Transforming STEM Education through Collaborative Leadership at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Abstract

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) graduate significant numbers of minority students who attain advanced degrees and pursue diverse careers in STEM. Using a collaborative leadership model, an HBCU changed its teaching and learning paradigm to significantly broaden participation in STEM.

Institutional and Faculty Partnerships to Promote Learner Preparedness for Health Professions Education

“…Providing opportunities for PWI, NASI and HBCU faculty to become better acquainted with resource availability and opportunities can foster the growth of partnerships among these institutions. Moreover, including HBCUs and NASIs in inter-institutional collaborations with research clusters and health care system partners at PWIs may increase chances for STEM involvement among URM learners [19].…”

“…Learners need consistent, progressive, and systematic mentoring throughout their academic careers, as well as culturally welcoming and inclusive learning environments that provide the resources and staffing needed for academic success [ 13 , 17 , 18 ]. Since many pipeline programs may be hosted by one institution but ultimately prepare learners to continue their education at other institutions, academic institutions have to work collaboratively and be held mutually accountable for learner success and resource support [ 19 ]. This accountability should involve creating strategic partnerships, increasing awareness of pipeline leakage, and tracking progress of diversity in STEM programs at the institutional level [ 13 ].…”

How can academic health science centers help to increase diversity in the STEM professions?

“…Although more individuals who identify AA, HL, AI/AN, and NH/PI are currently pursuing advanced degrees, disparities still exist in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields: only 1.6% of tenured US professors are AA, 2.7% are HL, and 0.4% are AI/AN-NH/PI (Sacca et al, 2022;The National Science Foundation, 2023). Many factors contribute to this phenomenon, including a lack of qualified and diverse teaching personnel and limited access to STEM education resources in disadvantaged schools (Stoeger et al, 2016;Wilson-Kennedy et al, 2018;U.S. Census Bureau, 2020;Gonzales et al, 2021).…”

“…The US Department of Education's Civil Rights Data Collection reports that due to a lack of access to quality, early STEM education, a large proportion of underrepresented K-12 students achieves lower standardized test scores and lower acceptance rates to topranking colleges. Additionally, inadequate mentor support and implicit bias in institutions may impact outcomes, especially for females and students from disadvantaged groups (National Center for Education Statistics, 2014;Dixson et al, 2016;Stoeger et al, 2016;Wilson-Kennedy et al, 2018;Subotnik et al, 2019;Nation and Hansen, 2021).…”

Toward Intentional Diversity, Equity, and Respect in Chemistry Research and Practice

“…In another study, Sharitta Gross interrogates the progression of academically exceptional Black males, their sense of belonging, and the impact of the faculty diversity on the progress and success of this group . There are examples in the literature in which scholars emphasize the agency of Black individuals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), providing a “counter-narrative” to those that point to deficiencies or lack of interest as an explanation for the low participation of these individuals in STEM careers. − Recently, scientific disciplines have published texts and special topic issues that have focused on empirical studies and practical approaches to broadening the participation of underrepresented groups. − Despite these examples, more work is needed to understand how Black Americans and individuals from other historically underrepresented groups are impacted by their lived experiences in academic and professional spaces, specifically research on broadening the participation of those groups who have historically been underrepresented in STEM disciplines.…”