GSE/DIS - South Central Collaborative of the National Girls Collaborative Project

University Of North Texas, Denton TX

Investigators

Abstract

The University of North Texas, Texas Center for Educational Technology, in collaboration with representatives of non-profit organizations, business, and education, is establishing the South Central Collaborative of the National Girls Collaborative Project (SC-NGCP). The Collaborative's goals are to support girls' learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by connecting existing organizations serving girls in STEM education in the region. The NSF-funded National Girls Collaborative Project was started in Washington/Oregon, transported to California, Indiana, and Massachusetts, and is now started in Texas and surrounding states. It is expected that the collaborative will strengthen the capacity, impact, and sustainability of existing and evolving programs serving girls in STEM learning. The objectives will be reached through: o Implementation of a Collaborative Model: Create a STEM-related regional collaborative. o Dissemination and Outreach: Hold a minimum of five face-to-face meetings and web conferences to support the members throughout the region. Promising practices and resources will be hosted on the project's web portal. Multimedia modules featuring important issues about gender equity will be created and disseminated through the web and by CD. Additional dissemination about the project will occur at appropriate conferences and meetings. o Collaboration Support: Offer mini-grants of up to $1,000 to 25 girl-serving STEM-focused programs as an incentive to collaborate and to assist them in assessment activities and projects related to addressing gaps and overlaps in service. o Evaluation: Evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the collaboration on strengthening and sustaining STEM-related activities at regional and local levels. Intellectual Merit: Many groups share the common goal of supporting girls and women in STEM fields, yet there is limited communication among the groups. Because these groups have common target audiences, activities, and research bases, each group's independent work could be strengthened through collaboration. The SC-NGCP will support collaboration among non-profit groups focused on increasing female success in STEM fields to educate each other, and then a broader audience of other groups with similar missions, bringing together like-minded organizations, assisting in communication among leadership of the organizations, and providing a central source of information concerning research and activities to provide opportunities for advancing the field beyond what is currently evident on a more individual and disparate basis. Broader Impact: By reaching the leaders of numerous local organizations that are focused on increasing girls' interest in STEM disciplines, the SC-NGCP will exponentially impact the power and success of each group, through the sharing of experiences and resources and leadership development. As part of this, the project will provide a central location in the south central region of the U.S. for dissemination of current research, knowledge, and practice to increase participation, retention, and advancement of girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These resources will be shared through a series of conferences, forums, and other interactions, and a web site. It is intended that the SC-NGCP will result in a sustainable community of leaders from non-profit organizations dedicated to the future of girls in STEM in Texas and the surrounding region.