Girls Inc. Operation SMART

Girls Inc: Girls Incorporated is a national research, education, and direct advocacy organization that inspires girls ages 6 to 18 to take risks, and master physical, intellectual, and emotional challenges. Programs are offered through a network of 1,000 sites nationwide and are facilitated by trained professional staff.

Operation Smart: Girl's Incorporated developed Girls Inc. Operation SMART in the mid-1980s in response to growing concern regarding the shortage of women entering careers in science, math, engineering, and technology. The program aims to boost girls' interest in studying science and math and to open their eyes to the existence and importance of these subjects in all aspects of their lives. Since the 1980's, Operation SMART has reached over 500,000 girls across the country in many program sites, making Operation SMART the most popular and widely implemented Girls Inc. program. Through Operation SMART, girls learn the process of developing a hypothesis for scientific discovery. The program aims to help them overcome the cultural expectation that their femininity should prevent them from being interested in science and math, and expects that girls will continue in math and science through high school and college.

One study met BHEF's criteria for program inclusion. The findings were positive, but statistical significance was not reported: Great science for girls: Evidence-based programs. (2008). Retrieved 11/14, 2008, from http://gsg.afterschool.org/public/evidence_based.cfm?Size=2.

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Girls Incorporated
120 Wall Street
New York,  NY  10005-3902
(800) 374-4475
www.girlsinc.org/girls-inc.html