LEVELING OUT THE PLAYING FIELD By Mike Shamasa

LEVELING OUT THE PLAYING FIELD By: Mike Shamasa Patty Martinez

Where It Starts Parents Everything starts here Teachers Bring out the best in us. Counselors Help us achieve our goals. Yourself Determine what you will do.

Parents They raise us all Teach us morals Give us guidance Care for us Set boundaries

Teachers Teach us!! The Good: They inspire the best They guide us Make us become better The Bad: They deter They do not care Make us give up

Counselors Advice us Try to get us into new things Based on our skills try to guide to prospective interests Can also deter us from trying new things

Yourself The Main Problem Everything depends on you No “IF” No “BUT” No anything

THOMAS KELLY HIGHSCHOOL SENIOR ADVISOR: ALEJANDRO MEDINAH. ALL THE COMPUTER CLASSES ARE OFFERED AS ELECTIVES TO SOPHMORE, JUNIORS, AND SENIORS. NONE OF THE COMPUTER CLASSES ARE MANDATORY TO GRADUATE. ALL THE CLASSES ARE FILLED BY BOYS AND THERE IS 1 -5 GIRLS IN EACH CLASS. HE GIRLS WHO ARE IN THE COMPUTER CLASSES ARE NOT THERE BY CHOICE BUT BECAUSE THEY DID NOT REGISTER FOR CLASSES AND WERE ASSIGNED THE CLASS.

Continued MR. MEDINAH SAID HE HAS NO GIRLS COMING TO HIM THAT SHOW INTEREST IN THE COMPUTER SCIENCE FIELD. ALL THE COMPUTER SCIENCE INTERESTS ARE BOYS. Absolutely no girls have come to him showing interest. HE SAID HE WOULD WANT TO SEE MORE GIRLS BECOME INTERESTED IN TAKING COMPUTER CLASSES BUT THEY CHOOSE NOT TO, AND HE DOES MENTION COMPUTER CLASSES TO GIRLS BUT THEY THINK ITS ALL ABOUT MATH AND SCIENCE AND AT THE END OF THE DAY IT IS UP TO THEM TO DECIDE WHAT CLASSES TO TAKE. GIRLS CHOOSE INSTEAD OF SIGNING UP FOR COMPUTER CLASSES TO TAKE FINE ARTS CLASSES. HE ALSO BELIEVES ITS HOW THE H. S. PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM WORKS, HE USE TO BE AN ADVISOR AT A SUBURB SCHOOL AND THEY HAD COMPUTER CLASSES OFFERED STARTING FRESHMEN YEAR AND REQUIRED. COMPUTER CLASSES THEY HAVE TO OFFER: ICE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY NETWORK DESIGN LEVEL 1, 2, 3 IB COMPUTERS LEVEL 1 AND 2 COMPUTER SOFTWARE APPLICATION LEVEL 1 AND 2

Niles West High School Teacher: Fahrenbacher, Matthew Starlogo TNG http: //education. mit. edu/drupal/starlogo-tng How to Change Classes: 2 pm 20 Students 2 female 18 male 2: 45 pm 7 Students All male

A Growing Gender Gap � Computer Science Field � � Relatively new compared to Engineering and Math Women in Computer Science � Globe Review 1985 peaked at 37% 28% last few years 17% at elite schools � US Economy � � Adding 1. 5 Million New Jobs by 2012 Only Half Competition in China and India Image � � � Geek / Hacker Bad Teaching Environment

Continued What To Do Universities Adding Classes Introductory Class Katie Seyboth Finalist for a national computer science award MIT Showing Robotics Basic Background Grants to Universities http: //www. boston. com/news/local/articles/2005/12/18/in_computer_science_a_growing_gender_gap/

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