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M Log on for School of Education News The School of Education has unveiled a new and improved school website with expanded content and a user-friendly design. Check out these new features: A rotating “Spotlight” section featuring the latest school news, research and events Faculty research highlights Current student profiles New information about our connections with the community, including our Charter Schools The latest about our alumni resources and gift opportunities Visit us at http://ed.stanford.edu We welcome your suggestions for continued improvements at [email protected]. CREDITS Deborah Stipek, Dean Marguerite Rigoglioso, Erica Gilbertson, Elaine Ray, Stanford Design Group, Rebecca Tseng Smith, and Rebecca Tseng Smith , Design & Production Associate Dean for External Relations Contributing Writers Amy Yuen, Editor Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 28 Palo Alto, CA Address Services Requested INSIDE PAGE Bridging the Gender Divide 1–4 Stanford Schools Corp. Launches New Charter 5 Forum Question: Technology and Learning 6–7 The Stanford Challenge Special Section 8–11 Gumport Named Vice Provost for Graduate Education 12 Faculty News 13 –14 Alumni News 15 –17 Student and Staff News 18 –19 School of Education Website Launch 20 Stanford EDUCATOR STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION ALUMNI NEWSLETTER FAL‘L 06 http://ed.stanford.edu MBridging the Gender Divide BY MARGUERITE RIGOGLIOSO chool of Education Researchers Help Girls SBecome Tech Savvy When Stephanie was 11, she Brigid Barron . It ’s also about YouthLAB (Youth Learning stumbled into computer providing resources and Across Boundaries). She and programming the way many girls encouragement outside of school School of Education students do—through her friends. They in the form of computer clubs, Ugochi Acholonu, Karin showed her how to design web after-school programs, and Chapin , Rachel Fithian , Sarah pages using HTML, and before informal networks where children continued on page 2 long she decided it wouldn ’t be a can have access to bad idea to take the the ideas, tools, programming, web design and mentoring, and even industrial technology courses time they need to predominantly attended by boys create real hands- at her middle school. By the end on projects. of seventh grade, the young Barron, the SiliconValley teen knew that she beneficiary of a wanted a career in computer five-year National technology. By eighth grade she Science was using on-line learning Foundation communities to develop her skills (NSF)-sponsored and was invited to design the CAREER award website for her father ’s start-up and co-leader of company. the NSF-funded Stephanie ’s story illustrates Learning in how early experiences can make Informal and all the difference in helping girls Formal cultivate the prowess and Environments confidence they need to be Center, has been successful in computer science researching the into adulthood. But encouraging “gender divide ” in girls to become players in the the high-tech influential world of technology is world for the past PHOTO: A middle school student films materials for a web site about more than just offering three years in development project at a community-based after-school pro - gram in Silicon Valley. Associate Professor Brigid Barron is courses in school, says School of collaboration with researching how the “gender divide” may be bridged through Education Associate Professor her research group, out-of-school learning activities. M continued from page 1 the doctoral graduates, and 10 than the girls report themselves. Lewis , Emma Mercier , Kathleen percent of professors in the field. With boys at an advantage early O’Connor , Colin Schatz , Sarah That also means fewer female on, they are much more Walter , and Susie Wise , and hardware and software confident than their female alumna Caitlin Kennedy Martin programmers, designers, and counterparts about taking (MA ’99) have been conducting engineers. Why don ’t more computer courses and pursuing research that demonstrates how women go further? According to technology-related careers once the “gender divide ” may be Barron, the reasons are they get to college. bridged in the area of high tech, complicated. In fact, Barron ’s own data and suggests how various aspects Through a series of surveys reveal that just as many pre- of a young person ’s “learning and interviews of students and college girls as boys are broadly ecology ”— the total environment their parents, Barron has found involved in computer-related of home, school, peers, and virtual that one factor possibly activity. “Some girls are highly spaces that provide opportunities discouraging junior and senior engaged in computer -related for learning—may be enhanced high school girls is the prevailing activities,” she stresses. “What we and lead to the development of stereotype of the computer need to understand is how girls new interests. expert as an anti-social or nerdy become engaged and excited. ” male. Even more significant, Therefore, the task of educators, however, is the fact that parents she says, is to provide early Tackling the treat male and female children experiences that will be “Incredible Shrinking differently when it comes to interesting to both genders—and exposing them to computer to recognize that such Pipeline” technology and instruction. interventions can take place in a “Fathers seem to involve sons multiplicity of fertile settings. The field in which Barron has more than daughters in design What ’s at stake is not just focused her studies, computer and technology from an early equity for individuals, but also the science education, currently age,” Barron observes. “More boys health of the technological and suffers from the phenomenon are given unlimited access to human design fields—if not the commonly known as the health and well-being of humans IMAGE: The computer more broadly. “Technology is science field has long suf - changing our lives, the way the fered from the shrinking disciplines operate, and the way pipeline problem, as shown in Tracy Camp’s 1997 innovation happens in every Communications of the ACM single field,” she explains. “You article, “The Incredible want girls and other Shrinking Pipeline.” underrepresented groups to Although females comprise 50% of high school com - understand the computer as a puter science (CS) classes, tool that can address all kinds of the percentages of women problems so they can bring new who attain CS degrees and become CS faculty mem - ideas to the table. And you want a bers plummet through the broader group of people academic ranks. designing tools and hardware so that a wider range of values, needs, and concerns can be incorporated into computer solutions.You also want people from different perspectives to be able to critique technology and influence its designs.” Computer games and applications often reflect the machines, learning opportunities, interests of their creators, she “incredible shrinking pipeline. ” and books, while girls are less elaborates. Most of today ’s “You see women participating in likely even to be given a computer games, for example, decreasing numbers as they computer of their own.” mirror the personal penchants of proceed up the academic ladder, ” Other research by University their designers—young males in she explains. Specifically, women of Michigan researchers has their twenties. In contrast, Barron make up only 28 percent of shown this may be because describes Maria, a sixth grade college majors in computer and parents perceive their daughters student and recent immigrant information science, 15 percent of to be less interested in computers continued on page 3 2 STANFORD EDUCATOR FALL 2006 M from Mexico she interviewed . online club or community. “All of enacting active interventions. In “When I asked her why she was these contribute to what we call several cases, this has involved so interested in learning to design the ‘learning ecology ’ of the establishing computer courses for web sites , she spoke of the need student, ” says Barron. young adolescents—and to have sites that would help “Game playing can be a observing the ripples. Her team ’s newcomers to the country learn significant spark, especially for six-year longitudinal project to communicate in English and boys, to learn programming conducted in Bermuda in help English-speaking teachers themselves,” she says. Since girls collaboration with Professor Eric understand words in Spanish ,” says are less frequently encouraged to Roberts of the Stanford Barron. pursue computer-related activities Computer Science Department, at home, connections with peers for example, proved enormously Moving Girls from and informal networks are what influential in the learning and tend to draw them to a deeper career trajectories of a number of PHOTO: YouthLAB is study - ing how interest and tech - Googling to engagement with technological young Bermudians, who are now nological fluency develops activities. “One girl I interviewed entering their twenties. among youth. Researchers Programming and developed an interest in coding Among them is Monica, who include (L to R) School of through an online math club, ” she took advantage of all the Education students Rachel Design Fithian, Emma Mercier, says. “She noticed people were computer electives Barron ’s team Maryanna Rogers, Ugochi So how do you get more girls chatting about their favorite helped implement, often staying Acholonu, Associate to move from email, chat groups, programming languages and says after class to learn new concepts Professor Brigid Barron, and Googling activity to the she got ‘jealous ’ because she had and applications from her teacher. Sarah Walter, alumna hard-core work of program Caitlin Kennedy Martin, and no idea what they were talking The young teen leveraged an student Sarah Lewis (not coding, designing robots, working about.” Soon after, she found a assignment in a work experience pictured: students Karin out 3-D models with computer- free online tutorial on the class to set up an opportunity to Chapin, Kathleen O’Connor, assisted design, or creating programming language C++ , “shadow ” an independent Colin Schatz, and Susie simulations and models? “There Wise).