The Woz ED Effect: A Data-Driven Look at STEM Growth
January 17, 2025 - By: Dr. Amreen Thompson, PEAR
Key Highlights
- Students showed statistically significant growth in all STEM attitudes and skills.
- Largest growth areas: Perseverance and Critical Thinking.
- Males and Females experienced similar levels of growth.
- Students of color experienced more growth in STEM than white Caucasian students in Perseverance and STEM Enjoyment.
Program Overview
Woz ED provides innovative, career-focused STEM education resources to prepare individuals for in-demand tech jobs.
Their programs combine hands-on learning with curriculum that develops technical and soft skills like collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
Resilience Roundtable: Nurturing Durable Skills for the Future Workforce
What does it take to prepare youth for a rapidly evolving, AI-driven workforce? In this exclusive roundtable discussion, experts from PEAR and Woz ED dive into the power of "durable skills" and how educators can foster true resilience through hands-on learning.
Key Themes & Takeaways
- Redefining "Soft Skills": The panel explores why "soft skills" is a misnomer. These durable skills, such as critical thinking, creativity, and persistence, are inherently contextual and develop naturally through lived experiences rather than traditional instruction.
- The Measurement Challenge: Traditional testing falls short because these traits are highly situational. To address this, PEAR utilizes a Future-Ready Durable Skills Assessment tracking 10 core competencies through self-reported data to showcase developmental growth over time.
- Engagement Through "Organized Chaos": By giving students autonomy and open-ended projects (like collaborative STEM tasks), educators foster deeper engagement, build lifelong resilience, and counteract pandemic-related social-emotional impacts.
- AI-Proofing the Workforce: As artificial intelligence automates rigid technical tasks, human-centered durable skills become irreplaceable. The future lies in cultivating adaptable, lifelong learners who can direct AI tools effectively.
- Bridging School and Out-of-School Time: Communities can create seamless learning ecosystems by sharing facility spaces and shifting toward a "currency of skill-based expertise" that supports youth across all areas of life.
"We must meet youth exactly where they are, acknowledge their unique brilliance, and use cohort models to surround students with supportive peers and mentors."
Brief Reflection — Deborah, Roundtable Participant
Data Collection (2024)
- 1,615 students across grades K-9 were studied.
- Data collected at 6 sites: Berwyn North School District 98, Palm View K-8, Greater Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, Salamanca City Central School District, Lockport City School District, Lindop School District.
- Data was collected using PEAR's Common Instrument Suite-Student Survey (CIS-S) at the end of programming, in a Retrospective Pretest-Posttest (RPP) format.
Student Demographics (n=1615)
Gender
- Male: 48%
- Female: 46%
- Self-described: 3%
Grade
- K-3: 25%
- 4-5: 44%
- 6-8: 28%
- 9: 2%
Race/Ethnicity
- White/Caucasian: 29%
- Latino/Hispanic: 19%
- African American/Black: 9%
- Other: ~9%
Primary Language
- English: 82%
- Non-English: 12%
Overall STEM Outcomes (Average Difference)
(All changes statistically significant, p < 0.05)
Impact Magnitude (Cohen's d)
Largest Effects (Substantial Changes)
- STEM Career Knowledge: $d = 1.59$
- STEM Engagement: $d = 1.32$
- Critical Thinking: $d = 0.9$
- Perseverance: $d = 0.86$
Medium-Sized Effects (Fostered Social Connections)
- Relationships with Adults: $d = 0.70$
- Relationships with Peers: $d = 0.64$
Demographic-Specific Findings
- Gender: No significant differences.
- Race: Students of color showed greater gains in STEM Enjoyment and Perseverance.
Site-Specific Highlights
- Berwyn: Exceptional growth in STEM Career Knowledge and STEM Enjoyment.
- Palm View: Excelled in STEM Engagement, STEM Identity, and Learning Interest.
- Urban League: Strong gains in Critical Thinking, Perseverance, Academic Motivation, School Bonding, and Relationships (Adults/Peers).
- Salamanca: Lagged in several metrics, suggesting site-specific implementation challenges.
Implications
- Tailored, engaging STEM programs: Focus on engagement, career knowledge, and real-world applications.
- Equity-focused strategies: Address disparities and scale programming benefiting students of color.
- Long-term career interest development: Enhance career exploration and mentorship opportunities.
- Social-emotional learning integration: Crucial for well-rounded educational experiences.
Next Steps (2024/2025 Cohort)
- Expand to eight research sites.
- Target a minimum of 100 youth per site for robust sample sizes and statistically reliable outcomes.
- This will enhance evaluation accuracy, deepen understanding of curriculum impact on diverse learners, and support evidence-based decision-making.