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Evidence of improvements in course enrollment, graduation rates, and post-secondary school attendance.

GEMS and MESA Partnership (1991–1993). GEMS units have been used in many successful advancement programs, including MESA and afterschool programs of the National Council of La Raza. MESA has demonstrated considerable achievement in improving graduation rates and post-secondary school attendance, particularly in helping historically underrepresented groups advance in technical and scientific fields. GEMS has taken part in a number of formal partnership programs with MESA in California, training MESA facilitators and teachers in the presentation of GEMS units, including follow-up on teacher presentation of the units in their classes. The GEMS MESA Leadership Program, a series of workshops for educational leaders of the MESA program in southern California, was funded by McDonnell Douglas, and offered professional development workshops at California State University campuses in Los Angeles, Fullerton, and Irvine, and at Harvey Mudd College in 1991, 1992, 1993. Similar leadership workshops also took place in Sacramento, California. Workshops involved MESA teachers of science and mathematics in regional schools, as well as MESA advisors—college students working with younger students, who then used GEMS units as the instructional content in their Saturday academies. The grants provided for all schools involved to receive over 20 free GEMS Teacher's Guides, as well as some funds to obtain materials. In one case, for example, teachers reported back on GEMS units they had presented. Many presented Bubble-ology, Earth, Moon, and Stars, and Oobleck—in all 16 different GEMS units were presented in the three months following the initial workshop. GEMS units continue to be used by MESA and in many other comparable settings.