Q: How long has the Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative (KGSC) been in existence?A. We’ve been working on it probably close to 12 years. The state organization came out of the National Girls Collaborative Project
(
ngcproject.org), which was founded in 2004.
Q. What does KGSC do?A. Our mission is to strengthen the capacity and increase the number of women in STEM. The collaborative works to help the groups that are trying to help the girls.
Q. How is the collaborative set up?A. We have two boards: leadership and champions. Our champion board is about getting the success stories out there about women and STEM; our leadership team works on social media messaging, a yearly conference that helps groups improve their programming and with research – how STEM is being assessed in Kentucky, particularly when it engages girls, but not just with girls. Another team looks at the mini-grants we offer each year.
Q. Are team members from particular areas?A. We have representation from across the state but the three largest areas are Louisville, Lexington and northern Kentucky. There is representation in western and eastern Kentucky, but the programming and work we are doing have more representation in those first three areas.
Q. The collaborative gathers different groups and programs whose goal is to encourage more girls and women to pursue STEM careers. Why is that important? A. What we were trying to do is build and sustain the network of STEM events and activities. Across the state and nationally, there is STEM programming, some good, some not-so-good. Our goal is to provide a network of who is providing what and support the programs that are working. How can we get people connected if they are working toward the same goals and how can we support them.
Q. Has there been any pushback because this is a program focused on girls?A. There has been a little bit. But research supports that if you start with girls, everybody else benefits. The suggestion is that if you start with girls, girls of other minority groups will be part of that pool and will lift up everybody. If you start with rural or poor populations instead, the default is to boys, so you don’t fix the gender imbalance. That is not to say that we shouldn’t and that we won’t be making this STEM push for all the groups, but it is important to remember that if we help girls, we help everyone.
Q. How will an emphasis on career pathways and workforce development affect STEM?A. I think that is an important perspective, but I don’t think it will solve all the problems. It is a place to start. But the other piece is just good learning and good problem solving – that will help them in any career. Another important aspect to remember is that STEM studies are creative endeavors, that science involves a creative aspect.
Q. How do our K-12 schools stack up against other states in terms of STEM programming for girls?A. That is a difficult question; people are working on the answer but it has not been done in a cohesive manner yet. Schools are such individual spaces and the ways they engage with STEM is different in every single school district. I think part of the success is determined by whether schools have successfully adopted the Next Generation Science Standards and the work they did to prepare their teachers to push that out. Groups that do a lot of good things have teachers who are invested in the programming, who are giving up their time to put on additional programming after school or during the summer for their students – for girls or for girls and boys.
Q. Do these programs require teaching and learning beyond the school day?A. Yes, for example, makerspaces are coming on and are pretty big right now.
Q. What are STEM programs for girls up against when it comes to cultural barriers?A. STEM is still being seen as something men and boys are engaged in; there is still the gender stereotype, particularly with technology and math. As we work to engage girls, we also have to work to break down those barriers. Often in STEM programming we focus more on pulling the girls in, but we need to think about what to do to break down those barriers.
Q. What are some of the barriers?A. Things like transportation, which can affect students in rural or urban school districts. We have kids that can’t afford to get to the activities that are being held.
Q. Do these programs require financial investment from students? A. Some do, some don’t. Scholarships are set up for some STEM programs, but not for all. Summer camps in particular can get pricey. Sometimes the costs are hidden – for example, if you go to a free camp but you are required to buy lunch. Community institutions like public libraries have stepped up to do free summer programs, but costs will always be a factor.
Q. When should STEM start for girls?A. The transition from elementary to middle school is where we lose them, although this is not to say the barriers aren’t there before. For us, it is not elementary, middle, high school or college: It is the whole spectrum – P-20 – that we need to be engaging. We need to look at that dip in middle school and definitely engage those girls at that point. That also means building stronger STEM connections across that spectrum of P-20 so that we don’t lose as many.
In my opinion, the earlier we start the better off we are, because we can challenge the stereotypes. We must also support women and girls who go into STEM. Research says mentoring is so important to support women and girls in STEM. We need to create the pipelines and cycles that allow support to happen.
Q. How do you introduce the idea of a STEM career to a fourth-grader?A. It is important to help kids recognize that a STEM career is more than a doctor, an engineer or a scientist in a lab. It is working to expose them to the many different careers that come out of STEM, not just those they are going to see on television that get so stereotyped. The stereotypes are really engrained. There is a fabulous little test called “Draw a scientist.” The results are starting to shift some, but for 20 years, 85 to 90 percent of an audience would draw a male, in a lab coat with wild hair.
Q. How do the local school districts fit in to encouraging girls to engage in STEM?A. We would love to see more schools involved. Each district is different and has different needs. Until we know what those needs are, we have trouble figuring out ways to assist.
Q. Can you share some examples of programs that are being done in school districts?A. Our teen advisory council is a good example. We put out a statewide call and the 11-12 young women who answered were in the Lexington area. They are doing programming for K-12 students. The goal is to take this framework and build it out in different areas of the state.
Q. What are some examples of the programming they have developed?A. The STEM You Can! summer camp, which offers interactive, low-priced STEM activities for elementary and middle school students. High school students lead the programming for the camp. The council is also hosting a screening of Jane, the movie about Jane Goodall, at the University of Kentucky. They have a STEM café and talk about STEM issues for girls and boys. The focus is on girls but they realize everyone’s mind has to shift and they are willing to bring boys into conversation.
Q. What are other ideas for low-cost, no-cost STEM programming for school districts?A. A Google search will give you a million and one ways to engage in STEM at the school district level. It is important to give teachers time to find those free resources and use them. As a professor of teacher education with a focus on STEM education, I would suggest that school districts connect with area colleges and universities and make use of pre-service teachers. I don’t want to call them free labor but pre-service teachers need the experience and want to engage with local school districts.
Q. Are school districts eligible to apply for the grants KGSC gives out?A. Yes. We have given out the $1,000 mini-grants for a number of years; it is a way for teachers and school districts to become involved.