"Y'all Can't Stay Here!" Systematically Eliminating Black Students From STEM Disciplines at Righteous State University

• In Event: 58.082 - Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: 58.082-17 - STEM the Tide: Ensuring the Success of Black Students in STEM

Abstract

In this study, I apply a critical race theory in education framework and its notions of whiteness as property and interest convergence to examine and elucidate how Black students are systematically pushed out of STEM and the politics and public perceptions that surround redress. Through an exploratory research approach, I examine university policies and practices and data collected from interviews with Black students intending STEM majors at Righteous State University. Preliminary analysis suggests Black students are deprived of resources and major-specific experiences and are cemented with a deficient identity by way of admission through the university college model. Thus, they express feeling unsupported and disconnected from STEM programs and often leave to pursue other majors or exit the university altogether.

Author

• Ivory Marcel Berry, George Mason University