The Trump Foundation believes that adapting teaching practices to support the learning of female students may result in expanding the circle of excellence on a national scope
Preferences for different science majors in upper secondary school seem to comply with a clear gender split. While male students comprise the majority in advanced physics and computer science electives, chemistry and biology classes are filled with predominantly female students. This spit continues to deepen in higher education and the labor market.Student achievements in junior high school provide almost no explanation for this trend, as performance gaps at this stage are minimal. However, an in-depth look at the study of mathematics may shed some light on what stands behind the aforementioned split. In junior high mathematics, female students are more fluent in geometry and algebra, whereas male students perform better in numbers and data-related areas.
This phenomenon is not typical only to Israel and for many years it has been at the heart of both research and intervention programs. Until now, most of these intervention programs operate on a local level and focus solely on the social aspects which make female students reluctant to study exact sciences and engineering. They concentrate, for instance, on the self-image and confidence of girls and on parental and communal expectations. These programs are largely supplemental, relying mostly on external resources and providing direct assistance, role modeling and skills development to female students. Only a handful of programs include teachers, and even then, their classroom practices are not the focus of the program. There have been almost no programs which develop field-specific knowhow and expertise influencing the ongoing teaching and learning in classrooms.
The Trump Foundation takes a great interest in this topic, especially due to the fact that female students are under-represented in the advanced level physics track and that all data point to their high potential. We therefore believe that adapting teaching practices to support the learning of female students may result in significant diversion from current trends and may lead to expanding the circle of excellence on a national scope.
This effort would initially require developing practices and pilot testing them in schools. For this purpose it is proposed to setup a seed fund, to allow for such expertise to flourish. The fund would be created to solicit proposals from schools and local education providers (nonprofits), which will design innovative entrepreneurial pedagogic solutions to solidify the knowledge base in mathematics and to increase selection, retention and success of female students in physics.
A selection committee comprised of practitioners and researchers will be convened to define the selection criteria and process. A call for proposals will be issued, making it clear in advance that funding will be given only to very practical, sustainable and replicable programs. Accordingly, grants will be limited in size, scope and time, and will be expected not to exceed 100,000 – 150,000 NIS, over one or two years, to be implemented in one or very few schools. These programs will be expected to carefully document their work and to evaluate performance and impact. Grantees will be required to share their data and insights with one another and with the professional community. They will be convened by the foundation for a one-day seminar in which they will be able to present their cases and discuss their findings. They will also be invited to communicate them to the general public via the internet.
It is proposed to launch two funding cycles of this effort on an experimental basis, which will be coordinated by the Trump Foundation staff. However, at a relatively early stage, the initiative will be presented to other funders so that they may join in and support participating programs.