On the importance of representation: When I mentioned something about how the mayor's words will affect her reelection chances, my soon-to-be stepdaughter, 16, said, "Aren't mayors mayor until they die?" Why would an A student think that? Well, our last mayor died in office. 1/4

It reminds me of a study Meagan Patterson of @KUSOEHS et al. conducted around the 2016 election. Nearly half of kids thought 50% or more of all U.S. governors & members of Congress were female. The true figure is under 30%. Less than 2/3 knew that no woman had been president. 2/4

That number was LOWER than a similar study conducted in 2008. The theory is that some of the kids who’d seen @HillaryClinton almost win in 2016 just assumed a woman had in the past. This result jibes with research on STEM field opportunities that shows offering children ... 3/4

a diverse set of role models can impact how accessible the field seems to them, says @greenlee_jill. Putting it all together, the images kids see of what has been influence what they think can be. This is why the work of @CAWP_RU, the #1619Project, and more is essential. 4/4