Ramon Goings | University of Maryland Baltimore County (original) (raw)
Papers by Ramon Goings
Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 2019
Given the rapid decline of teachers and school leaders after the Brown v. Board of Education deci... more Given the rapid decline of teachers and school leaders after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, there has been an increased conversation on diversifying the educator workforce. Furthermore, little is known about the preparation of human resource officers (HROs) who share responsibility for teacher candidate selection and hiring. This study focuses on 12 HROs' views on how their formal education prepared them to hire a diverse educator workforce. Findings suggest that HROs did not receive adequate training in their educational leadership program on workforce diversity and hiring. This study provides implications for educational leadership programs that train school-based HROs.
Journal of Educational Foundations, 2019
Nationally Black males comprise less than 2% of public school teachers. The startling figure is n... more Nationally Black males comprise less than 2% of public school teachers. The startling figure is not sustainable in a diverse society. Increasingly researchers have focused on the experiences of Black male inservice teachers. However, there is scant research that investigates the role school administrators in urban, suburban, and rural districts play in creating supportive environments for Black male preservice teachers. This article fills in a gap in the research by examining the barriers Black male preservice teachers encounter and provides actionable steps school administrators in urban, suburban, and rural districts should take to create healthy ecosystems for Black male preservice teachers.
Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men, 2018
Using the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002), this study investigates predictors ... more Using the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002
(ELS: 2002), this study investigates predictors of Black male students’
educational attainment and bachelor’s degree completion. Regression
results showed that above and beyond the effect from socioeconomic
status (SES), students’ expectations and math teachers’ expectations
were statistically significant in predicting Black male students’ educational attainment, and students’ expectations was the only significant
predictor of bachelor’s degree completion. Independent sample t-tests
also found significant differences between Black male students who
completed their bachelor’s degree and those who did not with regard to
their expectations of academic achievement, teacher-student relationships,
parental involvement and expectations, and influence of friends.
Implications for K–12 and higher education are discussed.
Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education , 2018
Given that Black students are more likely to be suspended from school than their White counterpar... more Given that Black students are more likely to be suspended from school than their White counterparts, researchers, educators, policymakers, activists, and parents have forced national attention onto the need to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP). A perspective that needs to be further explored is that of district and school leaders who have the challenge of making leadership decisions that influence the STPP. In this article, we take the position that district and school leaders must be provided tangible solutions to dismantle the STPP for Black students. Thus, we use Du Bois’ (1903) notion of double consciousness as a conceptual lens to examine
the STPP and the dilemma Black school leaders face in dealing with disciplinary infractions. We then present a case from the second author’s experience as a practicing school leader to explore how school leaders are often presented with complicated choices when it comes to making decisions that potentially send a student into the STPP trajectory. Due to the fact school leaders are rarely provided tangible solutions for disrupting the STPP, we provide recommendations for school leaders on how to disrupt the STPP.
Diversifying the teaching profession has garnered attention from researchers, policy makers, and ... more Diversifying the teaching profession has garnered attention from researchers, policy makers, and educational stakeholders. However, missing within this conversation is the role of school and district leaders in diversifying the teaching profession. We argue that without considering school and district leaders, diversity initiatives will not have a long-term systemic impact. Thus, this article fills in a gap in the literature on this topic. First, we provide a brief overview of the current racial and ethnic demographics of the teaching workforce and student population and discuss the barriers to recruiting and retaining a diverse teacher workforce. Second, we highlight the factors that have been found to influence the recruitment and retention of racial diversity of teachers at the pre-service and in-service levels. Lastly, we provide recommendations for school-based and district leaders on how they should plan for diversifying their teacher workforce.
Purpose – There is limited discussion in the teacher education literature about the experiences o... more Purpose – There is limited discussion in the teacher education literature about the experiences of preservice black male teachers generally and the ethnic diversity among black male pre-service teachers specifically. Thus, this paper aims to explore the experiences of Frank, a black male refugee health education major attending an historically black college and university (HBCU).
Design/methodology/approach – This research study is theoretically guided by selected tenets of Bush and Bush’s (2013) African American male theory and Goodman et al.’s (2006) transition framework and uses a
qualitative approach to explore Frank’s transition experiences when coming to America, attending college and engaging in his student teaching experience.
Findings – Frank experienced some difficulty transitioning to America, as a result of not having a strong financial foundation. During his college transition, Frank believed that the HBCU environment was nurturing;
however, he encountered numerous ethnocentrically charged hostile confrontations from US-born black students at his university because of his accent. While he had some disagreements with the US education system in terms of discipline, Frank believed that his accent served as an asset during student teaching.
Originality/value – This study adds to the burgeoning research that explores the intersectional identities among pre-service black male teachers. As we argue in this paper, researchers, policymakers and
practitioners cannot treat black male teachers as a monolithic group and must contemplate the unique supports needed that can attend to the racial and ethnic needs of black male teachers.
This qualitative study investigated theacademic and social experiences and life eventsthat propel... more This qualitative study investigated theacademic and social experiences and life eventsthat propelled 13 Black male nontraditional undergraduates to transition back to college and explored the various programs and institutional agents these men used once on campus. Findings indicated that participant’s faced challenges with college as traditional-aged students due to being under and over involved with
social activities on campus or choosing to pursue a work career. As a result, participants had either delayed entry into college or dropped out
as traditional-aged students. However, participants transitioned back to college due to wanting to make up for not completing their degree earlier
in life, needing to increase their employment opportunities, and wanting to prove their doubters wrong. Finally, findings indicated that while the men found support from certain professors on their campuses, there were few targeted programs specifically for nontraditional students
on campus. Recommendations on how to support nontraditional Black male students are provided.
To investigate the topics that African American ninth graders discuss during individual counselin... more To investigate the topics that African American ninth graders discuss during individual counseling sessions, we used the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009. Results showed that ninth-grade African American students most frequently talked with school counselors about going to college, math courses, and other courses. African American male students were more likely than female students to talk to school counselors about science courses. Socioeconomic status and school belonging had significant impact on the topics African American students raised in individual counseling sessions. We provide discussion and implications for school counselors.
Educational Leadership, 2018
This article highlights the need to introduce students earlier in their K-12 experience to becomi... more This article highlights the need to introduce students earlier in their K-12 experience to becoming a teacher. We then discuss the impact of one such program called Pathways2Teaching on increasing the representation of students of color in the field of education.
Gifted Child Quarterly, 2018
Using a two-phase content analysis approach, this study examined how education scholars have disc... more Using a two-phase content analysis approach, this study examined how education scholars have discussed the intersection of giftedness, race, and poverty in gifted academic journals from 2000 to 2015. Specifically, the authors explored the following questions: (a) What are the characteristics of studies published that explore the intersection of giftedness, poverty, and students of color? (b) How do scholars discuss and theorize about how to recruit and retain gifted students of color who come from families living in poverty? (c) In what ways do scholars discuss the intersection of race and poverty for gifted students of color? Findings indicated that while studies were focused on students of color, there was limited discussion about the impact of race and poverty on the recruitment and retention of gifted students of color who come from families living in poverty. Implications and future research are discussed.
Researchers have examined the experiences of Black male collegians attending historically Black c... more Researchers have examined the experiences of Black male collegians attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). However, there are limited studies exploring the experiences of high-achieving Black males. Using Whiting's (2014) scholar identity model (SIM) as a theoretical framework, this study examined the academic and social experiences of Tim and Jabari, two high-achieving Black male HBCU graduates, to understand the challenges they overcame and supports that aided their academic success. Tim and Jabari's stories highlight the positive impact of supportive professors and peers at HBCUs, but underscore how these same individuals created barriers to their success. Furthermore, their stories emphasize the dedication and persistence required to obtain a degree despite various barriers. Given the low graduation rates at HBCUs understanding the experiences of high-achievers can yield meaningful information to inform HBCU researchers, faculty and administrators on how to better support Black males on campus.
There has been a national- and state-level call for colleges and universities to develop targeted... more There has been a national- and state-level call for colleges
and universities to develop targeted mentoring programs for Black males. However, there is limited published scholarship that has investigated the experiences of non-U.S.-born Black males in these college mentoring programs generally, and at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) specifically. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the experiences of a 17-year-old Black male college sophomore from the United Kingdom who enrolled in a HBCU male focused mentoring program. Findings reveal that he benefited from pre-college mentoring as he developed strategies to respond to racist encounters during his K–12 schooling in the United Kingdom. In the university mentoring program, he
benefited most from one-on-one mentoring opportunities with university officials. Implications for universities and future research are discussed.
Despite more than 30 years of reform efforts and policy changes, urban education systems have fai... more Despite more than 30 years of reform efforts and policy changes, urban education systems have failed to close various gaps (e.g., academic, discipline) among low-income students of color. As a result, ensuring the academic success for students of color in urban school districts in the United States has been the subject of numerous policies, reports, books, and articles. Despite the numerous efforts to bridge the gaps that exist among low-income youth of color and their counterparts, there is much room for improvement. The persistent underachievement of students, especially those in urban schools, has placed a large number of students at risk of school failure (Milner and Lomotey 2015). For many youth who reside in urban areas, school failure translates into disengagement from the schooling process. Students who are disengaged or who do not have access to some of the materials and resources that are needed for them to be successful often do not perform well academically. Students from low-income backgrounds are at a disadvantage before they even enter a classroom as a result of the differing economic, cultural, social, and academic experiences that they have encountered. In addition, many students arrive at school with different experiences in terms of access to educational materials and resources at home and school. Environmental factors such as joblessness, teenage pregnancy, crime, single-headed families, and welfare dependency may pose a challenge to children who grown up in certain underserved communities. All of these factors tend to exacerbate the problems that are present in urban schools today. In many instances, the aforementioned issues fall under the auspice of educational (in)
This study explored the academic and social experiences of high-achieving Black males attending a... more This study explored the academic and social experiences of high-achieving Black males attending a historically Black university and their interactions with faculty. In particular, this study investigated the strategies traditional (ages 18–24) and nontraditional (ages 25 and over) high achievers used to foster positive classroom interactions with professors. Findings indicate that traditional participants used a strategy they described as " standing out " in order to foster faculty relationships and distinguish themselves from other Black males on campus. The nontraditional participants mastered what they described as " never outshine the master, " a tactical and political strategy used with professors to avoid being offensive, being seen as a know-it-all, or negatively impacting their grades. These strategies are described and the article concludes with implications for historically Black college and university faculty and future research.
In the USA, out-of-school suspension leaves numerous young people in transition, caught between t... more In the USA, out-of-school suspension leaves numerous young people in transition, caught between the school and their communities. A limited body of literature neither documents the experiences of suspended young people from ethnically diverse populations nor provides insight into the spaces they occupy. This study used an exploratory mixed methods design to identify psychological, social and spatial dimensions of social connectedness in the experiences of suspended young people participating in a community intervention. The study aimed to explicate social connectedness as a protective factor and how underlying dimensions of social connectedness construct sites of recovery for suspended young people.
Purpose – Research often neglects the full continuum of the STEM pipeline in terms of underserved... more Purpose – Research often neglects the full continuum of the STEM pipeline in terms of underserved and underrepresented populations. African American males, in particular, experience limited access, opportunity, and preparation along STEM trajectories preK-12. The purpose of this paper is to challenge this gap by presenting examples of preK-12 programs that nurture and promote STEM development and learner outcomes for underrepresented populations.
Design/methodology/approach – A culturally responsive, asset-based approach emphasizes the importance of leveraging out-of-school practices that shape African-American males learning experiences. From a practitioner standpoint, the need to understand the importance of developing a STEM identity as a conduit to better improve STEM outcomes for African-American males is discussed.
Findings – To respond to the full continuum of the pipeline, the authors highlight the role of families and STEM programs that support African-American male students' STEM identity development generally with an emphasis on how particular out-of-school programs (e.g. The Children's Museum of Memphis [CMOM], MathScience Innovation Center [MSiC]) cultivate STEM trajectories. The authors conclude with how preK-12 settings can collaborate with local museums and other agencies to create opportunities for greater access and improve the quality of African-American males' STEM preparation.
Originality/value – The intellectual value of our work lies in the fact that few studies have focused on the importance of examining the full continuum of the STEM pipeline with a particular emphasis on STEM development in early childhood (preK-3). Similarly, few studies have examined the role of identity construction and meaning-making practices as a conduit to better STEM outcomes for African-American males prek-12.
The goal of this qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of high school age Black males... more The goal of this qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of high
school age Black males (N = 22) regarding factors that influence or deter their consideration of becoming teachers. Participants were enrolled in a yearlong, precollegiate course designed to introduce high school students to the teaching profession. Qualitative analysis of students’ interviews revealed that negative school experiences, including low expectations, racial stereotypes, and microaggressions, deterred consideration of becoming a teacher. Positive interactions with encouraging teachers and the opportunity to have direct teaching experience in the community helped students see themselves as potential future teachers. Implications for practice are discussed.
Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 2019
Given the rapid decline of teachers and school leaders after the Brown v. Board of Education deci... more Given the rapid decline of teachers and school leaders after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, there has been an increased conversation on diversifying the educator workforce. Furthermore, little is known about the preparation of human resource officers (HROs) who share responsibility for teacher candidate selection and hiring. This study focuses on 12 HROs' views on how their formal education prepared them to hire a diverse educator workforce. Findings suggest that HROs did not receive adequate training in their educational leadership program on workforce diversity and hiring. This study provides implications for educational leadership programs that train school-based HROs.
Journal of Educational Foundations, 2019
Nationally Black males comprise less than 2% of public school teachers. The startling figure is n... more Nationally Black males comprise less than 2% of public school teachers. The startling figure is not sustainable in a diverse society. Increasingly researchers have focused on the experiences of Black male inservice teachers. However, there is scant research that investigates the role school administrators in urban, suburban, and rural districts play in creating supportive environments for Black male preservice teachers. This article fills in a gap in the research by examining the barriers Black male preservice teachers encounter and provides actionable steps school administrators in urban, suburban, and rural districts should take to create healthy ecosystems for Black male preservice teachers.
Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men, 2018
Using the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002), this study investigates predictors ... more Using the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002
(ELS: 2002), this study investigates predictors of Black male students’
educational attainment and bachelor’s degree completion. Regression
results showed that above and beyond the effect from socioeconomic
status (SES), students’ expectations and math teachers’ expectations
were statistically significant in predicting Black male students’ educational attainment, and students’ expectations was the only significant
predictor of bachelor’s degree completion. Independent sample t-tests
also found significant differences between Black male students who
completed their bachelor’s degree and those who did not with regard to
their expectations of academic achievement, teacher-student relationships,
parental involvement and expectations, and influence of friends.
Implications for K–12 and higher education are discussed.
Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education , 2018
Given that Black students are more likely to be suspended from school than their White counterpar... more Given that Black students are more likely to be suspended from school than their White counterparts, researchers, educators, policymakers, activists, and parents have forced national attention onto the need to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP). A perspective that needs to be further explored is that of district and school leaders who have the challenge of making leadership decisions that influence the STPP. In this article, we take the position that district and school leaders must be provided tangible solutions to dismantle the STPP for Black students. Thus, we use Du Bois’ (1903) notion of double consciousness as a conceptual lens to examine
the STPP and the dilemma Black school leaders face in dealing with disciplinary infractions. We then present a case from the second author’s experience as a practicing school leader to explore how school leaders are often presented with complicated choices when it comes to making decisions that potentially send a student into the STPP trajectory. Due to the fact school leaders are rarely provided tangible solutions for disrupting the STPP, we provide recommendations for school leaders on how to disrupt the STPP.
Diversifying the teaching profession has garnered attention from researchers, policy makers, and ... more Diversifying the teaching profession has garnered attention from researchers, policy makers, and educational stakeholders. However, missing within this conversation is the role of school and district leaders in diversifying the teaching profession. We argue that without considering school and district leaders, diversity initiatives will not have a long-term systemic impact. Thus, this article fills in a gap in the literature on this topic. First, we provide a brief overview of the current racial and ethnic demographics of the teaching workforce and student population and discuss the barriers to recruiting and retaining a diverse teacher workforce. Second, we highlight the factors that have been found to influence the recruitment and retention of racial diversity of teachers at the pre-service and in-service levels. Lastly, we provide recommendations for school-based and district leaders on how they should plan for diversifying their teacher workforce.
Purpose – There is limited discussion in the teacher education literature about the experiences o... more Purpose – There is limited discussion in the teacher education literature about the experiences of preservice black male teachers generally and the ethnic diversity among black male pre-service teachers specifically. Thus, this paper aims to explore the experiences of Frank, a black male refugee health education major attending an historically black college and university (HBCU).
Design/methodology/approach – This research study is theoretically guided by selected tenets of Bush and Bush’s (2013) African American male theory and Goodman et al.’s (2006) transition framework and uses a
qualitative approach to explore Frank’s transition experiences when coming to America, attending college and engaging in his student teaching experience.
Findings – Frank experienced some difficulty transitioning to America, as a result of not having a strong financial foundation. During his college transition, Frank believed that the HBCU environment was nurturing;
however, he encountered numerous ethnocentrically charged hostile confrontations from US-born black students at his university because of his accent. While he had some disagreements with the US education system in terms of discipline, Frank believed that his accent served as an asset during student teaching.
Originality/value – This study adds to the burgeoning research that explores the intersectional identities among pre-service black male teachers. As we argue in this paper, researchers, policymakers and
practitioners cannot treat black male teachers as a monolithic group and must contemplate the unique supports needed that can attend to the racial and ethnic needs of black male teachers.
This qualitative study investigated theacademic and social experiences and life eventsthat propel... more This qualitative study investigated theacademic and social experiences and life eventsthat propelled 13 Black male nontraditional undergraduates to transition back to college and explored the various programs and institutional agents these men used once on campus. Findings indicated that participant’s faced challenges with college as traditional-aged students due to being under and over involved with
social activities on campus or choosing to pursue a work career. As a result, participants had either delayed entry into college or dropped out
as traditional-aged students. However, participants transitioned back to college due to wanting to make up for not completing their degree earlier
in life, needing to increase their employment opportunities, and wanting to prove their doubters wrong. Finally, findings indicated that while the men found support from certain professors on their campuses, there were few targeted programs specifically for nontraditional students
on campus. Recommendations on how to support nontraditional Black male students are provided.
To investigate the topics that African American ninth graders discuss during individual counselin... more To investigate the topics that African American ninth graders discuss during individual counseling sessions, we used the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009. Results showed that ninth-grade African American students most frequently talked with school counselors about going to college, math courses, and other courses. African American male students were more likely than female students to talk to school counselors about science courses. Socioeconomic status and school belonging had significant impact on the topics African American students raised in individual counseling sessions. We provide discussion and implications for school counselors.
Educational Leadership, 2018
This article highlights the need to introduce students earlier in their K-12 experience to becomi... more This article highlights the need to introduce students earlier in their K-12 experience to becoming a teacher. We then discuss the impact of one such program called Pathways2Teaching on increasing the representation of students of color in the field of education.
Gifted Child Quarterly, 2018
Using a two-phase content analysis approach, this study examined how education scholars have disc... more Using a two-phase content analysis approach, this study examined how education scholars have discussed the intersection of giftedness, race, and poverty in gifted academic journals from 2000 to 2015. Specifically, the authors explored the following questions: (a) What are the characteristics of studies published that explore the intersection of giftedness, poverty, and students of color? (b) How do scholars discuss and theorize about how to recruit and retain gifted students of color who come from families living in poverty? (c) In what ways do scholars discuss the intersection of race and poverty for gifted students of color? Findings indicated that while studies were focused on students of color, there was limited discussion about the impact of race and poverty on the recruitment and retention of gifted students of color who come from families living in poverty. Implications and future research are discussed.
Researchers have examined the experiences of Black male collegians attending historically Black c... more Researchers have examined the experiences of Black male collegians attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). However, there are limited studies exploring the experiences of high-achieving Black males. Using Whiting's (2014) scholar identity model (SIM) as a theoretical framework, this study examined the academic and social experiences of Tim and Jabari, two high-achieving Black male HBCU graduates, to understand the challenges they overcame and supports that aided their academic success. Tim and Jabari's stories highlight the positive impact of supportive professors and peers at HBCUs, but underscore how these same individuals created barriers to their success. Furthermore, their stories emphasize the dedication and persistence required to obtain a degree despite various barriers. Given the low graduation rates at HBCUs understanding the experiences of high-achievers can yield meaningful information to inform HBCU researchers, faculty and administrators on how to better support Black males on campus.
There has been a national- and state-level call for colleges and universities to develop targeted... more There has been a national- and state-level call for colleges
and universities to develop targeted mentoring programs for Black males. However, there is limited published scholarship that has investigated the experiences of non-U.S.-born Black males in these college mentoring programs generally, and at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) specifically. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the experiences of a 17-year-old Black male college sophomore from the United Kingdom who enrolled in a HBCU male focused mentoring program. Findings reveal that he benefited from pre-college mentoring as he developed strategies to respond to racist encounters during his K–12 schooling in the United Kingdom. In the university mentoring program, he
benefited most from one-on-one mentoring opportunities with university officials. Implications for universities and future research are discussed.
Despite more than 30 years of reform efforts and policy changes, urban education systems have fai... more Despite more than 30 years of reform efforts and policy changes, urban education systems have failed to close various gaps (e.g., academic, discipline) among low-income students of color. As a result, ensuring the academic success for students of color in urban school districts in the United States has been the subject of numerous policies, reports, books, and articles. Despite the numerous efforts to bridge the gaps that exist among low-income youth of color and their counterparts, there is much room for improvement. The persistent underachievement of students, especially those in urban schools, has placed a large number of students at risk of school failure (Milner and Lomotey 2015). For many youth who reside in urban areas, school failure translates into disengagement from the schooling process. Students who are disengaged or who do not have access to some of the materials and resources that are needed for them to be successful often do not perform well academically. Students from low-income backgrounds are at a disadvantage before they even enter a classroom as a result of the differing economic, cultural, social, and academic experiences that they have encountered. In addition, many students arrive at school with different experiences in terms of access to educational materials and resources at home and school. Environmental factors such as joblessness, teenage pregnancy, crime, single-headed families, and welfare dependency may pose a challenge to children who grown up in certain underserved communities. All of these factors tend to exacerbate the problems that are present in urban schools today. In many instances, the aforementioned issues fall under the auspice of educational (in)
This study explored the academic and social experiences of high-achieving Black males attending a... more This study explored the academic and social experiences of high-achieving Black males attending a historically Black university and their interactions with faculty. In particular, this study investigated the strategies traditional (ages 18–24) and nontraditional (ages 25 and over) high achievers used to foster positive classroom interactions with professors. Findings indicate that traditional participants used a strategy they described as " standing out " in order to foster faculty relationships and distinguish themselves from other Black males on campus. The nontraditional participants mastered what they described as " never outshine the master, " a tactical and political strategy used with professors to avoid being offensive, being seen as a know-it-all, or negatively impacting their grades. These strategies are described and the article concludes with implications for historically Black college and university faculty and future research.
In the USA, out-of-school suspension leaves numerous young people in transition, caught between t... more In the USA, out-of-school suspension leaves numerous young people in transition, caught between the school and their communities. A limited body of literature neither documents the experiences of suspended young people from ethnically diverse populations nor provides insight into the spaces they occupy. This study used an exploratory mixed methods design to identify psychological, social and spatial dimensions of social connectedness in the experiences of suspended young people participating in a community intervention. The study aimed to explicate social connectedness as a protective factor and how underlying dimensions of social connectedness construct sites of recovery for suspended young people.
Purpose – Research often neglects the full continuum of the STEM pipeline in terms of underserved... more Purpose – Research often neglects the full continuum of the STEM pipeline in terms of underserved and underrepresented populations. African American males, in particular, experience limited access, opportunity, and preparation along STEM trajectories preK-12. The purpose of this paper is to challenge this gap by presenting examples of preK-12 programs that nurture and promote STEM development and learner outcomes for underrepresented populations.
Design/methodology/approach – A culturally responsive, asset-based approach emphasizes the importance of leveraging out-of-school practices that shape African-American males learning experiences. From a practitioner standpoint, the need to understand the importance of developing a STEM identity as a conduit to better improve STEM outcomes for African-American males is discussed.
Findings – To respond to the full continuum of the pipeline, the authors highlight the role of families and STEM programs that support African-American male students' STEM identity development generally with an emphasis on how particular out-of-school programs (e.g. The Children's Museum of Memphis [CMOM], MathScience Innovation Center [MSiC]) cultivate STEM trajectories. The authors conclude with how preK-12 settings can collaborate with local museums and other agencies to create opportunities for greater access and improve the quality of African-American males' STEM preparation.
Originality/value – The intellectual value of our work lies in the fact that few studies have focused on the importance of examining the full continuum of the STEM pipeline with a particular emphasis on STEM development in early childhood (preK-3). Similarly, few studies have examined the role of identity construction and meaning-making practices as a conduit to better STEM outcomes for African-American males prek-12.
The goal of this qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of high school age Black males... more The goal of this qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of high
school age Black males (N = 22) regarding factors that influence or deter their consideration of becoming teachers. Participants were enrolled in a yearlong, precollegiate course designed to introduce high school students to the teaching profession. Qualitative analysis of students’ interviews revealed that negative school experiences, including low expectations, racial stereotypes, and microaggressions, deterred consideration of becoming a teacher. Positive interactions with encouraging teachers and the opportunity to have direct teaching experience in the community helped students see themselves as potential future teachers. Implications for practice are discussed.