ABSTRACT
Underachievement is a very complex topic. This is particularly true when it is the topic of discussion related to the gaps in gifted students’ perceived capability and their achievement. The climate and/or environment of a particular program or class can impact “the emotional safety” which a student needs in order to fully engage in a class beyond getting the correct answers or meeting the minimum expected standards. As such, evaluation of programs designed to bridge gaps in achievement and representation cannot be understated. This chapter highlights a pilot study that offered a residential, STEM summer program for high school female students aimed at reducing the overall gaps for females in STEM careers. As an alternative method to traditional program evaluation, graduate students who were studying school psychology and enrolled in a program evaluation course acted as external evaluators. Their meta-analysis approach, which included engagement, reflections, and interviews with the internal program coordinators as well as the participants of the program and their parents, proved to be beneficial in terms of increased awareness of participants’ STEM self-concept as well as affording an opportunity for program coordinators to build capacity for conducting internal, formal evaluation of their own programs. Benefits translate into an effective strategy to positively impact underachievement that can be just as much about the program as it is the motivation of the student. A call to action and recommendation to formally implement program evaluation as a capacity-building tool for programs that serve underachieving, underserved, and underrepresented gifted and highly talents students are presented.
