Peoples Top Picks is a new initiative that delivers insights on how educators across the country are addressing current hot topics in education.

Monthly Spotlight: Girls and Science

     Unfortunately, stereotypes have also caused females to feel embarrassed to pursue science. “Girls not only have to deal with their own fears of science but also fears of rejection by peers if they do pursue science,” according to “Gender Gaps in Math and Science Education.” When students begin taking science classes, it is a time when peer pressure is at its peak and every student wants to fit in. In order to stop these stereotypes, others may need to step in and help, for example, parents and teachers.
     Teachers have tried games and current events to relate science to the real world, which is a complaint most girls have when it comes to science, but studies have shown that it may take more than just relating science to the real world, and alternative educational methods may be needed. The article “Gender Gaps in Math and Science Education” states, “Some have tried supplemental programs, all-girl programs on weekends or after school with the goal of increasing satisfaction with the way science is presented to girls.”
     All-girl programs have helped young girls explore science in a different way. PBS.org published a recent article, titled “Steering Girls to Science and Tech Careers,” about a young girl named Ebony Green who enrolled herself into Techbridge, an after school science program geared toward girls. "It’s interesting to me," Ebony said. "Because some things that I didn’t believe, I believe in now. I never knew about soldering, or I never knew about crystals or anything like that, and since I’m interested in that I wanted to get into a program where it’s a lot about it."

Do you know young girls who are afraid to pursue careers in science? What have you done to encourage girls to learn about different subjects no matter what the stereotype may be? If you would like to share a story or give advice to others about girls struggling in science, please e-mail Brittany Nelson at bnelson@peoplesed.com and get a chance to see your article published in our next newsletter!

Common Core State Standards Update!

The implementation of the CCSS has been a slow process and, from our vantage point, questions crop up from a variety of sources. Here is what we are hearing now: 

“In the three key areas the researchers asked about—curriculum and instructional resources, teacher professional development, and teacher-evaluation systems—only seven states reported having completed plans in all three (Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, and West Virginia). Eighteen reported no completed plans in any of those three areas (Arkansas, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming).” http://www.edweek.org/media/preparingforchange-17standards.pdf

States are slowly deciding which common-assessment approach to go with, PARCC or SMARTER Balanced, according to edweek.org.

States that are governing or participating in PARCC include Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, District of Columbia, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

States that are governing or participating in SMARTER Balanced include Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kentucky, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. 

Six states are still participating in both consortia: Colorado, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Kentucky, and South Carolina. Wyoming is participating—but not governing—in SMARTER Balanced. Five states are not participating in either group: Texas, Virginia, Alaska, Minnesota, and Nebraska.

At Peoples Education, we continually seek input from educators at all levels to improve our partnership with schools and districts. Your opinion counts! Each month we will reach out to the education community for feedback on a specific topic. We will post what we learn in this newsletter and on our informative Facebook page. 

Join the conversation on Facebook and be heard!

See you next month!

Sincerely,

Peoples Education

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