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Year Published: 2016
Techbridge offers afterschool and summer programs with hands-on projects and career exploration to inspire girls in STEM. In this selection of evaluation data from the 2012-2013 school year, participants demonstrated gains along three major categories of youth outcomes—interest in STEM, capacity to engage in STEM, and finding value in STEM.
Program Name: Techbridge
Program Description: Techbridge offers afterschool and summer programs with hands-on projects and career exploration to inspire girls in STEM. Curricula are developed with girls in mind, and designed to spark and sustain an interest in these fields as well as to make a connection with STEM careers. Career exploration is facilitated through visits from STEM role models and field trips to local engineering and technology companies.
Scope of the Evaluation: Local
Program Type: Afterschool
Location: Bay Area, CA
Community Type: Urban
Grade level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Program Demographics: 100 percent girls, 42 percent Hispanic/ Latino, 30 percent Asian-American/Pacific Islander, 10 percent African-American, 8 percent Caucasian, 2 percent Native American, 8 percent other. 94 percent of school partners receive Title I funding; 75 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced price lunch; 40 percent limited English proficient.
Program Website: http://www.techbridgegirls.org/
Evaluator: Rebecca Ancheta, City College of San Francisco
Evaluation Methods: Evaluation methods include pre- and post- surveys, focus groups with girls, teachers, and families, and program observations and coaching. Surveys examine technical and scientific ability, career awareness, aspirations, teamwork and adult influence. Comparison groups are utilized to evaluate outcomes with groups not participating in Techbridge. In addition, an observation rubric is used to ensure fidelity of implementation and identify areas for program improvement.
Evaluation Type: Non-experimental
Outcomes:
Below is a selection of evaluation data reported by the program around three major categories of youth outcomes—interest in STEM, capacity to productively engage in STEM, and finding value in STEM. These outcomes are an excerpt from a 2016 Afterschool Alliance paper, "The Impact of Afterschool STEM: Examples from the Field."
Capacity: I can do this
Value: This is important to me
Associated Evaluation: http://afterschoolalliance.org/documents/AfterschoolSTEMImpacts2016.pdf
Program Profile: View program profile