While the percentage of women in STEM has increased in some areas, in others the increases continue at an incredibly slow rate or even have declined. Therefore, it is imperative that there continues to be an effort to increase the percentage of women in STEM through outreach programs such as DECtech. From personal experience and survey results, this research section of the blog includes specific ideas to implement in the DECtech program; however, that does not mean the ideas could not apply to other STEM outreach programs for girls.
Despite the plethora of research that already exists in this area, this paper reveals new problems with STEM outreach programs, such as how busy kids are and problems with reaching underrepresented populations because of travel and cost of programs. For STEM outreach programs to succeed, the girls need to attend more than just one session. The girls need to receive continuous support and mentorship during their adolescent years that make them believe that they can succeed in STEM. Not only that, but they also need to see women who have successful careers and families in STEM, so they can see that future for themselves and understand that pursuing a career in STEM does not mean giving up the future pursuit of having a family. DECtech succeeds in this by offering sessions from 3rd to 9th grade that become increasingly difficult and are taught by female college students pursuing STEM degrees. Therefore, through the role models of the college students who act as instructors, the participants of DECtech are able to see a potential future for themselves in STEM.