our STEM Program.
1. Relationships. I believe the solution starts with staff. As a result of consulting with our secondary staff
to extend the school day without additional compensation to create an advisory period, we improved
collaboration among classroom teachers, administrative staff, and guidance counselors to meet the
academic needs of our female students and gain the support of their parents. Additionally, we ensure the
most qualified and passionate teachers are teaching all courses, especially STEM courses, in a cognizant
manner that addresses many of the aspects of high quality teaching, such as respect, honesty and civility
and the unintended biases that sometimes occur in classrooms when we “overlook” our female students.
2. Mentoring. (a) I helped to expand our Women in Engineering program, facilitated by female teachers
and engineers from Abbott Labs (abbott.com), leaders in global health care and medical research. (b) We
have a female engineering professor from The Ohio State University (engineering.osu.edu/) visit
students and share opportunities. (c) We have a project engineer from Danis Construction (danis.com) –
leaders in construction management, design/build, general construction, and lease-back – to set up field
trips and talk to our girls about strategies for women to excel in a male-dominated profession. (d) We
utilize current female students to share experiences with peers.
3. Engaging students. (a) One of my initiatives has been to expand our partnership with Honda of
America (that has a manufacturing plant 25 miles from the district) and Columbus State Community
College. We contacted female students and their parents directly, via information recruitment evenings.
These two local entities spoke with our female students and other under-represented minorities regarding
careers in the STEM fields. As a result, Worthington Schools benefits from the resultant internship with
Honda of America, whereby graduates who complete the Project Lead the Way program will be able to
procure an associate’s degree at Columbus State Community College, tuition-free. The students will
attend classes two days a week and work as intern engineering technologists three days a week at Honda
of America. (b) I acquired start-up resources of nearly $20,000 from Google and the College Board to
initiate an advanced placement STEM environmental science course for the two high schools in
Worthington Schools, requiring no additional FTE staff members (attached supporting documents). The
money is being dedicated to classroom resources and professional development for teachers to recruit
and retain female students.
4. Rigorous and relevant curriculum. We partnered with Project Lead the Way (PLTW), which is a
national organization that provides STEM classes for every middle school and high school in the district
and provides the required professional development for all STEM educators. The PLTW curriculum is
revising activities and projects to ensure more gender neutrality. Changes are expected to feature under-
represented groups’ interests and historical contributions. We are assisting our young women find
relevancy in STEM classes by showing them how a specific STEM field or career allows them to
reinforce specific interests, such as being a musician. As a typical example, Worthington Schools offers
a course in guitar building, one of the first school districts in Ohio to do so. The after school course,
Guitar Manufacturing using STEM Concepts, is open to students with an emphasis on attracting girls
who have completed a rigorous science course. The guitar-building class emphasizes applied learning,
problem-solving, and inquiry-based education. The final product is the completion of a well-crafted and
fully operational electric guitar.
Data/Results. After implementing these strategies, our female participation in STEM classes has shown
3 / 10
