Inequities in STEM.edu, Part Two

Forward to this conversation


Part Two: 

To pick up on a point where Part One left off, according to the National Science Foundation and The Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education a high-quality program for diverse learners, "combines rich content and challenging activities with instruction that is student-centered, conceptually oriented and focused on problem-solving". It is important that the content of these lessons connect to the life of the learner which predominantly exists outside the discourse of the white, mainstream American culture. The work of education activists such as Nel Noddings, show that personal care and interest of students’ cultural identity from teachers and administrators communicates that a school’s investment extends beyond the hours of the school day which motivates academic success. When schools show an awareness and empathy towards what W.E. Dubois called, a “double consciousness”, honest conversations about the multi-dimensional view of the academic needs of cultural and language diverse learners can begin to be deconstructed for design.

There is an important conversation in the fact that students who have limited English language skills are placed in low-level classes because they take placement tests written in English. (Other studies have shown that Black and Latino students are often assigned lower tracks in schools than white and asian students.) Furthermore, students who are placed correctly do not participate in class and understandably grapple with teacher notation and materials. These language barriers can mask their true abilities and potential. Observations of cultural and language diverse students show that they will switch to their dominant language to engage in higher-level math and science concepts. How can we best serve these students to keep their motivation to succeed alive? The fact is many schools do provide support for these students and some need to give these students a voice and ask, “what can I do to help you be your best?”.

Sonia Nieto, a professor of language, literacy and culture at Amhurst college boldly comments, “schools and colleges of education by and large have failed to adequately prepare future and practicing teachers to teach language-minority students.” She continues, “all classrooms of the future will have students whose first language is not English, even if they currently do not have such students.” In a recent study conducted on how to improve STEM instruction, the point was raised of the importance of leadership and staff members in possessing an understanding of various cultures and backgrounds of the students. The study states, “many of the opportunities needed for diverse learners to become successful in the area of STEM require connections through their cultural beliefs and practices.”

Invested, incredible teachers across the country are providing students from culturally and language diverse homes with the authentic voice they need to make their learning powerful and relevant. These voices of these teachers and students can be heard in schools such as The Science Leadership Academy, The Workshop School and Friends Select. How do we take these school models and make them the standard that does not accept status quo?