Think it’s impossible to recruit and retain girls in technology classes?

The Seattle Public Schools disagrees and so do we

By Fatima Goss Graves

It’s been 35 years since Title IX was passed, yet in every region of the country schools have failed to expand career training opportunities for girls in fields that are nontraditional for their gender.  At the National Women’s Law Center, we’ve analyzed the enrollment data and the results around the country are the same – girls make up the vast majority of students in traditionally female courses (such as cosmetology, nursing, and child care and development), while boys are the overwhelming majority of students in traditionally male courses (such as construction and repair; automotive, engineering an science technology and computer programming).  These enrollment patterns have, as we’ve said before, substantial and negative impact on the wages girls can expect to earn in the fields they are being trained to enter. 

Yesterday, the National Women’s Law Center, along with its coalition partners (Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE), the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE), and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) held a briefing on Capitol hill to recognize three programs that have made a difference in their local communities by recruiting and retaining students in nontraditional fields.  The Highest Recognition went to the Seattle Public Schools for its Inspiring Girls In Technology Evolution (“IGNITE”) program.  IGNITE has connected over 10,000 Seattle high school girls with women in technology careers, working in partnership with corporations such as Microsoft, Cisco, T-Mobile and Boeing, and it’s had great success. Prior to IGNITE, Seattle IT courses averaged less than 10% female enrollment; it now ranges from between 20 to almost 50%. 

All three programs honored yesterday are detailed in our report, Reaching New Heights.  The next time someone says girls simply aren’t interested in technology programs, I plan to point them to Seattle Public Schools.  I hope that you will too.