The STEM Effect: An Action Agenda for Assessing the Long-term Impact of STEM Programs for Girls

With support from the National Science Foundation, the STEM Effect project was undertaken in partnership by staff from the Education Development Center, the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Through a variety of methods, the project convened representatives from cultural institutions (museums, science centers, zoos, botanical gardens and aquaria) from across the country which provide STEM programming aimed at increasing the participation of girls and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), along with researchers, and girls themselves. The focus was to develop a collaborative document, an 'action agenda' outlining current understandings and future research avenues which will address the gaps in what is known about the mid- and long-term impact of informal STEM programs for girls, along with methods and approaches for measuring them. We hope the resulting Action Agenda, written so as to be useful for both practitioners and researchers, will spark thought and provide a frame for future research.