MWM Webinar: National Mentoring Month
During this webinar, attendees heard from Dr. Lisa Hinkelman, CEO, Ruling Our Experience (ROX) and Dr. Mekka Smith, Office of the Deputy Secretary, US Department of Education, about the importance of recognizing challenges faced by girls at a young age and providing them with opportunities to explore their interests and abilities. This timely conversation was moderated by Sheila Boyington, National Chair MWM and Co-Founder - Learning Blade & Ready for Industry.
Dr. Hinkelman addressed data from the The Girls’ Index report, “When I look at our data from 2017 and then the data from 2023 on how girls are perceiving their worlds and their opportunities and their confidence, we're not going in the right direction there. And it's particularly concerning for the youngest girls. The fifth and sixth graders experience the biggest declines across the data set.”
Dr. Smith discussed efforts by the Department of Education's You Belong in STEM initiative, which aims to ensure equal access and belonging in STEM. “There's a ton of research that shows that you have to ‘see it, to believe it’, like you can't be, which you haven't seen. We also very much believe in that kind of mantra. We want girls to see themselves in STEM.”
This discussion emphasized the importance of exposing students to STEM fields early on, providing mentorship and support, and investing in STEM education.
Helpful Links
US Department of Education
- For STEM: STEM@ed.gov
- For NPSS: www.partnershipstudentsuccess.
org - Raise the Bar: Lead the World: https://www.ed.gov/
raisethebar/
Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX)
- Access the Girls’ Index report: https://www.
rulingourexperiences.com/ research
