LabXchange is committed to creating equitable opportunities for success in science. In this project, we will create content that supports educators and guides learners. This new content will show how to apply critical thinking skills to identify and transform structures that sustain racial inequity in healthcare, education, and STEM fields in the US.
Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than white women.
(CDC, 2017)Black STEM college majors are more likely to leave STEM than their white peers, either by switching fields (36% vs. 28%) or by leaving college without a degree (29% vs. 20%). This pattern has essentially remained for 30 years.
(Chen and Soldner 2013; Asai, 2020)In 2018, Black residents were 12.3% of the US population, but only 8.4% of bachelor’s graduates, 8.3% of master’s graduates, and 5.5% of doctoral graduates.
(NSF/NCSES, 2018)These interdisciplinary learning materials review the history of racism in science and examine the structures that prevent racialized groups, specifically Black Americans, from having equal access to opportunities in healthcare, education, and STEM fields.
In collaboration with leading scholars and experts, we will develop two new clusters of learning pathways to raise awareness of racism. For educators, we will provide high-quality curricular materials and evidence-based antiracist and inclusive teaching tools to use in the classroom. For learners, we will provide engaging materials to learn to recognize and rectify systemic racism.
This cluster explores why and how racism is considered a public health crisis in the US. It also teaches foundational concepts needed to build critical thinking skills for understanding and rectifying structural racism. Topics include explorations into the historical formations of race, as well as the role of science, medicine, and health. It also contains case studies of various health disparities.
Across STEM fields, the legacy of racism can be seen in the disproportionate underrepresentation of racialized groups such as Black Americans. To increase diversity in science and diverse leadership in science, science teachers must be equipped with inclusive teaching strategies. This cluster contains evidence-based practices to help educators increase Black students’ sense of belonging, identity, and success in science.
An interdisciplinary team of top experts leads the project.
Postgraduate scholars from across the US provide expert guidance on learning materials and teaching resources.
A team of postgraduate scholars from across the US research and author the learning materials and teaching guides.