This document discusses strategies for recruiting and retaining female students in STEM programs. It provides an overview of a training for educators led by the Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science (IWITTS) to learn proven techniques. Some highlighted strategies include hosting career nights and open houses, creating social media pages to share success stories, and implementing hands-on activities and games to build skills in areas like math, spatial reasoning, and problem solving. The goal is to make STEM feel welcoming and accessible to female students through practices that consider their unique learning styles and challenges in male-dominated fields.

1. STEM Recruitment and Retention Strategies
for the Female Student
CFE Institute
Susan Rainey
Non-Traditional & AdvancED Coordinator,
Oakland Schools/Career Focused Education
Susan.rainey@oakland.k12.mi.us
Julie Ouellette
Lakeland High School – Huron Valley Schools
Julie.Ouellette@hvs.org
Cathy Artley
School-to-Career Coordinator,
Oakland Schools Technical Campus NE/Career Focused Education
cathryn.artley@oakland.k12.mi.us
Laura Cloutier
Walled Lake High School
lauracloutier@wlcsd.org

2. • Training is by an organization called the Institute for Women in Trades,
Technology and Science (IWITTS)
• Learn about various recruitment & retention strategies geared towards
female students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
(STEM) Pathways.
Donna Milgram
Executive Director, Institute for Women in Trades,
Technology and Science
Trainer, WomenTech Educators Online Training
http://www.iwitts.org/
10 WEEK ONLINE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION TRAINING

3. GOALS FOR TODAY
• Pick up proven recruitment and retention techniques for
your STEM programs
• Share success stories

4. WHO’S HERE
 Name
 School District
 Position
 Unique fact about yourself
 What are you hoping to take away from this
presentation?

5. PROBLEM SOLVING/PAIRING
Team Work • Pen Assembly Activity

6. PERKINS REQUIREMENTS
6S1 Non-Traditional Participation (Recruitment)
6S2 Non-Traditional Completion (Retention)
Carl Perkins is the largest federal source of grant money for public education
distributed to the states
states distribute funds to ISD/county service agencies
Non-traditional definition is less than 25% of either gender employed in any given career field
nursing used to non-traditional, but males are now more than 25% part of the
work force

7. 6S1 & 6S2 PERFORMANCE

8. OS NON TRADITIONAL PROGRAM
NUMBERS

9. CONFIDENCE BUILDER
1ST DAY OF CLASS
• Teamwork exercise using pipe cleaners to build a tower
• Should include structured assigned roles or it could lead
to lack of confidence in female students if male students
take over - switch roles throughout exercise

10. COUNTY LEVEL RECRUITMENT
• Training Staff
• Generic brochures
• CC: non-traditional Bios/Pathways
• Leadership Teams
• Websites/communication
• Social media

11. Send your event to www.studentandeducator.org
EVENT-BASED RECRUITING
HOW TO GET FREE PRESS
Have your district do a press release

12. RECRUITMENT— DISTRICT
OAKLAND SCHOOLS TECHNICAL CAMPUS CLUSTERS

13. RECRUITMENT—
ONLINE AND WEB-BASED OUTREACH
OAKLAND SCHOOLS TECHNICAL CAMPUS
Create a Facebook page specific for the STEM
Clusters “OS Campus Lady Success”
• Have pictures of female students demonstrating hands-on
projects in classrooms
• Add a link to the school homepage to encourage viewers to
visit the new site
• Target current students & parents to share with friends
• Add “Where We Are Now” section highlighting professional
post-grad women and their successes (interviews & photos)
• Include current campus success stories

14. RECRUITMENT—
OAKLAND SCHOOLS TECHNICAL CAMPUS
Career Night
• Have students demonstrating hands-on project in classrooms
• Invite post-grad students to speak to guests
• Have current students hang posters in their sending schools
Bring a Friend Day
• Create a letter for current female students to give invite female
friend/guests
• Student will do hands-on project with their guest
• Give extra credit

15. RECRUITMENT—SCHOOL
• Career Day 8th & 11th grade
• 8th grade field trips
• Curriculum Fair/scheduling presentation get out to kids
• Grade level parent meeting
• Open House
• Classroom presentations
• Tables at lunch
• Expo Night
• Incoming 9th grade parents

16. SOLUTIONS FOR GATEKEEPING CLASSES
• Math integrated into program
• Hands-on activities that teach lab techniques
• Tool identification game
• Spatial reasoning game
• Problem solving
• Slower paced summer programs

17. SPATIAL RELATION ACTIVITY
Problem solving

18. SPATIAL REASONING
WEBSITES FOR PRACTICE
www.aptitude-test.com/spacial-visualization1.html

19. www.globalclassroom.org/rulergame200/
MATH INTEGRATED INTO PROGRAM

20. TOOL IDENTIFICATION GAME
FLASH CARDS
http:quizlet.com/12626415/tool-identification-flash-card/

21. ROLE PLAYING
• Non-gender specific dialogue
• How NOT to talk
• Audience feedback
Welcoming conversation script

22. LEARNING STYLES
Driving & Navigating Techniques
www.careercruising.com
See your building CareerCruising
Administrator for access

23. LEARNING DIFFERENCES

24. LEARNING STYLES

25. GIRLS - BOYS

26. Girls function differently in single gender groups when experiencing science or
technology which they often perceive as intimating or difficult.
Studies show that teachers tend to pay more attention to boys that “call out” answers.
Boys tend to take over leaving girls to be the recorder for the group.
Girls tend to stop trying when things get harder.
Blind Building (building Lego™ structures behind a screen while telling a partner how
to build the same structure) is a great activity for working on spatial skills.
LEARNING STYLES