Improvement Synthesis: Young Women Lead Systemic Change for Tech Equity

Young women remain underrepresented in high school technology pathways. This study examined whether student-led, equity-focused systems redesign could disrupt that pattern in a California career academy. A diverse team of young women served as co-researchers, using empathy interviews, thematic analysis, and rapid prototyping to identify barriers and create new models of participation, mentorship, and leadership.

Rather than refine existing practices through incremental Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, students engaged in what we define as Improvement Synthesis. This approach involved testing and replacing entire structures with student-designed systems built for equity. Key interventions included a sensory-aware recruitment event, a peer mentorship program (WIT Ambassadors), a cross-generational advisory council (Women’s Council), and a leadership succession plan (She‑Legacy).

Sophomore female enrollment rose from 40 percent to 71 percent. Mentorship and leadership systems became more sustainable and student-driven. Findings suggest that when students most affected by inequity lead both inquiry and implementation, they create lasting structures that remove barriers more effectively than top-down reforms. Improvement Synthesis offers a replicable model for building equity through student-led system design.

This work demonstrates that students are not only capable of redesigning systems. They are often the ones best positioned to do it, because they are most affected by those systems and most empowered when trusted to transform them.