Girlstart Program Im pact Statem ent 2014-2015 School Year August 2015 Your investment in Girlstart makes is possible for us to accomplish the outcomes that are shared in this report to you. As we do each year, we are sending you this detailed report that highlights all of our program outcomes, and particularly the recent progress of girls in our Girlstart After School program. We hope you will be pleased with the quality and level of work that we are doing to ensure that girls not only engage in high-quality STEM education programs, but that they also achieve in STEM subjects, majors, and careers. Our progress is only possible thanks to your investments in our work; we are grateful to you! Numbers Served Summary (June 2014-August 2015) Program Girlstart After School 2014-15 Girlstart Summer Camps 2015 (through August 2015) Girls in STEM 2015 Public STEM Programming 2014-15 Teacher Professional Development Total
Participants Served 1,343 girls 719 girls 532 girls 18,495 girls and community members 663 educators 21,752 girls and community members
Program Im pact Sum m ary Girlstart After School 2014-15 • Number of girls reached: 1,343 • Number of After School programs in Central Texas: 35 (1,035 girls) • Number of After School programs in ‘to Go’ communities: 12 (308 girls) Girlstart Summer Camps 2015 • Number of girls reached: 719 • Number of girls who participated at no cost (through need-based scholarships and free Camps ‘to Go’): 341 (47%) • Number of Camps offered: 27 (14 at Girlstart; 13 in ‘to Go’ communities) Girls in STEM 2015 • Number of girls reached: 532 • Number of girls who participated at no cost (scholarships): 175 (33%) • Number of volunteers: 211 Public STEM Programming 2014-15 • Number of girls and community members reached: 18,495 • Number of free events held: 72 Teacher Professional Development 2014-15 • Number of educators reached: 663 • Number of STEM CREW members trained: 83 • Number of in-service educators reached: 580
Detailed Program Im pact Girlstart After School 2014-15 • Number of girls reached: 1,343 • Number of After School programs in Central Texas: 35 (1,035 girls) • Number of After School programs in ‘to Go’ communities: 12 (308 girls) Girlstart After School is a free, weekly STEM after-school program designed to increase girls’ learning hours in STEM. This intensive intervention involves sequential, informal, hands-on and inquiry-based activities in topics across the STEM acronym, designed to build girls’ skills in collaboration, creative problem solving, and critical thinking, as well as their STEM knowledge and their interest and confidence in STEM activities, studies, and careers. Girlstart After School also supports whole-school communities through a suite of wraparound services offered at no cost to our partner schools. These services include pedagogical and strategic support to STEM teaching efforts, Math & Science Nights and Science Extravaganzas, parent association meetings, and teacher professional development services. Girlstart After School is the largest program of its type in the nation. It is also a diverse program: of the 1,343 girls who participated in Girlstart After School in 2014-15, 58% are Latina, 16% are white, 13% are African-American, 4% are Asian-American, and 9% identify as multiethnic. 42% of participants are first-generation college aspirants, and 70% are considered economically disadvantaged (they qualify for free or reduced-price lunch at school). Girlstart After School participants are girls in the 4th through 6th grades. Girlstart After School partner schools are: Houston: Alief ISD Heflin Elementary Smith Elementary
Waco: Connally ISD Connally Elementary (2 programs)
Central Texas: Austin ISD Ann Richards School Cook Elementary Govalle Elementary McBee Elementary Palm Elementary Pecan Springs Elementary Pleasant Hill Elementary Rodriguez Elementary Widen Elementary Winn Elementary Wooldridge Elementary Wooten Elementary Zavala Elementary
Central Texas: Del Valle ISD Baty Elementary Gilbert Elementary
Bryan: Bryan ISD Kemp-Carver Elementary
Rio Grande Valley: Edinburg ISD Lincoln Elementary Central Texas: Georgetown ISD Cooper Elementary McCoy Elementary Mitchell Elementary Pickett Elementary Williams Elementary Central Texas: Hays CISD Fuentes Elementary Hemphill Elementary Negley Elementary Pfluger Elementary Tobias Elementary Central Texas: Leander ISD Reed Elementary (2 programs) Dallas: Mansfield ISD Asa Low Intermediate
McAllen: McAllen ISD Alvarez Elementary
San Antonio: Northeast ISD Camelot Elementary Walzem Elementary San Antonio: Northside ISD Linton Elementary Mary Hull Elementary Central Texas: Pflugerville ISD Copperfield Elementary Dessau Elementary Northwest Elementary Parmer Lane Elementary Riojas Elementary Wieland Elementary Central Texas: Round Rock ISD Caraway Elementary Voigt Elementary Wells Branch Elementary
Girlstart After School is particularly impactful for girls because of the length, consistency, and rigor of the program. All lessons are aligned to Texas’s learning standards (TEKS) as well as Next Generation Science Standards, and Girlstart’s STEM CREW staffing model ensures that participants receive instruction and mentorship from talented, dedicated educators and role models. Girlstart’s end-of-year program evaluation (May 2015) demonstrated the following progress against desired outcomes: Goal #1: Participants will demonstrate competency in conducting scientific inquiry, investigations and reasoning and will gain competency in STEM skills. • 88% of participants demonstrated competence in using the scientific method and engineering design process to solve problems. • 92% reported a willingness to redesign their activity if it did not work on the first try (demonstrates confidence in solving problems). • 89% agreed with the statement, “I like science!” • 92% reported that they enjoyed building things to solve problems at Girlstart After School. Goal #2: Increase # of girls interested in continued/future STEM study (in high school and college), including interest in STEM electives, additional STEM study, STEM higher education, and STEM majors. • 93% of participants report using science outside of Girlstart. • 90% agree that, “if I try hard, I can be good at science.” • 90% want to return to Girlstart next school year. • 83% report interest in taking more STEM courses in middle & high school. • 94% understand that doing well in STEM in school means that they are more likely to get into college. • 95% report intent to go to college. Goal #3: Increase # of girls interested in STEM careers. • 94% of participants understand that doing well in STEM in college can lead to a better job. • 96% understand that higher education can lead to increased career opportunities. • 75% report a strong desire to pursue a STEM career (96% report at least a moderate interest in a STEM career). Additionally: • 85% of participants strongly agree with the statement, “I feel that I can be myself at Girlstart After School.” • 88% of participants tell their friends and families about what they learn at Girlstart. Girlstart Sum m er Cam ps 2015 • Number of girls reached: 719 • Number of girls who participated at no cost (through need-based scholarships and free Camps ‘to Go’): 341 (47%) • Number of Camps offered: 27 (14 at Girlstart; 13 in ‘to Go’ communities) Girlstart Summer Camps are weeklong (40 hour) STEM programs for girls entering the 4th through 8th grades. These programs achieve consistent positive outcomes by combining formal and informal educational strategies with challenging and relevant STEM curriculum. Girlstart Summer
Camp provides individualized experiences that develop a strong conceptual understanding of STEM subjects and increase participants’ interest in STEM activities and careers. Since 2010, Girlstart has expanded our Summer Camp programming to reach more girls, both within the Austin area and in high-need communities in Texas and across the nation. Girlstart now offers 14 weeklong Camps at the Girlstart STEM Center in Austin and additional Camps ‘to Go’ in other communities. Because our Camps ‘to Go’ are designed to reach girls who otherwise might never have access to high-quality STEM programming, especially during the summer months, all Camps ‘to Go’ are offered to girls at no cost. This program delivery strategy enables us to reach more girls in more locations by running several Camps concurrently. In 2015, 27% of Girlstart Summer Camp participants were Latina, 40% were white, 9% were African-American, 12% were Asian-American, and 12% identified as multiethnic or ‘other’. 33% (n=235) reported that they receive free or reduced-price lunch at school, and 12% (among parents who provided this information to us, 8% left the answer blank) that they are first-generation college aspirants (another 12% indicated ‘Some College’ but indicated that they did not graduate from college). 47% (n=341) of participants, including all participants at our 13 Camps ‘to Go,’ attended Girlstart Summer Camp on scholarship. In addition to designing our own curricula, Girlstart focuses on building innovative activities by using vanguard tools and strategies with which to develop unique and content rich curriculum. All Girlstart Summer Camps feature multiple intensive technology components, including: • • • • • • • • •
498 girls designed and programmed their own playable video games; 197 girls built and programmed object-to-computer interfaces using MaKey MaKey devices and MIT's Scratch; 147 girls built working robots using the LEGO Mindstorms platform; 138 girls designed and programmed mobile apps using App Inventor; 138 girls developed solar powered devices (such as solar food trucks or music boxes); 137 girls programmed using the Raspberry Pi-based KANO computers (such as Pong or Minecraft); 137 girls created games using the Blockly programming environment; 116 girls created 3D designs using Google SketchUp; and 56 girls designed and programmed animated commercials.
2015’s Summer Camp program evaluation demonstrated the following progress against program objectives: Goal 1: Participants will demonstrate competency in conducting scientific inquiry, investigations and reasoning and will gain competency in STEM skills. • 92% of participants demonstrated acumen in conducting scientific investigations and reasoning (using the scientific method effectively). • 96% of participants reported a willingness to redesign their activity if it did not work on the first try (demonstrates understanding of the engineering design process). • 86% of girls demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the engineering design process and the ability to use the process to solve problems. • 94% of girls know what ‘STEM’ stands for.
Goal 2: Increase # girls interested in selecting STEM at HS/college • 88% of participants reported a strong desire to take more STEM classes in high school. • 97% of participants understand that success in STEM courses can help them achieve college enrollment. • 97% of participants plan to attend college when they grow up. • 97% of participants understand that doing well in STEM in college can lead to increased job opportunities. Goal 3: Increase # of girls interested and confident in STEM • 86% of participants reported that they are MORE interested in STEM after attending Girlstart Summer Camp. • 90% of participants agreed with the statement, “I like science!” • 95% agreed with the statement, “if I try hard, I can be good at science.” • 89% reported that “I feel I can be myself at Girlstart camp.” • 93% reported the desire to attend another Girlstart program. Goal 4: Increase # of girls interested in pursuing STEM careers • 78% of participants expressed a strong interest in entering a STEM career. • 97% of participants demonstrated awareness of the importance of higher education as a way to broaden their career options. Additionally, computer science outcomes include: • 83% say that they think developing games, robots, or apps would be a fun career. • 40% say they have never created an app, a video game, or built a robot before Girlstart Summer Camp. 2015 Girlstart Summer Camp locations were: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Girlstart STEM Center, Austin, Texas (14 weeks) Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue, Bellevue, Washington (1 week) Boys and Girls Clubs of Elgin, Elgin, Illinois (2 weeks) Columbia Neighborhood Center, Sunnyvale, California (2 weeks) Techbridge, San Jose, California (1 week) Boys and Girls Club of Royal ISD, Brookshire, Texas (Houston area, 1 week) Heflin Elementary, Houston, Texas (1 week) Kemp-Carver Elementary, Bryan, Texas (1 week) Camelot Elementary, San Antonio, Texas (1 week) Fuentes Elementary, Kyle, Texas (1 week) Tobias Elementary, Kyle, Texas (1 week) Ralph Pfluger Elementary, Buda, Texas (1 week)
Camp themes for Summer 2015 are: Once Upon A Time (3 weeks at Girlstart) Girls will build a beanstalk to reach the clouds, engineer a crane to rescue Rapunzel from her tower, design an LED shoe for Cinderella, program a fairy tale video game and a virtual enchanted forest maze, among other activities.
Keep Girlstart Weird (3 weeks at Girlstart) Girls will engage in STEM activities based on all the fun and interesting things about Austin: they will recreate a famous local bridge, design a one-of-a-kind food truck, engineer an outdoor music stage, and explore the unique creatures and habitats of Austin. Everything is Awesome (2 weeks at Girlstart) This energy-themed Camp will teach girls the engineering secrets behind various types of energy. Girls will create unique light-up play-dough creations, design a flashlight powered by magnets, engineer a roller coaster, learn concepts of bioluminescence, and more. Camp Hermione (2 weeks at Girlstart) Girls will learn about chemical reactions in Potions class, design a catapult in Defense Against the Dark Arts, build a sturdy tower to watch Quiddich, build Hogwarts Castle in Minecraft (after building their own computers from the ground up), and program an online TriWizard Tournament maze. Scrub In (2 weeks at Girlstart) Girlstart’s popular medical-themed Camp is back: girls will learn to suture a cut, design a working prosthetic device, and diagnose growing bacteria; they will also learn about various organs, program a working “Operation” board game, and more. Frosty Summer (13 weeks in To Go communities) Girlstart has adapted our popular 2014 “Ice Age” camp as the theme for all of 2015’s Camps ‘to Go.’ In this Camp, girls will design avalanche protection gear, learn about coldweather animals and habitats, program a downhill skiing video game, design unique snowflakes in 3D. They will study the Winter Olympics, insulation, and build avalancherescue robots. Girls in STEM 2015 • Number of girls reached: 532 • Number of girls who participated at no cost (scholarships): 175 (33%) • Number of volunteers: 211 Each spring, Girlstart’s annual Girls in STEM conference brings 4th through 8th grade girls together with female role models in STEM careers for a day of hands-on STEM workshops. The conference is designed to introduce girls to professional women working in STEM, who inspire the girls to consider and pursue STEM careers. In 2015, 107 women leaders were presenters and copresenters at Girls in STEM, offering 25 different workshops in STEM topics. Workshop activities ranged from building edible microchips and recording brain activity to programming LEGO Mindstorm robots and running forensic DNA tests. 104 generalist volunteers also contributed more than 600 volunteer hours, helping make this day a success. Girlstart was able to offer scholarships to 175 of this year’s 532 Girls in STEM participants, thanks to our generous community of supporters. Results of the 2015 Girls in STEM program evaluation include: • •
89% of participants reported that they enjoy doing STEM activities. 95% of girls agreed with the statement, “if I try hard, I can be good at STEM!”
• • • • • • • •
97% reported that they intend to go to college. 89% reported a desire to take additional STEM courses in middle or high school. 96% understand that doing well in STEM in school can increase their chance of college admission. 79% report that they are interested in pursuing a STEM career. 86% report that they enjoyed the dolphin tail prosthetic activity in the opening session. 69% think it would be fun to have a job where they create prosthetic devices for humans and animals. 89% report that after Girls in STEM, they are MORE interested in pursuing a career in STEM. 97% of participants were able to name two new STEM careers they learned about at Girls in STEM.
Public STEM Program m ing 2014-15 • Number of girls and community members reached: 18,495 • Number of free events held: 72 As a community outreach service, Girlstart provides free, family-friendly Community STEM programming that involves hands-on STEM learning activities for thousands of girls, families, and community members across Central Texas and beyond each year. By offering a wide variety of free programming at many sites throughout the community, we are able to reach a broad crosssection of our population. Through these activities, Girlstart is able to strengthen STEM learning at schools and other community locations that we cannot yet serve through our more intensive programs. In addition to introducing children to the fun of STEM learning, Community STEM education is designed to make STEM accessible to community members from all walks of life, to educate parents about the importance of STEM, and to educate the public about gender inequity in STEM fields. Girlstart’s Community STEM programs introduce participants to a variety of handson activities in robotics, mechanical engineering, computer science, biology, medicine, forensic science, chemistry, and more. Community Science Extravaganzas: Science Extravaganzas are traveling science events in diverse neighborhoods that reach hundreds of girls and families. Each Extravaganza offers 10-12 booths with dynamic, hands-on science and technology activities surrounding a common theme (eg Starry Science, Weather Fest). DeSTEMber: Girlstart’s online DeSTEMber initiative is designed to keep children engaged in STEM learning during the winter school holidays by providing a free activity for each day of the month of December. Activities and experiments are gender-neutral and low-cost, and can be done using materials many families have at home. DeSTEMber also engages students through numerous Google Hangouts with STEM professionals from partner institutions worldwide (past partners have included the San Diego Zoo, CERN, and National Geographic). The DeSTEMber website also features a suite of support materials that enable teachers to use DeSTEMber activities in their classrooms. Students, teachers, and community members reached through DeSTEMber and other online initiatives are not included in our Public STEM reach numbers. Community STEM Outreach: Girlstart conducts extensive outreach activities designed to introduce informal STEM topics and learning to our community. These Community STEM
Outreach activities take the form of our traveling StarLab program or use of our on-site STEM Studio and Mini-Planetarium (‘Starry Nights’), assistance to schools with their science and/or math nights, and STEM activities at community booths and events. Teacher Professional Development 2014-15 • Number of educators reached: 663 • Number of STEM CREW members trained: 83 • Number of in-service educators reached: 580 In order to effectively support Girlstart program delivery and scale-up, Girlstart has developed and formalized a training program for part-time staff. Our STEM CREW internship and teacher preparation program trains and supports a cadre of Girlstart interns who are pre-service teachers either in the University of Texas UTeach program, or other colleges of education. We prepare these future teachers for effective STEM teaching by providing them with the pedagogical and practical skills they will need to engage students in STEM. At the same time, the STEM CREW lead all Girlstart programs, providing consistency to our program delivery. Internship program elements also nurture a personal framework that fosters our interns’ future development and growth as teachers. In 2013, Girlstart implemented a rigorous training program for the STEM CREW, which involves more than 100 hours of training and classroom time each semester. Since June of 2013, we have recruited and trained 131 individual STEM CREW members—and many STEM CREW return to Girlstart semester after semester. In the past year (June 2014 – May 2015), 83 educators have participated in Girlstart’s STEM CREW program. To further address the need for high-quality math and science teachers, Girlstart provides professional development services to in-service teachers at our After School partner schools and nationwide. The majority of our Teacher Professional Development (TPD) services are offered at no cost, but to bring these services to a wider national audience, some training sessions take place at conferences for educators (such as the CAST Teacher Resource Fair and the annual NAA convention). As we build our suite of resources for STEM teaching, we aim to continue increasing the number of educators we can reach through our Professional Development programs. In this way, Girlstart can impact even more students, and increase the capacity of teachers, schools, and districts to deliver high-quality STEM education. Horizon: 2015 and Beyond In 2014, Girlstart completed an ambitious 3-year strategic plan that charted our growth from a handful of Girlstart After School programs to more than 50, and from 8 Summer Camp programs to 27 in 2014. During the course of 2014, we were tasked with assembling the next (2015-2017) strategic plan. Throughout 2014, the staff and board assessed different growth options, created and refined a tool for decision-making and growth options, and came to a consensus. The resultant plan is not only thoughtful, but it is also realistic, with a heavy focus on sustainability. One of the core goals of our new strategic plan is for Girlstart to sustain our current reach and impact— we are deeply committed to continuing to serve our current partner communities. As we accomplish that goal, we will also aim to nearly triple our reach in the next three years by scaling
up Girlstart After School and Girlstart Summer Camp to reach girls in Houston, the DFW area, and the Rio Grande Valley, and then create a pathway for national replication by 2017. In the 2015-16 school year, Girlstart anticipates partnerships with 50+ schools for Girlstart After School, reaching at least 1,100 girls each week. We also aim to reach more than 600 girls through Girlstart Summer Camps in summer 2015, and 15,000+ students, families, and community members through our Community STEM programs in 2015. It is only owing to you, our community of partners and donors, that we have been able to accomplish what we have during the past years, and it is only because of your continued dedication to our mission that we will be able to reach our goals in the coming year. Your support makes our current work, as well as our strategic plan to reach more girls with high-quality STEM education programs possible. Because of you, more girls will be inspired to take on the world’s greatest challenges. Thank you!