scholarly journals Missing in Action: Gifted Black Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Henry Collins ◽  
Nicole M. Joseph ◽  
Donna Y. Ford
Keyword(s):  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
Sex Discrimination ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Girls In Science ◽  
Stem Pipeline ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Missing In Action

Many commonplace stories, including the authors and those they have heard, substantiate a critical and undeniable truth: marginalized and underrepresented students’ development through the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pipeline is centered on race and gender and is impacted by (un)intentional and (in)formal interactions with other variables. A noticeable issue in STEM and gifted education is the poor presence of Black girls. We contend that for females, the disconnect between grades, class performance, and interest is all too familiar. This is true even if they are gifted, and especially for Black girls. This article is written with the resolve to address the underpinning complexity of contemporary challenges of underrepresentation of gifted Black girls in STEM, which are rooted in intersectional issues of race and sex discrimination. We address barriers and offer recommendations for change, mostly grounded in relevant theories.

Rethinking Spaces of Confinement Through Black Girl Embodiment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique C. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Justice System ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Black Feminist ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Late 20Th Century ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Feminist Organizing ◽  
The Relationship

Carcerality in educational settings tends to focus on the school-to-prison pipeline and other ways that bodies differentially marked by race, gender, and, more recently, sexuality and ability are punished and tracked into the juvenile justice system. The ongoing chain between marginalized bodies and criminality is evident in rates of incarceration based on race and gender specifically. Black lesbian feminist organizing of the late 20th century called attention to the relationship between social identities and carcerality. Expanding on this work, Black feminist scholarship argues that Black womxn and girls are inherently valuable and that liberation is necessary for autonomy. Scholarship, however, illustrates how freedom for Black womxn and girls are directly mediated by systems of race, gender, sexuality, class, as well as by the discourses created to maintain order through institutions such as schools and prisons. Building on the preceding connections between social identities and confinement, Black girls’ specific encounters with high-stakes policies, such as zero-tolerance, and school discipline reveal new textures and distinct qualities of carcerality that expand education’s understanding of carceral spaces and experiences. In a society that presumes Black girls need no protection because their Blackness is feared while their femininity remains unrealized, Black girls’ bodily deliberations and embodied choices are acts of resistance and self-definition.

STEM Fields and Ethnic Women in New Zealand

2018 ◽  
pp. 1203-1229
Author(s):  
Charles Mpofu
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Mathematics

A critical race theory was used to analyse policies and strategies in place to enable the participation of New Zealand ethnic women of Latin-American, Middle Eastern, and African (MELAA) origin in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields (STEM) in education and industry. The aim was to find out what policy – and other – levers are available for better participation in the STEM fields by the ethnic women's population. The process involved an analysis of publicly available official documents on STEM strategies at national and regional levels. The main findings were that gender issues are expressed in a generic way, either across all ethnic groups, or across the four ethnic groups where the MELAA stands not clearly identifiable in the classifications. Recommendations include the need to develop policies and strategies that account for race and gender equity as part of an agenda to eliminate marginalization of this group.

Case Study of a New Engineering Early College High School: Advancing Educational Opportunities for Underrepresented Students in an Urban Area

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-267
Author(s):  
Cindy M. Gilson ◽  
Michael S. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
Early College High School ◽  
Early College ◽  
School Structure ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Stem Pipeline ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Ninth Grade Students

In response to the pervasive problem of making college more accessible to at-risk and underrepresented populations, the early college high school (ECHS) model has gained popularity. However, limited research exists on engineering-focused ECHSs (EECHS). Given the current demand for diverse and highly qualified engineers in the workforce, further research on EECHSs that potentially support the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pipeline is warranted. We examined the perceptions of six teachers, 10 ninth-grade students, and one principal at a newly formed EECHS. Our qualitative analyses revealed numerous successes and few challenges related to the school’s culture, curriculum, and instructional practices. General findings that might apply to all ECHS programming included the school’s small size, the benefits of developing caring and supportive relationships, and a common focus on preparing students for future academic and career success. We discuss key implications of these findings within the context of replicating an EECHS program or similar school structure.

scholarly journals Active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (12) ◽  
pp. 6476-6483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elli J. Theobald ◽  
Mariah J. Hill ◽  
Elisa Tran ◽  
Sweta Agrawal ◽  
E. Nicole Arroyo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
Sampling Bias ◽  
Bayesian Regression ◽  
Achievement Gaps ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Passing Rates ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Student Failure ◽  
And Mathematics

We tested the hypothesis that underrepresented students in active-learning classrooms experience narrower achievement gaps than underrepresented students in traditional lecturing classrooms, averaged across all science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and courses. We conducted a comprehensive search for both published and unpublished studies that compared the performance of underrepresented students to their overrepresented classmates in active-learning and traditional-lecturing treatments. This search resulted in data on student examination scores from 15 studies (9,238 total students) and data on student failure rates from 26 studies (44,606 total students). Bayesian regression analyses showed that on average, active learning reduced achievement gaps in examination scores by 33% and narrowed gaps in passing rates by 45%. The reported proportion of time that students spend on in-class activities was important, as only classes that implemented high-intensity active learning narrowed achievement gaps. Sensitivity analyses showed that the conclusions are robust to sampling bias and other issues. To explain the extensive variation in efficacy observed among studies, we propose the heads-and-hearts hypothesis, which holds that meaningful reductions in achievement gaps only occur when course designs combine deliberate practice with inclusive teaching. Our results support calls to replace traditional lecturing with evidence-based, active-learning course designs across the STEM disciplines and suggest that innovations in instructional strategies can increase equity in higher education.

Supporting the STEM Pipeline: Linking Applied STEM Course-Taking in High School to Declaring a STEM Major in College

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Gottfried ◽  
Robert Bozick
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
College Major ◽  
Major Choice ◽  
Longitudinal Survey ◽  
College Major Choice ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Stem Pipeline ◽  
Stem Major ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Scientific Fields

Recently, through the support from the Obama administration, the traditional STEM curricula (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in high schools are being updated with integrated, applied STEM courses (e.g., technology and engineering) in order to enhance the “real world” applicability of scientific fields and ultimately to strengthen the link between what students learn in high school and college major choice. Using longitudinal survey and transcript data, this study examines whether taking these applied STEM courses in high school can predict higher odds of declaring a STEM major in college. The findings reveal that taking applied STEM courses in high school is associated with a higher probability of declaring a STEM college major for four-year students. Moreover, applied STEM course-taking is highly predictive of declaring an applied STEM major. Implications are discussed.

Girls Behaving Badly? Race, Gender, and Subjective Evaluation in the Discipline of African American Girls

2017 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward W. Morris ◽  
Brea L. Perry
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
School Discipline ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
African American Girls ◽  
Dress Code ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
And Gender

School disciplinary processes are an important mechanism of inequality in education. Most prior research in this area focuses on the significantly higher rates of punishment among African American boys, but in this article, we turn our attention to the discipline of African American girls. Using advanced multilevel models and a longitudinal data set of detailed school discipline records, we analyze interactions between race and gender on office referrals. The results show troubling and significant disparities in the punishment of African American girls. Controlling for background variables, black girls are three times more likely than white girls to receive an office referral; this difference is substantially wider than the gap between black boys and white boys. Moreover, black girls receive disproportionate referrals for infractions such as disruptive behavior, dress code violations, disobedience, and aggressive behavior. We argue that these infractions are subjective and influenced by gendered interpretations. Using the framework of intersectionality, we propose that school discipline penalizes African American girls for behaviors perceived to transgress normative standards of femininity.

scholarly journals Using a Champion-Oriented Mindset to Overcome the Challenges of Graduate School

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Marshall ◽  
Caroline Palavicino-Maggio ◽  
Kit Neikirk ◽  
Zer Vue ◽  
Heather Beasley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Education ◽  
Graduate School ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
Post Graduate ◽  
Perceived Need ◽  
Minority Participation ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Stem Pipeline ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
University Undergraduates

Despite efforts to increase diversity, a glaring underrepresentation of minorities (URM) persists in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Graduate school can be a stressful step in the STEM pipeline, especially for students previously unaware of the structure and challenges of post-graduate education. To promote successful minority participation in STEM and prepare prospective students for the impending challenges of graduate school, we developed a workshop based on the mentoring and fostering of a champion-oriented mindset entitled, The Trials and Tribulations of Graduate School: How Do You Make an Impact?. We administered the workshop to a cohort of university undergraduates and conducted pre- and post-workshop surveys to measure students perceived need for instruction on specific workshop topics. The results suggest that the workshop was well received by the students and provided information that they considered helpful to help navigate the graduate school process.

scholarly journals Calculating Queer Acceptance and Visibility: A Literature Synthesis on Queer Identity in Mathematics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Voigt ◽  
Daniel L. Reinholz
Keyword(s):  
Identity Formation ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Secondary Mathematics ◽  
Mathematics Students ◽  
Queer Identity ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
Unique Nature ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Mathematics

Research, programs, and policies to support queer students in secondary mathematics environments remain largely underdeveloped and undertheorized. Mathematics education research has attended more closely to how race and gender are linked with dominant discourses of participation and mathematical performance. In this synthesis, we conducted a broad search of literature, resulting in 81 articles, related to queer student experience in all STEM environments to highlight potential practices to support inclusive environments specifically in secondary mathematics. Drawing on a queer stem identity framework (Mattheis, Arellano, Yoder, 2019) we highlight the unique nature of queer identity (e.g., the potential for one’s queer identity to be invisible) that positions queerness as unseen and irrelevant to the pursuit of STEM. The perceived masculine and heteronormative nature of mathematics environment impacts queer students when defining their queer identity and coming out in the classroom, creating a cognitively stressful experience, and leading to less robust mathematical identity formation. In order to help promote queer students in navigating these settings we document how role models and curriculum allow for a reconstruction of the nature and mathematics by promoting a connected, inclusive, and social discipline. We conclude by highlighting the need for future studies and implications for practices in order to create environments that promote the development and visibility of queer mathematics students.

Black Girls and Mathematics Learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Crystal Morton ◽  
Danielle Tate McMillan ◽  
Winterbourne Harrison-Jones
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
Advanced Mathematics ◽  
Informal Mathematics ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
K 12

Though the formal and informal mathematics learning experiences of Black girls are gaining more visibility in the literature, there is still a paucity of research around Black girls’ mathematics learning experiences. Black girls face unique challenges as learners in K–12 educational spaces because of their marginalized racial and gender identities. The interplay of race and racism unfolds in complex ways in Black girls’ learning experiences. This interplay hinders their development as mathematics learners and limits their access to transformative learning. As early as elementary school, Black girls are labeled as having limited mathematics knowledge and are often disproportionately placed in “lower level classrooms” devoid of any rigorous and transformative learning experiences. Teachers spend more time socially correcting Black girls rather than building on their brilliance. Even though Black girls value mathematics more and have higher confidence in mathematics than their White counterparts, they are still held to lower expectations by their teachers and are less likely to complete an advanced mathematics course. Nationally and globally, mathematics serves as an academic gatekeeper into every avenue of the labor market and higher education opportunities. Thus, the lack of opportunities Black girls have to engage in rigorous and transformative mathematics potentially locks them out of higher education opportunities and STEM-based careers. The mathematics learning experiences of Black girls move beyond challenges in K–12 spaces to limiting life choices and individual and community progress. To improve the formal and informal mathematics learning experiences of Black girls, we must understand their unique learning experiences more fully.

Legitimate concerns: On complications of identity in school punishment

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-97
Author(s):  
Winston C. Thompson ◽  
Abigail J. Beneke ◽  
Garry S. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Student Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
School Punishment ◽  
And Gender

In the present unjust context of US schools, many educators face uncertainty about the legitimacy of their issuing punishments, especially when their identity meaningfully differs from that of their students. In this article, we address these doubts by acknowledging distinctive elements of schools to provide helpful distinctions and analyses of the legitimacy of punishments within them. Specifically, we interrogate the role that identity categories such as race and gender play in establishing legitimate punishment within schools, with a particular focus on the case of Black girls attending US schools. We offer a taxonomy of legitimate responses to undesired student behavior, arguing that a particular person in their role within a school might lack legitimacy to punish based upon their identity even while other, related yet more nuanced, behavioral responses remain. In this work, we aim to equip educators with tools to better navigate the options available to them and better understand the significance of their actions in response to student behavior.

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