• 57% of bachelor's degrees are earned by women, but only 18% of computer science degrees are earned by women
• of all physics professors in the USA, only 14% are women
• women hold less than 25% of STEM jobs in the USA
• 28% of the world's researchers are women
• STEM statistics for female visible minorities are even lower
• in 2012 Yale published a study that proved physicists, chemists, and biologists are likely to view a young male scientist more favourably than a woman with the same qualifications, and that there is a major gender pay gap for female scientists IF they somehow manage to get hired instead of their male co-applicants  

1. Social Anxiety or Herd Mentality. In the Yale study, many female university students cited high school stereotypes as a major reason for why they chose to enrol in liberal arts courses instead of STEM classes. The female students were anxious to apply to STEM university programs when they knew they could very well be one of the few women in the entire program, let alone in their courses. Let's look at a Canadian example: in Waterloo's Computer Science program, women made up only 12% of the program in 2011. That's a significant decrease in the female to male ratio when women made up over 18% of enrolment in 2001. And that's despite Waterloo's valiant efforts to support women in computer science. It is very hard to encourage more women to pursue STEM programs and break the trend when they must trust other women to also apply at the same time so that they won't feel isolated in a male-dominant space.
2. Lack of Support and Role Models. This is mostly self-explanatory, but if girls aren't encouraged to pursue their STEM dreams, they might not even stop to consider STEM as a viable opportunity for their future. Teachers, professors, institutions and society need to help open the STEM door for women, and then they can make the decision whether or not they want to walk through. Confidence is another big part of the equation. For whatever reason, girls are less confident in math and science than boys. Studies have shown that when told that men score better in math tests than women, women tend to score worse; but when told that isn't true, both genders score equally well.
3. Bias. Think about it from the point of view of a female physics PhD candidate: when you know for a fact that the tech industry is biased towards your male counterparts, that you'll face a greater degree of sexism in the workforce, that you'll probably be the only female scientist in your entire department, that you won't get pay equity... why would you try to pursue a job in STEM?

The irony is that up until university, high school girls in STEM classes perform exceedingly well: in most studies, it is revealed that they attain much higher grades than their male peers. Yet, researchers are witnessing a huge drop off with hardly any of these high-performing high school girls applying to STEM undergraduate programs.

In the Ontario public school education system, there exists a phenomenon from 1999 known as "streaming", which you will most likely already know about even if you have never heard the term. "Streaming" is the division of grade 8 students entering the same high school into two distinct course types: applied and academic. At first glance all students look to be enrolled in the same survey courses with the same title (e.g. English and Science) but due to the differentiating course codes students will be taught a different curriculum by different teachers in different classrooms and will never mix with their fellow students within these core subjects. The implications of enrolling in either academic English or applied English are great: students enrolled in applied courses will never be able to apply to university because they are not taking the "correct" English course to qualify. This means all applied students are designated as college- or work-bound after receiving their high school diploma.

In a 2015 People for Education report, Dr. Alan Sears, a leading scholar in citizenship education, shared the findings of his review of grades 9 and 10 history and geography curricula in relation to citizenship education in Ontario. According to the report: "he found substantial differences between applied and academic courses, raising concerns about key content differences between the academic and applied courses".

Now, the existence of two course types is not an issue in itself if college or work is the ultimate end goal of the student and the best fit for their future. What many people are beginning to take issue with is when this critical, life-changing decision is being made: by students in grade 8. What is significant to note from the report is that recent research by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) indicates that "rather than being connected to students’ interests and career aspirations, students’ placements in either academic or applied courses are more closely tied to achievement in grade 8".

So, what is the takeaway? There is international evidence against separating students early in secondary school. Many people consider streaming to be a serious flaw in our public education system. At the very least, requiring students to make this huge decision in grade 8—before undergoing relevant growth and maturity—that will lock them in to a set program is a dangerous setup. Many students could be set on pathways that will not align with career and life goals that only truly emerge as they enter and advance through secondary school. This hefty decision in grade 8 is either influenced by students' parents (which can be a pro if the child is not prepared to make this decision or a con if it results in them having no say in their future), OR is left up to the discretion of the child entirely.

This is why choosing a registered IB school for your child is a great alternative. At St. Jude's Academy, for example, there is no streaming: there is only the IB Diploma Program. As an international program, it follows a model of proven success to put children on the path to university or great careers. The IB Diploma Program is inclusive and does not segregate children into two different education camps. It also allows students to make their monumental life decision at the right time in their life. In their final year, they can choose whether to enter university, college, or the workforce with an IB diploma in hand.


Sources: Hamlin, D. and Cameron, D. (2015). Applied or Academic: High Impact Decisions for Ontario Students. People for Education. Toronto: April 13, 2015.

While sincerely surveying what values are prioritized in the online community, I also want to draw your attention to the character of the entries. Each possible answer represents an advantage of a private school education. In regards to Academic Quality, being a registered IB World School requires a private school to adhere to a strict international standard of education. A Personalized Approach is what your child can look forward to in a smaller class size and an individualized learning outcome with more quality one-on-one time with teachers. This is also a must for students with learning disabilities. The benefits of a smaller class size are amplified by High Quality Teachers who are found in registered IB schools because they have undergone additional certification to meet the standards of the IB Governance. Extracurricular activities are usually more numerous in Ontario private schools, and in order to develop the IB World Model of the "well-rounded student", sports and clubs are strongly encouraged.


http://sjapypnelson.blogspot.ca/p/poll-what-do-you-value-most-in-school.html

• private school students outperformed public school students by around 8% in the reading test. The gap was higher in the math and science tests. At age 15, private high school students scored significantly higher than did public high school students on reading, mathematics, and science assessments
• private school students were more likely to pursue graduate and professional degrees (like medicine, law, dentistry)
• By age 23, 99% of private school students had graduated from high school, about 3 percentage points above the figure for public school students
• 35% of private school students had graduated from university by 23, whereas 21% of public school students graduated from university by the same age

• Ontario private school enrolment made up only 1.9% of the student population in 1960. By 2006, it was 5.6% indicating a gradual increase
• private high school students are more likely to attend postsecondary school by 5 to 9 percentage points
• Including St. Jude's Academy, there are only 7 schools in Ontario that offer all three of the World IB programs: PYP, MYP, DP; and there are only 13 certified IB schools in Ontario total

These facts support an increasing awareness of the benefits of a private school education. Did any of these facts surprise you? Please leave a comment below!