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Ms. Jeannette Thomas, Education ConsultantIowa Department of Education, Division of Community CollegesDr. Ben Williams, Ohio Project Director and NAPE Consultant

Columbus State Community College

Recruiting, Retaining, and Graduating Nontraditional Females and Under-

Represented Students: The STEM Equity Pipeline Project

October 13, 2012

Agenda and Purpose of today’s meeting

• Introduce the STEM Equity Pipeline Project and its Program Improvement Model

• Describe how the model is being used in two different participant states – Iowa and Ohio

• Provide resources to educators and Business and Industry leaders interested in increasing access for females and other under-represented citizens to STEM careers

Relevance of this subject and project

• Unprecedented growth in STEM initiatives

• Urgency and opportunity for economic development throughout the country

• Remaining gaps in educational completion at the certificate, associates, and bachelors degree levels

Relevance continued

• Continued underrepresentation of females and “special populations” in high wage, high skill, and high demand fields

• Breakthrough models are those with clear career pathways and “career architecture”

STEM EQUITY PIPELINE PROJECT OVERVIEW

Ohio STEM Equity Pipeline Project• National Science Foundation (NSF) grant-funded

project through The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE)

• Purpose:▫ Increase access, participation, degree completion, and

job placement for women in STEM fields

▫ Particular emphasis on affecting Perkins Nontraditional measures for secondary and postsecondary students

• In its fifth year of a five-year grant cycle

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STEM Equity Pipeline Goals• Build the capacity of the formal education

community

• Institutionalize the implemented strategies by connecting the outcomes to existing accountability systems

• Broaden the commitment to gender equity in STEM education

Model

State Teams

–California–Georgia–Idaho–Illinois– Iowa–Minnesota

–Missouri–New Hampshire–Ohio–Oklahoma–Texas –Wisconsin

STEP 1Document

Performance Results

STEP 5ImplementSolutions

STEP 4Pilot Test and

Evaluate Best Solutions

STEP 3Choose

Best Solutions

STEP 2Identify

Root Causes

The Five Step

Process

STEP 1Document

Performance Results

STEP 5ImplementSolutions

STEP 4Pilot Test and

Evaluate Best Solutions

STEP 3Choose

Best Solutions

STEP 2Identify

Root Causes

The Five Step

Process

Perkins Act Accountability

Core Indicators on Nontraditional CTE

• Participation in CTE programs preparing students for nontraditional fields (6S1/5P1)

• Completion of CTE programs preparing students for nontraditional fields (6S2/5P2)

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Nontraditional Fields

Occupations or fields of work, including careers in computer science, technology, and other current and emerging high skill occupations, for which individuals from one gender comprise less than 25 percent of the individuals employed in each such occupation or field of work.

Document Performance Results

Understand the problem completely before you seek solutions

• How do you analyze performance data?• What questions should be addressed?• What tools and methods can be used to

present and analyze data?• How should data quality problems be

considered in analyzing data?

Data CollectionDisaggregation required in Perkins IV

•Gender–Male–Female

Special Population–Underrepresented gender students in a nontraditional CTE program

–Single Parent

–Displaced Homemaker

–Limited English Proficiency

–Individuals with a Disability

–Economically Disadvantaged

•Race/Ethnicity–American Indian or Alaskan Native

–Asian or Pacific Islander–Black, non-Hispanic–Hispanic–White- non-Hispanic

Recommended Analyses

Comparisons•State performance level

•Best performer in state

•Selected peer benchmark

•Set your own benchmark

Trends• At least 2 yrs

• Prefer 3-5 yrs

Site specific• Statewide• District• School/College

• Programs

STEP 1Document

Performance Results

STEP 5ImplementSolutions

STEP 4Pilot Test and

Evaluate Best Solutions

STEP 3Choose

Best Solutions

STEP 2Identify

Root Causes

The Five Step

Process

Why Search for Root Causes?

Keep from fixating on the “silver bullet” strategy

• Identify the conditions or factors that cause or permit a performance gap to occur

• Direct cause (i.e. instructional practice)• Indirect cause (i.e. teacher training)

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How to Identify Root Causes• Search for most direct and highest impact

causes

• Employ a systematic evidence-based process

• Formulate and test theories or hypotheses• Draw on current research and evaluation• Use multiple methods and data sources• Likely to find multiple causes

Identify Potential Causes• Analyzing Student Data • Reviewing Research Literature• Reviewing Program/Institutional

Evaluations and Effectiveness Reviews• Conducting Focus Groups• Brainstorming• Peer Benchmarking• Interviews• Surveys

STEP 1Document

Performance Results

STEP 5ImplementSolutions

STEP 4Pilot Test and

Evaluate Best Solutions

STEP 3Choose

Best Solutions

STEP 2Identify

Root Causes

The Five Step

Process

Choose Best Solutions

Don’t be too quick to adopt best practices before getting the facts straight

• How do you identify possible strategies and model practices?

• How do you evaluate strategies and models?• How do you compare and assess alternative

solutions and make a decision?

Find and Evaluate Solutions

• Failure is expensive• Build consensus among staff and

stakeholders• Get full support and commitment• Select full range of choices – be creative• Implement systematic analysis

STEP 1Document

Performance Results

STEP 5ImplementSolutions

STEP 4Pilot Test and

Evaluate Best Solutions

STEP 3Choose

Best Solutions

STEP 2Identify

Root Causes

The Five Step

Process

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Pilot Test and Evaluate

Make sure your improvement strategy works somewhere before you attempt

to apply it everywhere

• Choose a study design• Select pilot sites• Select outcome measures• Identify Data Sources• Train Pilot Site Staff• Evaluate Initial Results

Implement Solutions and Document Performance Results

Apply more broadly and document results

• Implement based on Implementation and Evaluation Plan

• Report to Project Director• Share with others in the State

5 Step Process ResourcesSTEM Equity Pipeline

Virtual Learning CommunityProfessional Development Menu

The Five Step Process

www.stemequitypipeline.org/ProfessionalDevelopment/TheFiveStepProgramImprovem

entProcess.aspxIOWA’S PROJECTJEANETTE THOMAS

Iowa’s Experience

• Application Development & Award

• Selection of Team Members

• Project Kick-off and Orientation

• Brainstorming and Discussion

Our Iowa Team

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STEM in Iowa?• STEM Internship w/Iowa DE

1) Identify and Define STEM 2) Establish a classification of STEM programs3) Report on existing disaggregated program data

Goal 1- Building CapacityCommunity College Pilot Programs

Goal 2 – Accountability SystemsPerkins Discretionary Funds

• Nontraditional Incentive Grants– Incorporated 5-Step Process into Applications

– CC’s took the lead in team development

– Identified 3 programs (1 STEM, 1 nontrad for females, and 1 nontrad for males)

• Held regional trainings to reach all 15 colleges (~60 attendees)

Goal 3 – Accountability SystemsBroaden the Commitment

• Collaborate with PLTW– Pilot Schools

– Teacher/Counselor /Administrator Training

– Data Collection and Analysis (gender)

Goal 3 – Accountability SystemsBroaden the Commitment

• Present STEM EPP to stakeholders – School Administrators

– Math and Science Instructors

– CTE Deans

– Counselors

• Legislative Support

Goal 3 – Accountability SystemsBroaden the Commitment

Flying

Monkeys

2011 PLTW Counselor Conference2011 Iowa Science & Mathematics Teacher Educators Summit

2011 Diversity in STEM Conference

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Future Projects

• Online Module Development

• IMSEP & NSF EPSCoR Partnership

• Business & Industry Integration

• Legislative/Policy Initiatives

• Ramped Up PLTW Focus

Iowa’s Experience

• Successes/Challenges– Passion and Commitment

– Wealth and breadth of knowledge

– Transparency and Accountability

– Coordination among entities

– State-to-state collaboration

QUESTIONS? THE OHIO PROJECTBEN WILLIAMS

Ohio Plan

• Pilot 3-4 community colleges and their feeder programs for career and technical secondary education: Initially

– Dayton – Ponitz Career and Technical Center to Sinclair Community College

– Cincinnati – STEM Pipeline from Elementary School through College

– Marietta – Secondary pipeline into the Associate of Science program at Washington State Community College

• ODE Expansion launched August 2, 2011

Ohio Vision Statement

Vision StatementThe Ohio STEM Equity Pipeline Project will systematically increase participation of underrepresented citizens in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers.

http://www.stemequitypipeline.org/StateTeams/OH.aspx

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Ohio Mission Statement

The mission of this project is to use a research-based model to collaboratively and systematically increase the participation, educational completion and career placement of girls and women, and other underrepresented citizens, in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields in the state of Ohio.

Ohio State Team Goals• Increase public awareness and create opportunities for

girls and women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

• Increase participation of girls and women in non-traditional STEM fields (as identified by 25% or fewer of that gender represented in the workforce).

• Increase persistence, retention and completion of girls and women in STEM programs at the secondary and postsecondary levels.

• Increase job placement of females into STEM careers in Ohio.

• Increase participation, certificate and degree completion, and job placement in STEM fields for other underrepresented groups.

• Collaborate with and engage key stakeholders in improving opportunities for STEM.

Ohio State Team Goals Presentations on our work in FY11• Ohio School Improvement Institute – Nov• Ohio Economic-Education Summit - Feb• Ohio Association of Community College’s

Annual Symposium - March• NAPE National Conference and PDI - April• Heart of Ohio Tech Prep Consortium’s

Professional Development for Teachers Grade 6-12 - June

NEXT STEPS FOR THE PROJECT

Pilots

• Continue to collect data and validate root causes

• Identify and implement strategies to address “leaks in the pipeline”

• Evaluate effectiveness

• Report progress to NAPE for reports

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Ohio’s investment in expanding and building capacity

• Train the trainers decided as focus

• Work with schools needing improvement

• Document growth through data (Perkins)

• Consider including others who volunteer

ODE Project Expansion

Build the capacity of the state

• Train the Trainer Model

– Eight Leadership Team members were trained as trainers late September 2011

– They will co-facilitate the trainings of new sites

• Identified four sites who wanted/needed to address low nontraditional participation/completion in CTE programs

Year Two• Identify four more sites: Provide support, training, and technical

assistance

• Additional professional development through NAPE PDI and National Conference

• Goal: By end of FY13, state has 11 sites implementing strategies through the STEM Equity Pipeline Project Model

• Could support training and technical assistance for other sites as well (Year One and/or Year Two)

Develop mechanisms for sharing Best Practices and lessons learned• Perkins Administrators Networks

• State Conferences

• Ohio STEM Forum

• Ohio STEM Equity Pipeline Project Symposium (projected for summer 2012)

STEM Equity Pipeline

Program Improvement Process For Equity TM

Organize

Explore

Discover

Select

Act

Assess

Assess

Assess

Assess

Share

NAPE-EF 2011©

Phase One - OrientationPhase Two – Data and Root Cause AnalysisPhase Three –Implementation and Evaluation

Opportunities

• Build partnerships across educational spectrum and Business and Industry

• Help facilitate the use of data to develop strategies to address access, retention, and program completion

• Educate key stakeholders about the “root causes”

• Tie implemented strategies into state accountability systems (Perkins)

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Questions?Ms. Jeanette ThomasEducation Consultant

Iowa Department of Education Division of Community Colleges

jeanette.thomas@iowa.gov

Dr. Ben WilliamsOhio Project Director, Perkins Coordinator,

Columbus State Community Collegebwilli03@cscc.edu

www.stemequitypipeline.org