Equity and Diversity

ScienceQuest was a unique after-school program that supported community-based organizations who wanted to increase staff and organizational capacity; assisted youth (ages 10–14) in learning science, technology, and literacy; and increased the youths’ positive experiences with learning. Through training in I-Search methods and ongoing in-person and electronic support, coaches lead small groups in personally relevant explorations documented through youth-designed Web sites.

COPE is developing a series of 26 online professional development courses that are available through the PBS TeacherLine site. The courses are designed to help elementary, middle, and high school teachers deepen their own understanding of mathematics or reading/language arts, incorporate effective teaching and assessment methods, use technology in their classrooms, and address issues of equity.

CC&F is augmenting the database of children’s literature that it developed last year for the PBS Parents Web site. During this project, CC&F will be adding approximately 185 books, including several in Spanish and English, for children from birth through grade three. This extensive database offers a children’s literature search tool that parents can use to assist them in finding quality books for children.

CC&F/EDC led a collaborative effort with federal and state agencies and key associations to improve services for young children whose families are migrant or seasonal farmworkers. CC&F/EDC analyzed policies and services and facilitated cooperative agreements between and among states and federal agencies to improve educational and health outcomes for children.

EDC works with The National Girls Collaborative Project to: (1) maximize access to shared resources across projects and with public and private sector organizations and institutions interested in expanding girls’ participation in STEM; (2) strengthen capacity of existing and evolving projects by sharing promising practices, research and program models, outcomes, and products; and (3) use the leverage of networks andr collaborations of individual girl-serving STEM programs to create the tipping point for gender equity in STEM.

The WEEA Equity Resource Center was a national center that for 25 years promoted gender-equitable education for all students. The center offered educators and others a range of resources to help make gender equity a reality in the classroom and in educational systems, focusing especially on equity for girls and women who face multiple barriers due to gender and race, ethnic origin, disability, or age. The center’s funding ended in 2003 and select resources and information continue to be available through the achieved Web site.

EdTech Leaders® Online enables state departments of education, school districts, regional educational service centers, colleges and universities, and other educational organizations to develop local capacity to provide online professional development for teachers and administrators and online courses for students.

In collaboration with EDC’s Education, Employment, and Community Programs, ERO has developed the Ford PAS program. Ford PAS includes an interdisciplinary high school curriculum that challenges students academically and develops their problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills. The program links classroom learning to future opportunities in business, engineering, and technology, and motivates young people to succeed in college and careers. These links are forged through innovative partnerships with business, higher education, and the community.