In the summer of 2022, in collaboration with 21stCentEd, A Comprehensive STEMTM company focused on STEM access, culture, and community, I traveled to South Korea on a quest to understand what schools, teachers, and students are doing in South Korea to develop world-class STEM learners. As an Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Urban Superintendent Academy at Howard University, my research interests have centered on Black leaders and how Black leaders lead for equity. As a former teacher, principal, and superintendent of a large urban school district in the US (Metro Nashville Public Schools in Tennessee), I saw the limited high-quality STEM learning opportunities available to Black and Brown students and their teachers. I hoped that this trip would enlighten me on what my superintendent colleagues in the United States could do to improve the quality of STEM learning within their school districts.
Rethinking the Educational Structure
I returned from my trip with a deeper understanding of what high-quality STEM looks like in action. More importantly, I thought deeply about the gaps we see in the US. Additionally, I considered what we need to do to accelerate STEM learning for both teachers and students. I returned home with the resolve to help superintendents of schools use STEM as an equity lever for excellence and social mobility of Black and Brown students.
Increasing the number of Black and Brown STEM graduates requires rethinking the structure and function of our educational system. We must also rethink our approach to teaching students. We can improve our STEM pipelines by first understanding the nature of the problem. Then, we must develop a thoughtful, innovative plan to address the issue.
In this article, I introduce Bronfenbrenner’s concept of ecological systems theory as a framework for school leaders to identify ways to create a cohesive, intentional plan to provide world-class STEM engagement and activity for students.
Using Systems Theory to Understand the Gaps in Black and Brown STEM Participation
The underrepresentation of Black and Brown students in STEM can be understood as an ecological phenomenon. In other words, we must look at the way we think about the problems related to STEM participation through the interrelationship of Black and Brown students and how they engage with their environments. I believe that looking at this problem through an ecological model will allow educators to understand better the complex, intractable, real-world issues that result in a limited number of Black and Brown students ultimately earning college degrees in STEM fields. Additionally, it can explain the disparities and inequities we currently see.
Five Systems
Russian psychologist Dr. Urie Bronfenbrenner divided a person’s environment into five systems. These five systems include the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the chronosystem.
Microsystem
In the case of education, the microsystem is the system closest to a student. It relates to the interactions between an individual and the immediate environment, including family, school, and work settings.
Mesosystem
The mesosystem represents interconnections among these settings, such as the collaborative relationship between parents and teachers, that will affect a student’s aspiration to pursue STEM courses in school.
Exosystem
Both the micro- and mesosystems are nested within an exosystem that can directly impact micro- or mesosystems without the student’s direct participation or involvement in the environmental layer (e.g., a school superintendent).
Macrosystem
The macrosystem captures the influence of broader cultural blueprints. These blueprints include belief systems, worldviews, or cultural identities, and they envelop the other system ecologies.
Chronosystem
Finally, the chronosystem captures the influence of time and transition on development. Examples include the impact of changing schools or episodes of social crisis, as in the case of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the transition to virtual learning.
Microsystem Challenges with Black and Brown Students in STEM
The microsystem represents the relationships between the developing person and the environment in an immediate setting containing that person. The home, school, or workplace all fall under this category. Here, I believe educators can look closely into the initial challenges facing Black and Brown students in STEM. School districts must begin helping parents feel comfortable with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Many kids come into school hearing their parents discuss how they hated math and science. As a result, kids enter school with deficit thinking about those subjects. More importantly, kids need to be exposed to STEM as early as preschool. STEM initiatives must be as important as reading initiatives. Schools can play a more direct role in educating and supporting parents to cultivate curiosity about STEM. They can also provide high-quality curricula and products for families at home.
Teachers matter in school environments, particularly in the primary years. Most pre-K and early learning teachers are not adequately prepared for STEM. School systems cannot rely on colleges of education to prepare teachers in this area. It must be a priority for the school district to invest in comprehensive professional development for teachers to strengthen their know-how in inspiring inquiry in STEM fields. A small investment will return great dividends.
Mesosystem Challenges with Black and Brown Students in STEM
The mesosystem represents “the interrelations among different settings in an emerging adult’s life. As it relates to school-aged children, the mesosystem typically encompasses interactions among family, school, and peer groups. The Mesosystem can cover the interaction of two or more microsystems, such as parents and school staff.
We know that parent engagement has an impact on how motivated a student is to learn. The more parents engage with school and collaborate with teachers, the more motivated a student will be to learn. School systems remain wise to invest in parent academies. Additionally, they are wise to help parents better advocate for the success of their students. Not all parents know how to engage with teachers and schools best. More importantly, not all teachers know how to best engage with parents. This remains particularly ttrue across cultures.
Most schools of education do not offer undergraduate courses in family engagement. Nor do they teach teachers how to build relationships with parents. This becomes even more of a challenge as teachers try to build relationships across races/cultures. The majority of Black and Brown students have majority white teachers. If teachers are not trained to connect with parents, and parents do not know how to best advocate for their children, the gaps we see in motivation and performance will persist. This is another easy area for school districts to invest in to change the current trajectory of STEM success.
Exosystem Challenges with Black and Brown Students in STEM
Areas of schooling related to the exosystem would be the social structures that impact students. These include policy issues, teacher education programs, and certification boards. Superintendents and school boards should use their influence to influence state policy related to teacher certification and requirements for licensure. As mentioned, teachers learn very little about parent engagement. As it relates to learning about STEM, requirements vary widely from state to state.
Again, schools vary greatly in quality. The requirements for pre-service teachers to learn how to incorporate technology and the requirements for learning science and mathematics remain limited. Superintendents and school boards can present compelling case studies and examples to state legislatures and state boards of education. Likewise, these boards can dramatically strengthen requirements for training in parent engagement and the sciences for pre-service teachers. Ensuring that pre-service teachers learn anti-racist pedagogy and can effectively connect and communicate with a diverse student body is a major shortcoming in school districts across the nation. Strengthening this would have a meaningful impact on STEM learning by Black and Brown students.
Superintendents and school boards can also work with their business communities to support media campaigns encouraging the community to embrace STEM initiatives. The media has a tremendous impact on students’ actions and motivations. An intentional effort to publicize opportunities for training, educate about the power and importance of STEM, and influence public opinion around STEM activities is critical in bringing awareness and promoting action between parents and schools related to STEM activities.
Macrosystem Challenges with Black and Brown Students in STEM
The macrosystem represents cultural beliefs that may hinder Black and Brown students’ participation in STEM fields. This is a missing element of most school system’s plans as they work to address STEM participation in school districts. We know that the US has historically disenfranchised Black and Brown students through policies, beliefs, and practices that have not centered on them or their talents. Racial injustice and structural discrimination have created foundations within school communities that have resulted in structural oppression. This has impacted hiring practices, funding, and curricula that students have access to.
Any STEM plan that does not alter a community’s belief system through an analysis of hiring practices in STEM, ensuring appropriate and adequate resources for STEM, and ensuring access to high-quality STEM curricula in all schools will fall short of success. Black and Brown students must be taught in a way that validates their strengths in the educational environment through collaborative and affirming pedagogy. Likewise, students should be expected to be exposed to rigorous and engaging STEM curricula to promote lasting change.
Chronosystem Challenges with Black and Brown Students in STEM
The chronosystem represents change or consistency over time, not only in the characteristics of the students but also in their surrounding setting and environment. As this domain relates to planning for Black and Brown students’ success in STEM, we must be thoughtful about designing a solid Pre-K through 12 program for STEM excellence in our schools.
In many districts nationwide, STEM activities are not connected or coordinated through the Pre-K continuum. Most school districts begin offering a coherent STEM program at the high school level. However, firm, coordinated, integrated programming is non-existent across elementary and middle school programming. STEM also continues to be perceived as a program offered to select students or in select schools instead of being universally integrated, like reading instruction. More work must be done looking across the progression of students’ STEM skills over time and in a logical, coordinated fashion to spur dramatic changes.
Exemplars of School Districts Doing Exemplary STEM Work
Several school districts across the US have partnered with 21stCentEd to accelerate the development of a comprehensive Pre-K-12 STEM plan. Founder and CEO Marlon Lindsay shared, “Comprehensive STEM education goes beyond implementing a standardized program. It involves recognizing the new educational landscape and ensuring ubiquitous access for students. It empowers educators through design-infused pedagogy and engages the community in fostering students’ skill development. Traditional education systems alone cannot meet the demands of 21st-century education. We need a collective effort to provide a customized and comprehensive approach.”
In East Ramapo, NY, the comprehensive STEM journey began by prioritizing teacher development and curriculum integration. The district’s leadership recognized the need to upskill educators while designing a curriculum that could be integrated across different subject areas. In Bridgeport, CT, the focus was on providing all students access to highly engaging STEM experiences through the 21stCentEd platform, employing an interest-based approach.
To reach as many students as possible, the district partnered with afterschool programs. The partnerships enabled students to participate in STEM experiences early, often, and everywhere. Similarly, in the Bronx, NY, the decentralized school district model required individualized plans for comprehensive STEM in each school. To galvanize the district and community, a districtwide STEM Fest was organized by 21stCentEd and Bronx Community District 9 at Yankee Stadium. Bringing comprehensive STEM to a school district is a multifaceted process that typically spans 3–5 years. It doesn’t matter where you start as long as you start somewhere.
Final Thoughts
Investing in STEM resources can lead to a brighter and more prosperous future. I see Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as an essential framework to help school leaders effectively plan to ensure more Black and Brown students are appropriately engaged in high-quality STEM work. We can create the STEM future we want to see within our Black and Brown communities. We know what needs to be done. The question becomes, are we willing to look at ourselves in the mirror and correct the historical challenges we have faced with a renewed commitment to excellence for all children? The first step in this journey is for school districts to consider a multi-faceted approach to addressing comprehensive STEM. Once a clear vision and clear goals are developed, districts can begin the journey of inspiring greater STEM achievement.
About the Author
DR. SHAWN JOSEPH
Dr. Shawn Joseph’s passion for equity and social justice has led him to serve in many positions in the world of education. He has been an English teacher, reading specialist, school administrator, central office administrator, and superintendent in Delaware (Seaford School District) and Tennessee (Metro Nashville Public Schools). He served on the faculty of Fordham University in the Department of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy during the 2019-2020 school year and is currently Co-Director of the AASA/Howard Urban Superintendent Academy and Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy Studies at Howard University.
