This book, co-authored by Sarita Pillai, Co-PI of the ITEST Learning Resource Center, highlights the impact of one of the most powerful instruments of change—education. The book blends historical analysis and dynamic interviews with people who made a difference— as policy moved beyond the classroom into homes, workplaces, and our very culture. By showing how hard-won changes in education have improved life in America, we hope to inspire and challenge others to craft their own vision of equity and justice and invent new ways to address barriers that persist across gender, race, and class—to

Interviews with high achieving middle school girls enrolled in a math and technology summer program showed that one fourth of the girls were interested in careers in IT. The girls were interviewed four years later when they were in high school. We found that all of them were still interested in math and most of them were taking, or had taken, advanced math courses. However, only several were taking or had taken a computer science course and only one girl expressed interest in pursuing a career in IT. They showed a general lack of information about computer science, computer scientists and

In this issue, linguist Susan Herring presents a survey of research on gender in computer-mediated communication on mailing lists and in discussion groups. Lisa King, the president of DC Web Women, discusses gender in online communities, which she distinguishes from public or semi-public discussion groups. Virginia Eubanks, editor of the cyberfeminist 'zine Brillo, begins with the claim that the Internet is actively and aggressively hostile to women and discusses her successes challenging the paradigms that actively exclude white women and people of color. Information scientist Elizabeth

The challenge of increasing girls' interest in and skills with computers has serious social and economic consequences if left unaddressed.The gender gap in computer interest and skills begins in the early grades (Becker and Sterling, 1987), persists in the home environment, and continues into adulthood (Giaquinta, Bauer & Levin, 1993), leaving girls with limited exposure to female role models with computer expertise.Meanwhile, as technology becomes part of the fabric of our society, computer skills are a more significant factor in the economic deprivation or advancement of large segments of

On July 11, 2011 Joyce Malyn-Smith and Siobhan Bredin presented “Seven Lessons Learned in Eight Years of Hosting the ITEST Learning Resource Center at EDC,” as part of a panel session for a cross-division audience of National Science Foundation program officers who are interested in including resource centers in their upcoming program solicitations.Presented by Joyce Malyn-Smith and Siobhan Bredin at the National Science Foundation, Washington, DC, July 2011.

Today’s technology-based global economy places a high premium on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. Educators committed to increasing the interest and achievement of females in engineering struggle to find appropriate resources. The Gender and Science Digital Library (GSDL) from Education Development Center, Inc., (EDC) is a unique on-line collection of exemplary resources aimed at encouraging girls and women to pursue science and engineering education and careers. Participants will receive an on-line tour of the GSDL and a hands-on look at exemplary

This paper explores some of the critical issues surrounding gender and technology, examines what they mean for teaching and learning online, and then describes two projects at the Gender and Diversities Institute at EDC. The first project is research on online learning and its links to gender equity. The second project builds on this base to create a gender and science digital library. Both reflect the work of the Gender and Diversities Institute as it tries to determine how best to create web-based resources and materials that value gender and diversity and support the learning needs of

Building a Foundation for Tomorrow: Skill Standards for Information Technology, is a cooperative effort of the NorthWest Center for Emerging Technologies, the Regional Advanced Technology Education Consortium, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Washington Software and Digital Media Alliance (WSDMA), and the Society for Information Management (SIM).The goal of this Advanced Technology Education project was to identify voluntary skill standards that reflect industry expectations in information technology career clusters and which can be used to:Improve the

Developed by a panel of experts, this practice guide brings together evidence and expertise to provide educators with specific and coherent evidence-based recommendations on how to encourage girls in the fields of math and science. The objective is to provide teachers with specific recommendations that can be carried out in the classroom without requiring systemic change. Other school personnel having direct contact with students, such as coaches, counselors, and principals may also find the guide useful. The guide offers five recommendations and indicates the quality of the evidence that

Analysis of baseline attitudinal data gathered from a National Science Foundation Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers project uncovered large contrasts between the perceptions of practicing professionals and students toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and careers (Tyler-Wood, Knezek, & Christensen, 2010). These findings have been reconfirmed in a second year analysis based on new data and are reported in this paper. The pattern of findings suggests that university teacher preparation candidates hold attitudes similar to middle