Access to STEM for Girls Women of Color: Focusing our Work
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12/4/2015 1 Access to STEM for Girls & Women of Color: Focusing our Work Janelle M. Johnson, PhD Assistant Professor—STEM Education Metropolitan State University of Denver Janelle M. Johnson, PhD Assistant Professor—STEM Education Metropolitan State University of Denver Alicia Santiago, PhD Science Advisor & Latino Engagement Specialist tpt Twin Cities Public TV National Girls Collaborative Project Alicia Santiago, PhD Science Advisor & Latino Engagement Specialist tpt Twin Cities Public TV National Girls Collaborative Project Jessica Taylor Research Scientist NASA Langley Research Center Jessica Taylor Research Scientist NASA Langley Research Center 1. Raise awareness about issues and barriers that affect girls’ and women’s access to and persistence in STEM. 2. Examine those issues and barriers through an equity lens paying attention to gender, race, ethnicity, and culture. 3. Identify strategies and effective resources that address girls’ and women’s needs to ensure access, equity, and diversity in STEM.
Transcript of Access to STEM for Girls Women of Color: Focusing our Work
12/4/2015
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Access to STEM for Girls & Women of Color: Focusing our Work
Janelle M. Johnson, PhD
Assistant Professor—STEM Education
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Janelle M. Johnson, PhD
Assistant Professor—STEM Education
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Alicia Santiago, PhD
Science Advisor & Latino Engagement Specialist
tpt Twin Cities Public TV
National Girls Collaborative Project
Alicia Santiago, PhD
Science Advisor & Latino Engagement Specialist
tpt Twin Cities Public TV
National Girls Collaborative Project
Jessica Taylor
Research Scientist
NASA Langley Research Center
Jessica Taylor
Research Scientist
NASA Langley Research Center
1. Raise awareness about issues and barriers that affect girls’ and women’s access to and persistence in STEM.
2. Examine those issues and barriers through an equity lens paying attention to gender, race, ethnicity, and culture.
3. Identify strategies and effective resources that address girls’ and women’s needs to ensure access, equity, and diversity in STEM.
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WHO? • The “pipeline” is really long. What section(s) do
you address?WHAT, WHEN, HOW? • What “support” do you choose? How do you
know what you are proposing is addressing critical issue?
• How do you not duplicate efforts –and leverage existing resources?
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Elementary Students Middle Students High School Students College/Tech School Students
Workforce
Back
grou
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Key Issues
Challenges & OpportunitiesRace stereotypes
Inspiration: Age interest begins
Challenges & OpportunitiesSelf-efficacy: Age interest lost & age doubt ability to pursue STEM career
Challenges & OpportunitiesGrit, Tenacity, & Perseverance
Challenges & Opportunities- Grit, Tenacity, & Perseverance-Imposter Syndrome
Challenges & Opportunities- recruitment
Critical Events
- Academic career plans- Course selection
- Course selection- Postsecondary planning
- Major selection- Workforce Recruitment
- Transition- Persistence- Advancement (technical track and leadership/management track)
Gate-keeper
- Parents- Teachers
- Counselor- Teachers
- Counselors- Teachers
- Academic Advisor- Career Offices
- Mentor- Middle Manager (i.e., Branch Heads)
Opp
ortu
nitie
s/A
ctio
ns
What Can We Do?
- Provide opportunities for STEM Engagement- Serve as Role Models and Mentors
- Mentors- Internships
- Request Unconscious bias training- Support and encourage other women in application and interviews
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• Girls and boys do not display a significant difference in their abilities in math & science.
• Difference in informal opportunities• Exposure to STEM careers.• Women underrepresented in STEM at
college AND workforce level.
Top School STEM
Programs
GirlsBoys
• 1976…challenges for women of color in STEM in HER: “The Double Bind: The Price of Being a Minority Woman in Science”
• 1976-2010: HER published only 16 articles relating specifically to women of color in higher education or minority participation in STEM. None addressed intersectionality
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• Black girls enrolled in public schools are 6x more likely, American Indian/Alaska Native girls are 3.5x more likely, and Hispanic girls are 2x as likely to be suspended from school than their White peers.
• Decreased self-esteem and self-concept (Okeke et al., 2009; Schmader, Johns, & Barquissau, 2004)
• Decreased test performance (Steele & Aronson, 1995)
• Reduced effort to develop counter-stereotypic skills (Burkley, 2007)
• Disidentification with math and science because of stereotypes (Burkley & Blanton, 2009; Davies et al., 2002; Nosek, Banaji, & Greenwald, 2002; Steele, 1997)
Growth mind-set is especially important for students with negative stereotypes about their abilities, such as Black or Latino students or girls in mathematics or science classes.(Blackwell et al., 2007; Dweck, 2012; Good et al., 2003; Aronson, Fried, & Good, 2002)
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• Problematize: What kinds of inequities may exist? Who is being included & excluded? (this includes self-exclusion)
• What inclusive actions did the facilitators take? What could they have done to be moreinclusive?
(practice!)
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Family Science NightScenario:• Group discussion about results
from a hands-on science activity girls and parents did together.
• Some group members don’t speak up, while others dominate, filling all the silences. The more vocal members become exasperated that others don’t talk.
• Seems that the more vocal people belong to the mainstream culture, while the less vocal ones are from minority cultures.
• How do we understand this?• How can it be resolved?• What are some possible solutions?
• Colorblindness• Caucasian• Race• Racism• Internalized racism• Institutional racism• Structural racism• Meritocracy
• Privilege• Diverse• Underrepresented• Students of color• Marginalized• Inclusion• Intersectionality• People of color
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Elementary Students Middle Students High School Students College/Tech School Students
Workforce
Back
grou
nd
Key Issues
Challenges & OpportunitiesRace stereotypes
Inspiration: Age interest begins
Challenges & OpportunitiesSelf-efficacy: Age interest lost & age doubt ability to pursue STEM career
Challenges & OpportunitiesGrit, Tenacity, & Perseverance
Challenges & Opportunities- Grit, Tenacity, & Perseverance-Imposter Syndrome
Challenges & Opportunities- recruitment
Critical Events
- Academic career plans- Course selection
- Course selection- Postsecondary planning
- Major selection- Workforce Recruitment
- Transition- Persistence- Advancement (technical track and leadership/management track)
Gate-keeper
- Parents- Teachers
- Counselor- Teachers
- Counselors- Teachers
- Academic Advisor- Career Offices
- Mentor- Middle Manager (i.e., Branch Heads)
Opp
ortu
nitie
s/A
ctio
ns
What Can We Do?
- Provide opportunities for STEM Engagement- Serve as Role Models and Mentors
- Mentors- Internships
- Request Unconscious bias training- Support and encourage other women in application and interviews
• theConnectory.org• All Girls, Front and Center: An Equity-Focused
Resource Portal; White House initiativeso Exemplary Practiceso Explore the Datao Professional Development Opportunities
• Webinar Series• Training Program
o Program Modelso Resourceso Researcho STEM Mentoring Cafeso Other?
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o Commitment to advancinggirls & women of color
o Create a culture where girls/women of color thrive
o Look at data in detail; feedback on progress
o Girls and women of color represented at all levels
o Pipeline: recruitment, retention & promotion
These changes can open up multiple STEM pathways for
ALL girls and women
Janelle Johnson [email protected] Santiago [email protected] Taylor [email protected]
