Boys and girls enroll in advanced math and sciences classes at equal rates as they move into high school. But a gender gap appears as they get closer to college, with boys enrolling in more advanced STEM courses than girls, according to a recent Edutopia article.
“This gap widens the longer girls are in school and is often compounded by issues of race and class,” according to Carly Berwick, a journalist and English teacher at a STEM magnet school in New Jersey.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on Admitted in December 2018. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.
Parents don’t need to be tech-savvy to raise girls who are interested in STEM.
A 2018 poll found that parents’ proficiency with technology has only marginal effects on girls’ excitement about the subject.
“This survey shows that, contrary to popular belief, girls are interested in tech, and that they will seek out instruction regardless of their parents’ affinity with technology,” according to Tracey Welson-Rossman, founder and CEO of TechGirlz — a nonprofit organization that worked with Drexel University (PA) to conduct the survey. “It should reassure parents they can set their daughters on the path to a rewarding, empowering career in tech with support and encouragement, even if they do not understand the subject matter themselves.”
Parents don’t need to be tech-savvy to raise girls who are interested in STEM.
A recent poll found that parents’ proficiency with technology has only marginal effects on girls’ excitement about the subject.
“This survey shows that, contrary to popular belief, girls are interested in tech, and that they will seek out instruction regardless of their parents’ affinity with technology,” according to Tracey Welson-Rossman, founder and CEO of TechGirlz — a nonprofit organization that worked with Drexel University (PA) to conduct the survey. “It should reassure parents they can set their daughters on the path to a rewarding, empowering career in tech with support and encouragement, even if they do not understand the subject matter themselves.”
Editor’s note: A version of this post originally appeared on Admitted in January 2016. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.
The next crop of college students is more likely than past generations to seek careers in the tech field, according to a report by Barnes & Noble College.
The finding is illuminating, particularly when paired with supporting national survey data that suggests today’s middle and high school students view college — and careers — in a markedly different manner than millennials.
“More than 40 percent of Gen Z respondents seek careers that suit their specific interests, and tend to envision careers in technology, such as computer science and video game development,” according to report.
Interest in STEM subjects drops among girls as they get older, but it doesn’t have to be that way, according to a new report from Microsoft.
A few small changes at school and home could encourage more girls to sign up for STEM classes and consider careers in science, technology, engineering, or math, according to survey data.
Despite a push to increase interest in STEM careers, many high school students aren’t getting the classes they need to be successful in a STEM major.
A recent article from The Hechinger Report examined the disconnect, noting that just 39 percent of high school grads in 2013 took a single physics class.
One state has figured out an innovative way to boost interest in computer science courses.
High school enrollments in computer science are up 50 percent since 2014 in Georgia, primarily due to an amended admission requirement by the University System of Georgia.
In 2015, the Georgia Board of Regents altered its admission requirements making them more computer science-friendly. Previously, students needed to have completed two years of the same foreign language to apply for admission to the university system. The requirement still exists, but computer science now counts as a foreign language.
Women’s Equality Day, which will be celebrated Saturday, commemorates the day the 19th Amendment was certified to the Constitution in 1920.
The amendment granted women the right to vote, but the observance of Women’s Equality Day is not just about celebrating how far we’ve come. It’s about recognizing continuing efforts toward full equality of the genders.
American women are still underrepresented in many professions, including the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
