Teachers and administrators in the Montgomery County school district are counting on that curiosity. Colonial's Girls in Technology pilot program is designed to encourage middle-schoolers to consider a field of study - and potential career path - that is still boy-centric.
The two-week summer camp, which concludes on Friday, introduces girls entering fourth through eighth grades to robotics, digital photography, programming, gaming, animation, and Web design.
"We know from academic profiles in math and science that girls are just as capable, so there's a disconnect between capability and involvement," said MaryEllen Gorodetzer, an assistant superintendent with the district.
A 2010 study by the the National Center for Women and Information Technology found that women made up 25 percent of workers in IT-related jobs in 2008, down from a high of 36 percent in 1991. Women earned 18 percent of computer and information science bachelor's degrees in 2008, down from 37 percent in 1985.
The study said women cited obstacles such as salary gap, isolation, lack of role models and mentors, poor supervisory relationships, and competing life responsibilities.
Middle school is often a critical turning point, Colonial administrators say.
In elementary school, there's equal interest in technology among boys and girls, said Maria Bellino, the district's science curriculum supervisor. But in middle school, girls' interest declines. Social concerns, being popular with peers, and a fear of standing out as different can override a serious consideration of studying technology, Gorodetzer said.
By high school, the numbers can be startling.
"If I teach 60 students in a semester, I might have five girls," said Mickey Engel, who teaches Web design and animation at the camp as well as computer programming at the district's Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. "In some classes, I may have one or two, if that."
