For Immediate Release
Media Contacts:
Anne Tucker, Melcher+Tucker Consultants:
312-795-3556 / atucker@mtconsultants.com
Richard Melcher, Melcher+Tucker Consultants:
312-795-3550 / rmelcher@mtconsultants.com
New Study Highlights Project Exploration’s Impact on Science Education, Careers
Data Shows Dramatic Gains in Education Aspiration,
Achievement and Careers in Science-related Fields
Chicago, IL, March 8, 2011—A 10-year study released today finds that Project Exploration’s science education model bringing together scientists and urban teenagers has a significant and lasting effect on students’ educational achievements and career aspirations in science.
A Chicago-based nonprofit organization, Project Exploration has pioneered a relationship-based model in out-of-school time settings. The study – "10-Year Retrospective Program Evaluation: Summative Report,"from the Center for Research, Evaluation and Assessment (REA) at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley – was commissioned by Project Exploration with support from the Noyce Foundation. In the REA study, surveys and interviews with 30% of Project Exploration’s 1,000 alumni show Project Exploration had a major influence on students’ decisions to stick with science, technology, engineering and math – ‘STEM’ – and to pursue careers in science. The study finds that among alumni:
- 95% have graduated high school or are on track to graduate, nearly double the overall rate of Chicago Public Schools;
- 60% of students enrolled in a four-year college are pursuing degrees in STEM-related fields;
- 60% of students who graduated college graduated with a degree in a STEM-related field.
Researchers also found in Project Exploration’s youth-science program design "three major dimensions – increased science capacity, positive youth development, and engagement in a community of practice – that have rendered a powerful effect upon participating students." The REA study noted:
- 88% of those surveyed said Project Exploration introduced them to STEM career options they had not previously considered;
- 32% of those surveyed held science-related employment.
"Project Exploration proposes a new direction for 21st century science: sustained access to experts, high-caliber, compelling content and interest-based learning guided by caring adults,"says Gabrielle Lyon, cofounder and executive director of Project Exploration. "This study affirms that our youth-science model can transform the educational careers – and ultimately the lives – of those students at highest risk of being left behind."
The 10-year study validates Project Exploration’s model and its underlying assumptions that it is possible to demonstrably boost student interest in science in out-of-school time settings and inspire young people to reach for new levels of academic and career achievement. The full study, along with additional research, is available online in the report "Project Exploration: 10 Years of Changing the Face of Science," www.projectexploration.org/10years.
Since it was founded in 2000, Project Exploration has focused on minorities and girls, particularly students who struggle academically. Each year, the organization works with 250 Chicago Public School middle and high school students: more than 85% come from low-income African-American and Latino families; 74% are girls.
With improved STEM education a national priority, the study shows that Project Exploration programs offer a novel and replicable model for transforming science learning. State and national studies indicate entrenched gaps in science education between lower- and higher-income students, white students and students of color, urban and suburban students, and between U.S. students and global competitors. "By linking students and scientists through personalized, meaningful science experiences, Project Exploration’s model expands academic and economic opportunities for entire communities of students, including those most frequently written off by traditional science education strategies,"said Lyon.
The study’s results come on the heels of Project Exploration’s receipt of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (2009) and its recognition as a national model by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (2010). "The data is clear: our youth-science model works,"said Lyon. "We are even more convinced that bridging the gap between students and scientists, curiosity and discovery, is not only possible, it is transformative."
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The full study, along with additional research, is available at: www.projectexploration.org/10years. |
