Situated learning experiences such as research apprenticeships can help connect girls to the sciences, ultimately helping to achieve gender equity in the science workforce. The material resources available in research apprenticeships--such as research equipment, field gear, etc.--may be particularly consequential for building identification with…

The issue of girls' lack of connection to science has received much attention. Situated approaches such as research apprenticeships offer the chance to engage learners fully in science communities of practice and thus connect girls to science. However, such programs are often designed with lab settings, rather than field settings, in mind. This…

States' efforts to incorporate technology and engineering into K-12 science instruction appear to be bearing fruit: More than five years after states began adopting K-12 science standards that feature technology and engineering, eighth graders have notched higher scores on a national assessment of those subjects. This Policy Brief presents…

Gender-matched role models are often proposed as a mechanism to increase identification with science among girls, with the ultimate aim of broadening participation in science. While there is a great deal of evidence suggesting that role models can be effective, there is mixed support in the literature for the importance of gender matching. We used…

The Alaska Science Pilot was a one-semester pilot study, undertaken from January to June of 1989 and funded largely by federal Migrant Funds. Students used the high school level general science course called "Alaska Science," which is comparised of ten 3-week text workbook units of study which deal primarily in Alaskan applications of…

A model is presented for evaluating the basic science portion of a program in which the first year of medical school is taught at sites remote from the medical center. A methodology is described for assessing student performance and student and faculty satisfaction with the program. (Author/GK)