“My Opinion, or Objectively Good STEM?” Redefining STEM With Black Perspectives

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 1:45 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Reimagining STEM Educational Research (Table 6)

Abstract

Why is STEM curriculum desirable to Black families? This research examines how one Black community describes STEM. We ask, what does STEM mean to our respondents? We found our respondents tend to think about STEM as a way of life, a tool for basic survival, and a mechanism for elevation. Our findings have influenced the plans for a new local school intended to repair the harm caused by the 1967 closure of the only all-Black neighborhood school and nearly 60 years of bussing. This work contributes to literature on building equitable STEM environments for historically marginalized groups.

Authors

• Shai Moore, Northwestern University

• Shannon Paige Clark, University of Maryland - Eastern Shore

• Nichole D. Pinkard, Northwestern University

• kihana miraya ross, Northwestern University

• Sepehr Vakil, Northwestern University