If a report from a March 1997 Gallup Poll is correct, we may be making
progress towards getting girls interested in computers. The survey found
"relatively small differences between girls and boys in terms of their
general orientation toward technology." The 13-17-year-old boys and girls
surveyed reported equal levels of both computer usage and skills. The
National Science Foundation published an Executive Summary of the poll's
report conducted in conjunction with CNN, USA Today, and the National
Science Foundation. Computers dominate practically every phase of the
workplace, making it absolutely critical to get girls interested,
competent, and capable in their use. However, there is a separate issue
that the report does not confront - fewer women are entering the field of
computer science. Between 1985 and 1995, women went from earning 36% of the
computer science Bachelor's degrees to only 28%. A full report on these
statistics was published by the National Science Foundation. Does the
reported equality in male and female teens' computer use, if it exists,
transfer to equality in computer science? With only 17% of Spring '97
Advanced Placement Computer Science test takers females (practically
concurrent with the Gallup poll), clearly, a huge gender inequality still
exists in computer science. (See complete data published by the College
Board.) Increasing girls' computer use may be necessary to increase girls'
interest in computer science, but it is not enough. After all, computer
science isn't really about computers. Computer science (which really should
be called computing science) is the study of computation; computers are
merely the tool performing the computation. Saying you want to be a
computer scientist because you love computers is like saying you want to be
a writer because you really love word processors. Computer science is just
that - a science, with problems, conjectures, explorations, tests, and
solutions.

National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
Website: www.nsta.org

OTHER RESOURCES
Expect the Best From a Girl
Information and resources
Website: www.academic.org

New Moon
The Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams
Edited by and for girls ages 8-14
Website: www.newmoon.org

ROLE MODELS
Biographies of Women Mathematicians
Website: www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/women

Contributions of 20th-Century Women to Physics
Website: www.physics.ucla.edu/~cwp

Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences
Website: www.princeton.edu/~mcbrown/display/faces

4000 Years of Women in Science
Website: www.crux.astr.ua.edu/4000ws/4000ws

Pioneer Women: Pushing the Frontiers of Science and Engineering at Oak
Ridge National Laboratory
Website: www.ornl.gov/publications/women/women

Role Model Project for Girls
Website: www.womenswork.org

The Archives of Women in Science and Engineering
Iowa State University
Website: www.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/wise/wise

Women of NASA
Website: www.quest.arc.nasa.gov/women/intro.html

Information from Bonnie Bracey, Lucas Foundation and equity advocate
-----------------------------------------------------------

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