SCHOOL COUNSELOR AND UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS CAN INCREASE INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE

Transcription

1 SCHOOL COUNSELOR AND UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS CAN INCREASE INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE NATIONAL OFFICE FOR SCHOOL COUNSELOR ADVOCACY (NOSCA)CONFERENCE Destination Equity 2011: Charting Bright Futures for ALL Students Presenter: Anthea Johnson Rooen University of Colorado at Boulder

2 TODAY S PRESENTATION: Introduction and Welcome Ice Breaker Overview of Issues Definition of terms Digital CUrrents Program and other example of partnerships Strategies and Resources Takeaways

3 IT AND COMPUTING Images - Animation, hug shirt, incubator bags, TAM Student images Helping others Problem solving like math and science Innovative, creative Google Dream Works - Jacob Melvin How to train your dragon image Collaborative

4 engineering is an art. A constructive art, yes, but still very much an expression of the life experiences that one brings to the drawing board. The quality of what engineers create, from the core approach to the problem being solved all the way to an artifact's usability, are all informed by judgment, sensibilities, passions and taste. A CASE FOR DIVERSITY Greg Papadopoulos, Chief Technology Officer, Sun Microsystems October 5,

5 We as engineers do indeed passionately argue for approach A versus B, and we are limited by the perspectives of those participating in the process how can we possibly decide approach A versus B, or even imagine that there is a C, if we don't tap into a deep well of diverse people and diverse life experiences? A CASE FOR DIVERSITY Greg Papadopoulos, Chief Technology Officer, Sun Microsystems October 5,

6 I believe diversity in the engineering workforce is an absolute necessity. It s not just that it would be nice if we were more diverse; the issue is much more important than that. I believe it is an absolute necessity. A CASE FOR DIVERSITY William A. Wulf President National Academy of Engineering

7 Many people talk about the need for diversity as an issue of equity, in terms of fairness, and that is a potent argument [Another] argument has to do with the fact that white males are becoming a minority in the population of the United States and unless we include more women and underrepresented minorities in the engineering workforce, we are simply not going to have enough engineers to continue to enjoy the lifestyle we have enjoyed for the last century or so A CASE FOR DIVERSITY William A. Wulf President National Academy of Engineering

8 A CASE FOR DIVERSITY I believe that diversity is essential to good engineering! In addition to the issue of fairness and equity, in addition to the issue of numbers, there is an issue of quality. For good engineering, we require a diverse engineering team. William A. Wulf President, National Academy of Engineering &page=8

9 WHY IS DIVERSITY IMPORTANT IN COMPUTING AND TECHNOLOGY? Diversity expands the qualified employee pool It improves the bottom line It enhances innovation It promotes equality

10 BY THE NUMBERS 1.4 million Computer specialist job openings expected in the U.S. by % of these jobs that could be filled by U.S. computing graduates by % of 1.6 million U.S. AP exam-takers were female in 2009 BUT only 18% of those who took a computer science AP exam were female

11 BY THE NUMBERS Participation in computer science AP tests among underrepresented minorities has increased in the past 10 years but is only 11%, compared to 19% of all AP test-takers. Only 4% of AP Computer Science test takers in 2008 were African Americans, although African Americans represented 7% of all AP test takers. Only 784 African American students nationwide took the AP Computer Science exam.

12 KEY FACTS ABOUT COMPUTER SCIENCE By 2016, current government projections show that more than 800,000 high-end computing jobs will be created in the economy, making it one of the fastest growing occupational fields. Five of the top ten fastest growing jobs will be in computing-related fields ( i.e., computer software engineer jobs expected to grow 45% over the next five to seven years). Computer science and computer engineering bachelor degrees are in high demand and command two of the top three average salary offers from employers among all majors.

13 How do we support historically underrepresented student populations (women, students of color, students with disabilities, international students, etc.) to be successful in computing and technology?

14 INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE: in clu sive ex cel lence n. 1. The recognition that a community or institution s success is dependent on how well it values, engages and includes the rich diversity of faculty, staff, student, and alumni constituents and all the valuable social dimensions that they bring to the campus, including but not limited to race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, nationality, age and disability.

15 THE THREAT OF STEREOTYPES (WORK BY JOSHUA ARONSON) Occurs when members of negatively stereotyped groups, such as women in STEM, face the possibility of confirming the stereotype of their group. Ethnic isolation in a course may lead students to feel that their performance is indicative of the intelligence of their group. High stakes testing could create barriers to minorities and/or women full academic performance.

16 How can YOU be a change agent? Maintain positive student & faculty interactions Become aware of diversity biases in advising and teaching practices Challenge teachers to explain the effort in the most important component of success & that all students will have to work hard to succeed. Encourage students to take how to learn course or arrange to offer one in your school Help students to combat test anxiety by challenging teachers to create a classroom which minimizes competition.

17 Minimizing Competition-Aronson/Steele Be aware of the fragility of intellectual performance Challenge students to think of their minds as muscles that get strengthened & expanded smarter with hard work Be aware of your own personal bias (stereotypes)

18 Take Aways We each have the ability to affect a student s experience positively in our daily interactions Addressing stereotype threat is only a single factor in closing the achievement gap It STILL takes an academic village to graduate a student!

19 THE ROLE OF SELF-EFFICACY FOR WOMEN IN ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY Goes beyond self-confidence It is the confidence in one s ability to perform a specific task, to organize and execute the courses of action necessary to attain a specific goal* High self-efficacy is correlated to high persistence in engineering *Self-Efficacy in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, SWE-AWE, NSF Grant # and NAE CASEE, 2008

20 LOW SELF-EFFICACY - TAKEAWAYS Can often be misinterpreted as low interest Can be related to the climate --- in the classroom and in engineering NOT related to their grades Can be raised with your help

21 FOUR SOURCES OF INFORMATION IN ESTABLISHING SELF-EFFICACY 1. Mastery Experiences Primary learning path for men Not the primary path for women 2. Vicarious Experience Primary learning pathway for women 3. Social Persuasion Judgment, feedback, support 4. Physiological Reaction How an individual interprets her emotional state

22 RESEARCH SHOWS these factors encourage students to study computing: Early, positive experiences with computing Adult encouragement (especially parental) Positive female role models Information about what computing professionals actually do

23 Moving Beyond Computer Literacy: Why Schools Should Teach Computer Science Statistics about computing education and workforce in your area Offer Computing Workshops and Camps: They Benefit Both Students and the Teachers Who Offer Them

24 TARGETED RECRUITING WORKS Actively recruiting girls and minority students results in more students overall and more female students. One high-school CS teacher recruited 65 students into 2 AP classes and had to turn away students. Gender composition went from 12% girls to 33% girls 70% of his students pass the CS AP exam We have enough students for the first time in four years to run an AP level Computer Science course.

25 HOW DID HE DO IT? Recruit girls in female-run student clubs Connect computing to girls existing interests Tell girls they will stand out as college applicants Embrace newbies as a blank slate For example: For yearbook: Using Java, they blended and colormatched pictures For National Honor Society: AP CS students programmed a card scanner to streamline roll-call

26 EVIDENCE-BASED RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION STRATEGIES CAN HELP You can increase the number of girls in computing through Encouragement Positive early experiences Advocating for a high-school computing requirement

27 DIGITAL CURRENTS OVERVIEW 1 st camp in 2002 Originally a partnership with Thomas Jefferson and Denver North High School Computer Magnet Programs ATLAS Institute and NCWIT Past Partners: Google, Dillard University, CU Computer Science Funding: NSF, CU ODECE, Xcel Energy, Various Companies, ATLAS, NCWIT

28 DIGITAL CURRENTS OVERVIEW 3 week workshop, hosted at ATLAS Goal : To expose middle/ high school students particularly young women and minority students to the opportunities in the information and communication technology (ICT) disciplines. Creating access and a pathway, increasing capacity, adding to pipeline Program Instructors are from North and ATLAS Students learn various computer programs and complete a project

29 DIGITAL CURRENTS OVERVIEW North High School Demographics Use applications to meet DC student needs College Preparation-CU LEAD Program & department visits (CU Admissions) Admissions waived application fee Professional Development industry visits & presentations Google Site visit Microsoft Research Jane Prey DreamWorks Jacob Melvin

30 DIGITAL CURRENTS 2010 PROJECT Created a video documentary to commemorate the 100th anniversary of North High School Google Sketch Up, Photoshop, After Effects, Morphx, Final Cut Pro, Garage Band

31 DIGITAL CURRENTS 2011 PROJECT Rebranding their Computer Magnet Program Creating a new website Creating a new school logo Creating Identity Classes Class sessions from Kathie Broyles (Disney, CNN)

32 DIGITAL CURRENTS 2011 WORKSHOP Rebranding their Computer Magnet Program Creating a new website Creating a new school logo Creating Identity Class sessions from Kathie Broyles (Disney, CNN)

33 MEET JACOB MELVIN CU ALUMNUS

34 DENVER AREA VISIT Sponsored by CU Admissions Office 18 Teams of Denver Metro High Schools Top 10% of URM Visits to 3-4 Academic Neighborhoods Learn about programs through Hands on Activities Each member of winning team won $1500 scholarship from CU Boulder ATLAS Activity Create School Marketing Poster

35 IDEAS FOR COLLABORATIONS: Using Alums in College and in industry to assist with working with students CABPES Creating an afterschool club where alums can assist students w/ College Essays Interview practice Resume writing Tutoring

36 RESOURCES: Invite Alums in College and industry to assist with: Career Fairs hands on projects, Host lunches Start junior organization chapter (SHPE, NSBE, AISES, MAES, SWE) Create an afterschool club Assistance w/ College Essays Interview Practice Resume Writing Tutoring

37 RESOURCES: For URM Data, Programs near to and connections to SHPE, NSBE, AISES For data on women and connections to SWE chapters Scorecard Resource for women and a few for URM

38 RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS: Summer Camps College/University Websites Clubs MESA Mathematics, Engineering Science Achievement, 1 st Robotics, CAPBES, Start a junior chapter of AISES, SHPE or NSBE not specific to only those groups

39 COUNSELOR CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT Stay Tuned at Jane Krauss

40 AWARD FOR ASPIRATIONS IN COMPUTING Acknowledges the computing achievements and aspirations of young women, and generates visibility for women s participation in computingrelated pursuits. Applicants -high-school level girls (grades 9-12). Groups underrepresented in computing are strongly encouraged

41 TAKE AWAYS Maintain an inclusive environment with opportunities for all Challenge others in your school to view Inclusive Excellence as a way of improving their teaching practices and school standing Collaborate with various organizations Companies and Colleges have money and resources for outreach

42 TAKE AWAYS For additional Funding use data to tell your story You don t have to do it all yourself Alums Industry Contacts

43 THANK YOU! Anthea Johnson Rooen, MBA Director of Outreach Programs, ATLAS Institute Special Projects Program Manager, NCWIT University of Colorado at Boulder

44 GO BUFFS!