In this paper, second-year results of a five-year National Science Foundation (NSF), Noyce Scholars project are presented. In Year 1, we recruited six interns to work in STEM summer programs as a recruitment tool to attract and retain STEM undergraduates to dual major in elementary education. They worked in a variety of STEM-related educational…

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education is vital to the future of our country. STEM is everywhere, it shapes everyday experiences and it pervades every aspect of living. In 2009, the United States Department of Labor listed the 10 most wanted occupations, and eight of those required degrees in the STEM fields, including…

National data have shown for decades that Black students experience more frequent and severe disciplinary actions that remove them from school (e.g., suspension), compared to their White peers. Despite extensive research documenting the sequelae associated with suspension (e.g., school drop-out and delinquency), there has been relatively scant…

National data have shown for decades that Black students experience more frequent and severe disciplinary actions that remove them from school (e.g., suspension), compared with their White peers. Despite extensive research documenting the sequelae associated with suspension (e.g., school drop-out and delinquency), there has been relatively scant…

Tackling the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills shortage is an ongoing challenge for governments and policymakers worldwide. While the last decade has seen an increase in student enrolment into STEM degree courses in the UK, the gender gap remains a persistent issue in academia. In order to understand the causes…

The authors discuss the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) at University of Wisconsin--Whitewater, which pairs beginning students with mentors as paid research apprentices for one academic year. It seeks to encourage participation of students from underserved groups who are at higher risk of dropping out of college. RAP introduces students to…

With superintendents being overwhelmingly White, male, career educators, investigations into what factors contribute to the homogeneous composition of the position are warranted. This study examined whether superintendent candidates' and school board chairpersons' gender and candidates' professional background impact resume screening decisions.…

This article explores discriminatory discourses articulated by Italian professionals operating in educational, health and social services for refugees in Rome, in relation to the educational and social inclusion of unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children. It locates such narratives within the historical 'concealment and invisibilisation…

Light-touch social psychological interventions have gained considerable attention for their potential to improve academic outcomes for underrepresented and/or disadvantaged students in postsecondary education. While findings from previous interventions have demonstrated positive effects for racial and ethnic minority and first-generation students…

Inclusive STEM high schools (ISHSs) can be viewed as opportunity structures for students underrepresented in STEM. By opportunity structures, we mean an education that provides not only access to high quality STEM curriculum and instruction or "opportunity to learn," but also the capacity to create learning environments where students…

Historically, African American male students have been disproportionately overrepresented in special education under the eligibility categories emotional disturbance, and behavior disorders. Additionally, African American male students with disabilities have consistently underperformed academically. If a student does not perceive that the teacher…

The declining student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) remains a national concern. More problematic, Black high school students disproportionately lack access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are essential stepping-stones in the path to STEM careers. This dissertation explores the psychosocial factors…

This study focuses on at-risk students entering 9th grade in Cambridge, MA and ways to increase their connectedness and science learner identity. At-risk students were invited to participate in a research-based, summer intervention program called Rise Up for four weeks prior to entering 9th grade in the fall. Students were grouped into three…

In January 2014, the Obama administration issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) on school discipline. The DCL claimed that: (1) school districts rely excessively on suspensions; (2) black students are suspended at disproportionately high rates primarily because of educators' racial bias; (3) suspensions cause substantial long-term harm to students;…

This study was designed to explore how secondary school counselors affect the entrance of African American students into higher education based on counselor beliefs. Minimizing and understanding barriers to postsecondary access is critical in closing the achievement gap for underrepresented African American students. Gaps in enrollment is often…