Science Education Matters: Why Our Story Matters

During her TED Talk, novelist Chimamanda Adichie, eloquently articulated that there is danger in telling a single story. This is why the New York Times 1619 Project fascinates and inspires me. The old singular story of American descendants of slaves is being rejected and a collective truth about Black Americans, and all the complexities of a people, is making its way into public discourse (and hopefully schools too). Since the unveiling of the 1619 Project, I have been contemplating how our 400-year history of enslavement, Jim Crow, mass incarceration, segregation, redlining, and systematic racism has shaped STEM education for our entire society. Has the push for civil rights drawn us (America) closer to our potential, or will we require deep reconciliation, and another 400 years to reshape the future into a complete vision of harmony, peace, and equity? How do we even define equity and within which paradigm do we build support for equitable systems and practices? I’m craving the knowledge to understand how America’s history, and a system built on the principles of freedom, could create such a divide between the haves and the have nots. What are the forms of systemic racism and oppression, or other roadblocks, that prevent Black teachers from entering science education? How do we create new sustainable programs and partnerships to increase the number of Black teachers in science education? Can Modeling Instruction, woven into a teacher education program, serve to help diversify high school faculty, while also addressing the teacher shortage and the lack of teacher preparation? And lastly, what type of support do teachers of color need to maintain the self-efficacy to remain a teacher after three to five years in the field?