The secret sauce for engaging girls in STEM: Invest in evaluation

As founder of Techbridge Girls in 1999, I have a longstanding passion for supporting girls in STEM. There have been many outstanding programs launched in the last 24 years since then. One organization has a special sweet spot in my heart – it’s Scientific Adventures for Girls (SAfG). Under the leadership of Courtenay Carr Heuer, SAfG has helped inspire many girls in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the San Francisco Bay area and beyond.

SAfG shares many of the elements of a high-quality program model with resources that are girl-based, accessible and research-informed with evidence of success. What sets SAfG up for special recognition is that it doesn’t settle for just getting girls excited about STEM, it understands the importance of:

  • Reaching girls early - and often

  • Sustaining girls’ engagement in STEM

  • Measuring progress to ensure success

Research shows girls’ perception of gender norms and STEM influence their interests and activities. Girls internalize roles and stereotypes that lead them to make choices about what interests to explore. To uncover its students’ perceptions and changes in interests and identity after STEM learning, SAfG conducts program evaluations each year and asks its students about their interests and beliefs.

Making evaluations standard practice

What’s the secret sauce for SAfG? I think it’s the way leadership invests in research and evaluation and continuously gathers data on progress, program quality, and fidelity of implementation (the degree the program is delivered as intended). Results from its annual student and parent evaluations show SAfG’s positive outcomes and areas for improvement in building girls’ skills and interests in STEM now and into the future. 

Here are key elements of an effective evaluation tool to measure STEM learning:

  • Invest in research and evaluation - it provides evidence of progress and success

  • Collect information on girls’ confidence and identity (since we know it plays an important role in their persistence in STEM)

  • Gather feedback from parents and caregivers to gain insights into impact 

  • Strengthen evaluation by reviewing and refining practices based on feedback

  • Gather quantitative and qualitative data for a more complete picture of impact

Evidence that starting programs when girls are young matters

In the first podcast hosted by the National Girls Collaborative Project, Dr. Amanda Sullivan unpacks research on gender stereotypes that form in early childhood and lifts up practices for breaking them down so that girls can excel in STEM. The noteworthy takeaway is that it's never too early to address stereotypes around STEM because they start very early in girls. 

While Dr. Sulivan acknowledges the benefits of programs for girls in middle school, she advocates for programs in elementary school and preschool. This is why SAfG is well positioned to tackle the gender gap in STEM. By supporting girls in elementary schools, SAfG sets girls up to counter stereotypes and develop and sustain a love of all things STEM. 

Successfully engaging more girls in STEM nationwide requires vision and leadership, support from educators, public and private partnerships, and committed, sustainable resources. Not just in the program itself, but also in measuring its impact.

It’s critical that research and evaluation are valued and well supported in this work. SAfG provides an example of how to embrace evaluation for the greater good of students and programs.  I’m pleased to see SAfG recognized for its success in promoting STEM interest, confidence, and skills in our youngest girls and in serving as a thought leader not just in the San Francisco Bay Area, but also nationally through Million Girls Moonshot and Click2Engineering. 

- Linda Kekelis, Family Engagement Advisor, STEM Next Opportunity Fund

Giselle Escajeda