Informal Information Technology (IT) education programs serving girls between grades 6 – 12 were surveyed to identify practices effective in engaging girls in IT. Women are significantly underrepresented in IT education paths and careers and many programs aim to increase girls’ interest to address this disparity. Another survey reaching 937 women working in IT found the women had experienced many of the identified practices in their youth. Informal IT education program respondents and the women working in IT selected a similar set of program practices they thought to be critical to a program’s success. #Evaluation2009 #2009Conference #Prek-12EducationalEvaluation