Are There Enough Women in STEM?

A presentation on the definition of STEM and its impacts on the percentage of women enrolled in STEM programs.

Transcript

2. ” “ A National Call to Arms Therefore, the Board makes the following two priority recommendations to the Nation. First, ensure coherence in the Nation’s STEM education system, and second, ensure that students are taught by well-prepared and highly effective teachers. 2 National Science Board, in National Action Plan, made the following recommendation:
3. Race to the Top STEM Programming Objectives • (i) offer a rigorous course of study in mathematics, the sciences, technology, and engineering; • (ii) cooperate with industry experts, museums, universities, research centers, or other STEM-capable community partners to prepare and assist teachers in integrating STEM content across grades and disciplines, in promoting effective and relevant instruction, and in offering applied learning opportunities for students; and • (iii) prepare more students for advanced study and careers in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including by addressing the needs of underrepresented groups and of women and girls in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 3
4. ” “ ” “ Race to the Top How does the Federal Department of Education define STEM? For the purposes of Race to the Top, the Department has not further specified a definition for STEM (beyond the terms science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). 4 STEM education includes a wide-range of disciplines, including computer science. We believe that States should have the flexibility to define the specific courses of study in mathematics, the sciences, technology, and engineering, based on the needs and available resources of the State, as well as the advice of industry experts, museums, universities, research centers, and other STEM-capable community partners.
5. “ ” STEM and Iowa’s Community Colleges • Iowa State Legislature, 2009: 261E.3 All eligible postsecondary institutions providing programming under this chapter shall collect data and report to the department on the proportion of females and minorities enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-oriented educational opportunities…The department shall submit the programming data and the department’s findings and recommendations in a report to the general assembly annually by January 15. • Definitions of STEM not provided in the legislation. 5
6. What is STEM? 6
7. What is STEM? 7
8. What is STEM? 8
9. What is STEM? 9
10. An Integrative STEM Model 10
11. Integrative STEM in Action 11
12. What is STEM? 12
13. Entities Contacted 13
14. Number of Women by Definitions of STEM 14 - 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000 18,000 National Science Foundation National Center for Education Statistics State of Iowa Career Clusters Iowa Department of Education University of Wisconsin System Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Missouri Department of Education Iowa Board of Regents Iowa Workforce Development STEM Equity Pipeline Minnesota Department of Education
15. Are There Enough Women in STEM? 15 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Iowa Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics University of Wisconsin System Minnesota State Colleges and Universities National Science Foundation Missouri Department of Education State of Iowa Career Clusters STEM Equity Pipeline Minnesota Department of Education Iowa Workforce Development
16. Z-test of Proportions 16 xi – xj 2(xi – xj ) Z E ≡ E2 √
17. Proportion Z-test Test between Definitions 17
18. Conclusions • Differences between STEM definitions lead to substantial enrollment headcount differences. • The simple question—are there enough women—depends on the definition. • The variation in these definitions are unacceptable for practical policy purposes. 18
20. Tom SCHENK Iowa Department of Education (515) 281-3753 tom.schenk@iowa.gov www.iowa.gov/educate/ www.iowa.gov/educate/ccpublications/