Strengthening STEM Teaching in Rural, Indigenous-Serving Schools Through Long-Term, Culturally Responsive Professional Development

• In Event: Resistance to Settler-Colonial Curriculum: Fostering Community Wellness Through Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Teaching

Abstract

We know that teacher quality is one of the most important school-based factors impacting K12 students’ learning and engagement in schools. We also know that Indigenous students experience persistent inequitable outcomes in schools, particularly in the area of STEM education. This paper reports on a relatively new effort to strengthen STEM teaching in Indigenous-serving schools on and bordering the Navajo Nation. We provide an overview of our professional development model, and share findings from three program years. We focus especially on conclusions drawn from our use of the SCOOP Notebook rubric and a culturally responsive schooling rubric to analyze 46 teacher-authored STEM curriculum units produced in our program from 2019-2021.

Authors

• Angelina E. Castagno, Northern Arizona University

• Pradeep Dass, Northern Arizona University

• Darold H. Joseph, Northern Arizona University