Programs making the difference

The Women of TI Fund High-Tech High Heels programs are focused on impacting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education for women and girls by removing barriers to success such as:

• Stereotypes of engineers
• Unconscious classroom teaching biases
• Lack of confidence in technical topics

High-Tech High Heels programs include gender equity teaching strategies for educators, counselor workshops on STEM careers and physics camps for girls:

• Gender Equity teaching strategies
  Designed specifically for educators, this strategic program builds awareness, enhances skills in gender equity teaching and provides coaching and strategies. The program equips educators with gender-equitable teaching practices and increases their knowledge of notable women in math, science and technology.

• Counselor workshops on STEM careers
  Workshops introduce counselors to the engineering profession and dispel stereotypes, enabling them to open doors of opportunity for girls and women. The workshop establishes a motivation for encouraging students to pursue engineering and offers strategies for implementation.
  2008 Plano ISD Counselor Workshop report

• Advanced Placement (AP) Physics Camps for Girls
  This two-week camp raises awareness of opportunities in STEM, boosts confidence and provides support. During the camp, the girls study electricity in the lab, wire circuits with resistors and capacitors, work on interesting projects and participate in interactive talks focused on modern topics such as relativity and particle physics. 

Grants

• In May 2008, the TI Foundation approved a $349,000 grant to Southern Methodist University’s Caruth Institute of Engineering Education to support program management for all Women of TI Fund High-Tech High Heels programs in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and fund the expansion of the Advanced Placement (AP) Physics Camps for Girls to the Plano Independent School District in 2009 and 2010.

Results

• The number of AP Physics exam taken by girls in the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) increased from 60 exams each year prior to the Counselor Workshops to 130 exams per year after the workshops.
• Since the AP Physics camps were first offered in 2003, the passing rate of all girls taking an AP Physics exam is 38% compared to a passing rate of 54% for girls that have participated in the summer camps.
• The passing rate of girls in DISD whose teachers have taken the Gender Equity training is 22% higher (52% vs 30%) than girls whose teachers have not taken the training.
• In 2008, two women connected with the Women of TI fund programs won the Tech Titan award from the Metroplex Technology Business Council (MTBC)

Future plans

• Implement a replicable model for educator and counselor training and AP Physics Camps to expand to Texas districts outside of Dallas by 2013.
• Conduct two AP Physics Camps with a Train the Trainer program by December 2008, to expand further in 2009.
• Provide gender equity training to AP science teachers at 12 targeted schools by August 2009.
• Provide gender equity training to all college counselors at each of the 12 targeted schools by August 2009 and to all counselors in Texas by 2013.
• Implement a College Advisor Program by 2010.
• By the end of 2011, develop a middle school expansion strategy.