Girls Inc., Operation SMART
Evaluation & Results / Materials and Activities
Girls Inc., Operation SMART (SMART stands for Science, Math and Relevant Technology) was developed by Girls Incorporated®, a national non-profit youth organization, with funding from many organizations, including: National Science Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Coca Cola Foundation, CREW Foundation, General Motors Foundation, Verizon Communications, Lucent Technology Foundation, and National Endowment for the Humanities.
Operation SMART is a program designed to engage girls and young women in inquiry-based science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on, minds-on experiences. The program’s publications and training help the staff of afterschool programs instill girls with the interest and confidence to pursue science, math, and technology careers. It is a program without walls, where girls interact with STEM professionals, as well as afterschool professionals and volunteers, to discover the math, science, and technology all around them. Program guides for all ages incorporate the four elements of the SMART philosophy: exploration, equity, empowerment, and fun. Through operation SMART, girls:
- Engage in participatory experiences where they discover that math and science are fun.
- Inquire, predict, and take risks that make math and science an adventure.
- Build things, take them apart, and build them better.
- Ask questions, collaborate on ideas, and pursue their own answers.
- Interact with professional women in the field get motivated to pursue both math and science courses and extracurricular activities before, during and after school.
Target age group: 5/6-18 years old.
Setting: Designed for use in collaboration with a Girls Inc. affiliate, with all-girl groups during or after school, and in the summer.
Time needed: A series of sessions that last at least one semester, or an intensive summer camp.
Training: Programs are offered through a network of 1,500 sites nationwide and in Canada and are facilitated by trained professional staff. Find a Girls Inc. site near you.
Cost: Costs vary. Contact your local Girls Inc. for information.
Evaluation & Results
Results show that the more a girl participates in Operation SMART, the more favorable her attitude toward studying science and math. EUREKA!, a component of Operation SMART, uses sports and the opportunity to be on a college campus as "hooks" to attract girls in the middle grades to the sciences, focusing on girls of color and those from low-income families. Results show that girls who participated in this program increased the number of mathematics and science courses they planned to take and were more interested in careers in science compared with a control group. Girls who attended Operation SMART sessions have demonstrated increased confidence, competence, and comfort in science, math, and technology. An independent program evaluation showed that, after participation in Operation SMART, 75% of girls ages 6-11 reported that the program had a positive influence on their attitudes towards science. Parents rated Operation SMART highly (92% average) as a positive influence on their daughters' attitudes towards science.
Materials, Activities, & Sample Lessons
There are three major components of Operation SMART, each with specific guidance for conducting sessions: EUREKA!, Girls Dig It, and Thinking SMART. Facilitators can also apply the fundamentals of Operation SMART to their own activities.
EUREKA!©
This program brings middle-school-aged girls to an intensive four-week day-camp on a college campus, combining math and science with sports, health and career development. Participants continue to meet together over two or three years, with supplements during the school year, including college visits, preparation for standardized tests, and more interactions with math, science, and engineering professionals.
Girls Dig Itsm
Girls build their analytical and interpretive skills while they work alongside archaeologists, making exciting discoveries, unveiling the past and present of their communities, and sharing their findings online. Girls Dig It OnlineSM enables girls to post their findings on a special website and to learn about archaeologists' lives and careers.
Thinking SMART
This program links girls ages 12-14 with professionals (particularly women) in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The direct involvement of these individuals, known as "SMART Partners," in the planning and delivery of a Thinking SMART program is key to achieving the intended goal of helping girls think like scientists by thinking with scientists.