Eric.ed.gov – The EQUALS Teacher Education Program.

This paper describes the EQUALS teacher education program to assist educators in increasing participation of females in mathematics courses. The goal of the program was to increase educators’ awareness of the issues surrounding the problem of mathematics avoidance among females, and particularly the future consequences for those students who avoided mathematics. Teaching strategies and materials were provided to actively engage students in doing mathematics and understanding the relevance of math to their future career options. The materials were presented in a workshop format to K-12 educators, as well as counselors, curriculum specialists, and principals. The impact of the workshop on participating educators was measured by surveying their satisfaction with program elements, their implementation of program activities, and their continued professional growth. (Author/DS)