STEM 

Teacher 

Prep 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 
 

 

DISCLAIMER 

Any content or opinions expressed in this webinar are not that of the 

U.S. Department of Education nor an endorsement of any persons, 

products, programs, or policies mentioned herein. 

QUESTIONS patti.curtis@ed.gov 
 

 

 

 

STEM Newsletter www.ed.gov/subscriptions 

STEM Webpage www.ed.gov/STEM 

ED Grants https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grants-apply.html 

STEM Request for Information – comments due October 19. 

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/09/04/2020-

19681/notice-of-request-for-information-on-stem-education 

Email questions to: Patti.Curtis@ed.gov 
On being timely... 
 

 

MIA HOWERTON 

Program Manager, Effective Educator 

Development, U.S. Dept. of Education 

KAMAL HAMDAN 

Director, Center for Innovation of 

STEM Education, California State 

University – Dominguez Hills 

JANET STRAMMEL 

Professor, College of Education, 

Fort Hays State University 

COLLEEN HINDS-RODGERS 

National Director of STEM, 

Teach for America 

DAVID STROUPE 

Associate Professor, Department of Teacher 

Education, Michigan State University 

NIRAL SHAH 

Assistant Professor, College of 

Education, University of Washington
Mia Howerton 

Program Manager 

Effective Educator Development 

U.S. Dept. of Education 
 

Office of 

Elementary and 

Secondary 

Education 

Effective Educator Development Division (EED) 

Venitia Richardson, Director 

Orman Feres, Group Leader 

Mia Howerton, Group Leader (Mia.Howerton@ed.gov) 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Effective 

Educator 

Development 

EED Mission: 

To serve educators by providing districts, states and other key stakeholders with

financial support and technical assistance to promote the development and use of

evidence-based practices for the preparation, recruitment, retention and engagement of P-12 educators. 

EED Vision: 

We imagine an educational culture where all practitioners routinely use evidence to 

drive inquiry, creativity, collaboration, engagement and decision-making that maximizes student success. 

How We Do It: 

 Help improve local educational agencies (LEAs) ability to recruit, train, support and retain 

effective teachers, principals, and other school leaders in high-need schools; 

 Help improve LEA’s ability to providing evidence-based professional development that addresses literacy, numeracy, remedial education, or other needs of school districts and the

students they serve; 

 Provide principals with the tools necessary to make school-level decisions, like staffing, in order to build high-performing instructional leadership teams for high-need schools; 

 Support non-traditional preparation and certification pathways that allow teachers, principals, or other school leaders to obtain employment in traditionally underserved LEAs;

and 

 Support LEAS in implementing a differentiated salary structure for P-12 educators who teach 

in high-needs schools or teach high-need subjects, raise student academic achievement, and/or take on additional leadership responsibilities that also help raise student academic 

achievement. 
EED Programs 

Supporting 

Effective 

Educator 

Development 

(SEED) 

Teacher 

Quality 

Partnerships 

(TQP) 

Teacher and 

School Leader 

Incentive 

Fund/Teacher 

Incentive 

Fund (TSL/TIF) 

American 

History and 

Civics – 

Academies 

(AHC-A) 

American 

History and 

Civics – 

National 

Activities 

(AHC-NA) 

Teach to Lead 

School 

Ambassador 

Fellowship 

https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/ 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEED 

(Educator Prep Program) 

Eligible Entity = 

IHE or National Nonprofit 

Organization 

Program Purpose: 

SEED seeks to increase the number of highly effective educators by supporting the 

implementation of Evidence-Based practices that prepare, develop, or enhance the 

skills of educators. 

Absolute Priorities: 

 Supporting Effective Teachers. (Moderate Evidence) 

 Supporting Effective Principals or Other School Leaders. (Promising Evidence) 

 25% Annual Nonfederal Match Requirement 

 3-year grants with potential for 2 additional years 

 Currently there are 25 Active SEED Grants across 22 states 

 Teach For America – SEED FY 17 –Pre-ESSA and FY 18 Post - ESSA 

 Competitive Preference Priorities (CPP) 

 2018 and 2020 TQP competitions also contained CPPs that 

encouraged the preparation of teachers who would teach STEM 

subjects but these CPPs placed an emphasis on Computer Science. 

 Approx. $145 million awarded in for STEM educator prep over the last 

three years under the SEED program. 

 New FY 20 SEED awards will be announced on October 1, 2020. 

https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/effectiveeducator-development-programs/supporting-effective-educator-development-grantprogram/ 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TQP 

(Teacher Prep Program) 

Eligible Entity = 

“Eligible Partnership” 

(Partner IHE, College of Education and 

College of Arts and Sciences Partner

high-need LEA, partner, high-need 

schools) 

Program Purpose: 

TQP seeks to improve student achievement by improving the quality of new teachers.

TQP projects aim to meet the needs of their partner high-need LEAs. This includes 

recruiting, training, and retaining teachers in STEM and other high-need subject areas. 

Absolute Priorities: 

 Partnership Grants for the for the preparation of teachers (Pre-bac Model) 

 Partnership Grants for the Establishment of Effective Teaching Residency

Programs (Residency Model) 

 LOTS of program requirements 

 100% Nonfederal Match Requirement 

 5-year grants 

 Currently there are 52 Active TQP Grants across 22 states and

the District of Columbia 

 CSU – Dominguez Hills TQP - FY 14 

 Competitive Preference Priorities (CPP) 

 2014 and 2016 TQP competitions both contained CPPs that

encouraged the preparation of teachers who would teach STEM 

subjects 

 2018 and 2019 TQP competitions also contained CPPs that

encouraged the preparation of teachers who would teach STEM 

subjects but these CPPs placed an emphasis on Computer Science. 

 TQP GPRA Measures specifically speak to the number of STEM 

teachers that graduate the TQP program each year. 

 Approx. $160 million dollars in STEM teacher prep awarded since

2014 under the TQP program. 

 New FY 20 TQP awards will be announced on October 1, 2020. 

https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support- services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-quality-partnership/ 
Dr. Kamal Hamdan 

Director, Center for Innovation of 

STEM Education 

California State University – 

Dominguez Hills 
 

C A L I F O R N I A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y D O M I N G U E Z H I L L S 

STEM Teacher PREP Webinar 

US Department of Education 

HELLO & WELCOME 

KAMAL HAMDAN 

California State University Dominguez Hills 

September 15, 2020 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPERIENCES & LESSONS LEARNED 

From my K-12 experience: 

● Developed an understanding of the challenges of being a teacher at a high need 

school & the need to have highly qualified teachers; 

● Learned that we must staff schools with the right teachers; It is not simply about 

staffing schools, it is about staffing schools with the right teachers. 

From my IHE experience: 

● Developed an understanding of teacher preparation and the challenges of being a 

teacher candidate; 

● Learned that we must develop better and more diverse teacher pathways (Alternative 

routes to certification, residencies, blended, etc.) to empower those who aspire to 

become teachers to choose the right program for themselves (Not the one-size fits all 

approach); 
 

 

 

 

 

EXPERIENCES & LESSONS LEARNED 

From my USDOE & NSF grants experience (such as Teacher Quality Partnership grants): 

● Developed a much deeper understanding of the need to diversify the teaching force 

● Learned that: 

1. We must recruit the right candidates for the right schools: It is not about meeting your 

target number. 

2. We are not in the business of convincing someone to become a teacher; we are in the 

business of making it possible for those who choose to become teachers (Intrinsically 

motivated) to become teachers by developing the right programs for them. 

3. We learned the most important lesson of all, that there isn’t a shortage of people who 

want to become teachers; and make no mistake, there isn’t a shortage of people of color 

who aspire to become teachers. What we are short on are good programs that make it 

possible for good people to become good teachers. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHY DIVERSIFY THE TEACHING WORKFORCE? 

Adrienne Rich, an American poet, wrote: 

“When those who have the power to name and to socially construct reality 

choose not to see you or hear you...when someone with the authority of a 

teacher, say, describes the world and you are not in it, there is a moment 

of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked in the mirror and saw nothing. It 

takes some strength of soul--and not just individual strength, but collective 

understanding--to resist this void, this non-being, into which you are thrust, 

and to stand up, demanding to be seen and heard.” 
 

DIVERSITY IN THE STEM WORKFORCE 

What are the numbers & what do they tell us? What are the numbers & what do they tell us?? 

Ethnicity 

US 

Population 

% US 

Population 

All Jobs 

150,000,000 

STEM Jobs 

9,750,000 

Engineering Computer 

Science 

Math 

White 196,200,000 60% 65% 69% 73% 65% 68% 

Hispanic or 

Latino 58,860,000 18% 16% 7% 8% 7% 6% 

African 

American 42,510,000 13% 11% 9% 5% 7% 9% 

Asian 18,638,000 5.7% 6% 13% 12% 19% 14% 
DIVERSITY IN CALIFORNIA’S STEM WORKFORCE 

Population 

& Ethnicity 

California Los 

Angeles 

Los Angeles 

STEM 

Workforce 

Sacramento Sacramento 

STEM 

Workforce 

San 

Francisco 

San Francisco 

STEM 

Workforce 

Population 40,000,000 4,000,000 500,000 885,000 

White 37.2% 28.4% 63% 33.1% 54% 40.8% 57% 

Hispanic 39.1% 48.7% 11% 28.3% 10% 15.3% 6% 

African 

American 

6.5% 9% 6% 13.4% 5% 5.3% 5% 

Asian 15.2% 11.7% 21% 18.7% 31% 34.2% 37% 

Women 50% 51% 28% 51% 29% 49% 27% 

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? 
THAN

STEM JOBS & THE STEM WORKFORCE 

2018 CA will have the largest 

STEM workforce in the 

nation by 2022 2.4 Million 

jobs were 

unfilled in 

2018 

2022 

1 Million 

more 

STEM jobs 

will be 

added by 

2022 

$81,000 

STEM 

college 

majors earn 

much more 

$60,000 

Non-STEM 

Majors 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is going on? 

Reasons for the underrepresentation of minority groups in STEM: 

 California’s “Leaky STEM Pipeline”: 

• Of half million 9th graders, only about 5% earn a STEM Bachelor’s Degree (25,000) 

• About 55% of H.S. Graduates are College Ready 

• Of the college ready graduates, only 21% major in STEM and 10% earn a STEM 

degree (or 11% & 5%) 

 75% of Americans say they liked science in K-12 (Due to labs and hands-on activities) 

 68% of Americans say they liked the subject matter and not the teaching of science 

 More than half of Americans (52% & 63% of college grad) say that people do not 

pursue a STEM degree because it is hard 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What else is going on? 

 Major underlying reasons for the underrepresentation of 

minorities in STEM: 

• Less likely to have access to quality education 

• Not encouraged to pursue STEM at an early age 

• Less likely to believe you can succeed in STEM 

• Lack of role models, and discrimination in recruitment and 

promotions 

 Perceived reasons more women are not working in STEM: 

• Face discrimination in recruitment, hiring, & promotion 

• Not encouraged to pursue STEM at an early age 

• More difficult to balance work/family in STEM jobs 
 

 

 

 

DIVERSITY OF THE TEACHING FORCE 

We know that: 

• There are about 3 million public school teachers in the US. 

• Only 8% are Hispanic

over the past 25 years but not consistent with growth of the Hispanic

(compared to about 80% White). Number of Hispanic teachers increased 

 teachers & less than 6% African American 

 student 

population. 

• The student-teacher gap is still wide, more so in states such Texas, Arizona, 

and Nevada, and is likely to continue to widen unless more effort is put forth. 

• Minority teachers are leaving the profession at a higher rate than other 

teachers (Teachers of color have the highest turnover rates). 
LACK OF DIVERSITY IN THE TEACHING FORCE 

Student population vs. Teacher population 

US 

CA 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why is diversifying the teaching force important? 

 The importance of recruiting & retaining teachers of color for students of 

color is well reported and deeply researched. 

 We know that ALL students have favorable perceptions of teachers of 

color (e.g. Asian students had positive views of black teachers) 

 We know that, academically, teachers of color produce more favorable 

outcomes for students of color of similar backgrounds. 

 Teachers of color tend to provide more culturally relevant teaching and 

better understand the situations that students of color may face. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why is diversifying the teaching force important? 

 We also know that, emotionally & socially, teachers of color serve as 

role models for students of similar backgrounds. (e.g. Hispanic or Latino 

teachers connect with EL students) 

 When students have teachers of color, fewer students are represented 

in special education, student absenteeism decreases, and parents’ 

involvement in school activities increases. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why not pursue a career in teaching? 

 Students of color perceive a career in teaching as a low status career 

and thus it is not an appealing career choice. 

 Potential teacher candidates of color are not able to pursue a career in 

teaching because of cost associated with the process. (Ex: Moms, dads, 

low income, etc.) 

 The process of becoming a teacher is a financial burden, especially for 

many students of color “who often must help support their families”. 

(Cost of multiple tests, credential applications, university and program 

applications, tuition, etc.) 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What must be done? 

 Invest much more in high-quality teacher preparation programs, especially those 

serving large numbers of minority students (Such as CSU Dominguez Hills) 

 Develop multiple pathways that lead to certification (Alternative routes to certifications, 

residencies, blended programs, etc.) and offer incentives to those who target teachers 

of color 

 Reduce cost to enter and complete a teacher certification program and strengthen 

financial support for teachers of color 

 Emphasize teacher diversity in recruitment and hiring (by IHEs, LEAs, Unions, etc.) and 

increase oversight and hold accountable 

 Form stronger partnerships between certification programs and school districts to meet 

staffing needs and increase diversity 

 The days of recruiters waiting for aspiring teachers to willingly hand over their tuition in 

exchange for a certificate are over. If we want teachers of color, colleges are going to 

have to recruit outside their social networks. Meaning, they really have to recruit. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

What did our university do about it? 

CSUDH developed a systematic approach to recruit, train, place, and 

retain teachers of color: 

 Phase I: Built pipelines from K-12 to certification programs founded on 

academic, financial, and psychological support. 

 Phase II: Offered pro-active academic, financial, and affective support 

to teacher candidates as they transition to and meet the requirements of 

certification programs. 

 Phase III: Offered pro-active support as candidates complete the 

certification programs. 

 Phase IV: Continued to offer support as candidates become teachers of 

record and lifelong teacher-learners. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is our university doing now? 

• We recruit from within. 

• We streamlined the application, registration, and hiring processes. 

• We designed a course schedule convenient for our participants. 

• We assembled a highly qualified team of course instructors. 

• We meet off campus at a convenient location for our teachers. 

• We assembled our own instructional team-full time coaches. 

• We trained a team of exceptional mentors and master teachers. 

• We offer one-on-one support - Teacher Support Institute. 

• We transformed the clinical experience (Lab Schools). 

• We stay in touch with our partners and address challenges quickly. 

• We hold operations team meetings monthly with our partners. 

• We have become a one-stop-shop for our candidates and teachers. 

• We offer instructional, academic, financial, and psychological support. 
THANK YOU!!! 
Dr. Janet Strammel 

Professor 

College of Education 

Fort Hays State University 
Principles of Effective

STEM Teaching for ALL 

Elementary Students 

Janet Stramel 

jkstramel@fhsu.edu 
 

 

 

 

Elementary Teacher Preparation with a STEM Focus 

Presenting today: 

Janet Stramel jkstramel@fhsu.edu 

Professor & Edna Shutts Williams Endowed Chair 

Fort Hays State University 

Fred Uy, California State University 

Kassie Davis, CME Group Foundation 

Lisa Pallatt, Notre Dame of Maryland University 

Kristina Wambold, ESD112 
 

 

 

 

Our goal: Explore the changes an elementary teacher preparation program 

would need to make in order to prepare elementary teachers who have 

STEM content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. 

This project recommends changes for elementary 

teacher preparation programs in order to prepare 

elementary teachers to increase their STEM content 

knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. 

The outcome of this project suggests a revisit and 

reconceptualization of approaches needed to fit into an 

existing elementary program of study. 
We developed a Concept Paper 

Principles of Effective STEM Teaching for ALL 

Elementary Students 

 https://grandchallenges.100kin10.org/progress/100kin10-

project-team-elementary-teacher-preparation-with-a-stemfocus-2020 
 

 

 

 

 

Principles of Effective STEM Teaching for ALL Elementary Students 

Elementary School Teachers.... 

have strong 

knowledge and 

understanding

of STEM 

content to be 

effective in 

integrating all 

subjects for ALL 

students. 

plan and design 

STEM teaching 

and learning for 

ALL students in 

college and 

career 

pathways. 

engage and 

support ALL 

students, 

including 

diverse 

learners, in 

their STEM 

instruction. 

guarantee and 

ensure that ALL 

students are in 

effective STEM 

learning 

environments. 

assess 

regularly, 

effectively and 

appropriately 

ALL students in 

their STEM 

learning. 

continue to 

grow 

professionally

as a STEM 

educator. 
 

 

 

Principle #1 

P1 - Elementary School Teachers have strong 

knowledge and understanding of STEM content to 

be effective in integrating all subjects for ALL 

students. 

 P1.1 Demonstrating knowledge and understanding of STEM 

content, standards, and curricula. 

 P1.2 Applying knowledge of students’ strengths, interests, 

needs, and proficiencies into STEM instruction. 
 

 

Principle #2 

P2 - Elementary School Teachers plan and design STEM

teaching and learning for ALL students in college and

career pathways. 

 P2.1 Using current research-based framework for high quality

STEM instruction 

 P2.2 Planning instruction based on knowledge of students’

academic readiness, language proficiency, cultural

background, and individual development. 

 P2.3 Incorporating appropriate strategies to meet the

learning needs of all students 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Principle #3 

PS3 - Elementary School Teachers engage and 

support ALL students, including diverse learners, in 

their STEM instruction. 

 P3.1 Address the needs of English Learners and students with 

Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) by providing equitable 

access to STEM content 

 P3.2 Personalize instruction according to students’ individual 

needs 
 

 

 

 

Principle #4 

PS4 - Elementary School Teachers guarantee and 

ensure that ALL students are in effective STEM 

learning environments. 

 P4.1 Create diverse learning experiences focused on 

collaboration through student centered instruction. 

 P4.2 Center learning around high expectations for all 

students. 

 P4.3 Participate in career connected STEM networks. 
 

 

 

 

Principle #5 

PS5 - Elementary School Teachers assess regularly, 

effectively and appropriately ALL students in their 

STEM learning. 

 P5.1 Using multiple measures to inform STEM instruction 

 P5.2 Using assessment data to establish learning goals to 

plan, differentiate, and modify instruction 

 P5.3 Engaging all students in self-assessment, goal setting, 

and self-monitoring 
 

 

 

Principle #6 

PS6 - Elementary School Teachers continue to grow

professionally as a STEM educator. 

 P6.1 Self-assessing and reflecting on one’s teaching practices in 

support of student learning 

 P6.2 Demonstrating collaborative and collegial practices focused 

on improving instructional practices and student learning in STEM 

 P6.3 Seeking professional networking, and STEM organizations

and institutions for memberships, conferences, workshops,

presentations, publications, etc. 

 P6.4 Developing partnerships with other STEM-related 

organizations including professional training, policy review, and 

funding opportunities 
 

 

 

 

STEM Exploratory Questions 

• Communicate Like A Stem Professional 

• Analyze All Aspects Of The Problem 

• Recognize A Pattern/Design 

• Follow A Particular Structure 

• Extend An Idea To A Generalization 

• Practice Equity 

• Make Intelligent/Smart Predictions 

• Settle All Issues And/or Situations 

• Look At The Problem From Different Views 

• Make Thinking Contemporary 

• Include Other Areas Of Study 

• Suggest Ideas For Further 

Studies/Exploration 

• Recognize Limitations 
 

100Kin10.org Grand Challenges 

• Prestige 

• Preparation 

• Elementary STEM 

• Professional Growth 

• Teacher Leadership 

• Value of S, T, and E 

• Instructional Materials 
Colleen HindsRodgers 

National Director of STEM 

Teach for America 
 

Alternate Routes to Effective STEM Teaching 

Colleen Hinds-Rodgers 

she/her/hers 

Managing Director of STEM, National TLD 

September 2020 

USDOE Presents STEM Teacher Prep 
 

 

 

 

Our Mission 

Teach For America works toward the day when every child will receive an 

excellent and equitable education. Teach For America finds, develops, and 

supports a diverse network of leaders who expand opportunity for children from 

classrooms, schools, and every sector and field that shapes the broader systems in 

which schools operate. 

(c)2020 Teach For America, Inc. All rights reserved. Distribution or any reproduction is strictly prohibited. For more information contact Teach For America. 
 

 

 

 

THE PROBLEM AS WE SEE IT 

Potential is equally distributed 

across lines of race and class, 

but opportunity is not. Today 

in America, the circumstances 

of a child’s birth predict the 

opportunities they have in life. 
 

 

 

 

 

Our Theory of Change 

1. Change requires sustained leadership both inside and 

outside of the system to challenge conventional wisdom 

and the status quo by demonstrating what’s possible. 

2. Change requires a broad and diverse coalition of people 

united around common purpose and shared values working 

to translate proof points into policy and practice. 

3. Change must be shaped by those most directly 

impacted by the injustice, and led by those with personal 

proximity to the problem. . 

(c)2020 Teach For America, Inc. All rights reserved. Distribution or any reproduction is strictly prohibited. For more information contact Teach For America. 
 

 

 

THE POWER OF A MOVEMENT 

62K 

Corps members 

and alumni across 

the country. 

50+ 

Regions served 

by Teach for 

America teacher 

leaders (rural, 

urban) 

1/3 

Of incoming 

corps members 

are placed in 

STEM 

classrooms. 

(c)2020 Teach For America, Inc. All rights reserved. Distribution or any reproduction is strictly prohibited. For more information contact Teach For America. 
How is TFA Upskilling 

New STEM Teachers? 
 

 

 

 

 

 

USDOE SEED GRANT 

STEM Priorities 

1. Recruit and rigorously select 7,800 talented individuals for the 2019 and 

2020 

2. Provide intensive pre-service preparation through summer training 

institutes. These institutes place culturally-responsive pedagogy (CRP) at the 

center of CM training and position CMs to deliver effective instruction 

aligned with 21st Century Learning and College and Career-ready (CCR) 

standards 

3. Ensure that CMs build on the foundation of knowledge and skills they 

acquire at institutes and develop into effective teachers by providing 

regional ongoing support and development during their first two years in . the classroom. 

4. Increase access to effective STEM teachers by fielding a corps in which 

nearly one-third is trained to teach math and science and for the first time 

includes secondary CS teachers. 

(c)2020 Teach For America, Inc. All rights reserved. Distribution or any reproduction is strictly prohibited. For more information contact Teach For America. 
 

 

 

The Pandemic Portal 

“Pandemics have always forced humans to break with the past 

and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a 

portal, a gateway between one world and the next.” 

-Arundhati Roy 

(c)2020 Teach For America, Inc. All rights reserved. Distribution or any reproduction is strictly prohibited. For more information contact Teach For America. 
 

Leveraging the Pandemic Portal 

. 

(c)2020 Teach For America, Inc. All rights reserved. Distribution or any reproduction is strictly prohibited. For more information contact Teach For America. 
Secondary Math C&P 

●

●

●

●

●

 

 

 

 

 

Secondary Science C&P 

Backwards Planning ● Teaching towards an 

Guided Inquiry as a Pedagogy instructional Goal 

of Liberation ● Phenomena based 

Making Student Thinking instruction 

Visible ● Affirmation of students 

5 Practices for Orchestrating scientific identity 

Productive Conversations ● Claims, Evidence & 

(NCTM) Reasoning Assessment 

Addressing Academic Trauma ● Just in Time Instruction 

and Cultivating Positive ● Supporting Changes in 

Mathematical Identity Student Thinking 

.

Ongoing STEM Integration Support: 

● Project based learning (PBL) 

● Interdisciplinary Approaches to STEM 

● Using STEM to solve community-based problems 

(c)2020 Teach For America, Inc. All rights reserved. Distribution or any reproduction is strictly prohibited. For more information contact Teach For America. 
 

“Those who say it can’t be done are usually 

interrupted by others doing it.” 

- James Baldwin in Notes of a Native Son, 1955 
 

Alternate Routes to Effective STEM Teaching 

Colleen Hinds-Rodgers 

she/her/hers 

Managing Director of STEM, National TLD 

contact info: colleen.hinds-rodgers@teachforamerica.org 
Dr. David Stroupe 

Associate Professor 

Department of Teacher Education 

Michigan State University 
 

 

Preparing STEM teachers to 

disrupt epistemic injustice 

David Stroupe, Ph.D. 

dstroupe@msu.edu 

Associate Professor 

Associate Director of STEM Teacher Education in the 

CREATE for STEM Institute 
 

 

 

Situating STEM 

STEM exists in social/historical/political contexts and is not 

separate from human’s sense-making of the world – including 

biases and assumptions. STEM has been changed by people 

over time, and continues to change as powerful people deem 

such changes necessary (Shapin, 2010) 

Not everyone gets to participate in STEM, and that is

purposeful. Feminist epistemologists point out that certain 

people with power (often White men) have shaped the 

conceptual, epistemic, material, and social practices of 

canonical STEM. Therefore, STEM reflects the values and 

practices of some people, but not others (Harding, 2015) 

No one is quite sure what STEM is as a field – sub-disciplines 

have different knowledge goals, epistemic aims, practices, 

and ways to communicate the ideas (Knorr-Cetina, 1999) 
 

 

Epistemic Injustice 

Purposeful denial of people’s 

ideas and testimonies, their 

exclusion from knowledge 

production and practices, 

and the delegitimization of 

their ideas and cultures 

(Dotson, 2012; Fricker, 

2007) 
 

 

 

 

 

Epistemic Injustice and Disrupting 3 Myths 

about STEM Teaching 

Myth 1: STEM is objective and bias-free 

Myth 2: Teaching = “sage on the stage”, in 

which a charismatic teacher delivers 

subject matter information to students 

Myth 3: Everyone has equal access and 

opportunities in STEM and in classrooms 
 

 

 

 

What does this mean for classroom 

interactions? 

Teachers must recognize moments of 

potential epistemic injustice 

Make professional decisions in the midst of 

uncertainty 
 

 

From Wolf to Woof 

7th grade class about evolution: How do we get 

chihuahuas from wolves? 

Quentin’s story 

Maria’s response 

White teacher publicly valuing ideas of Black student 

Norm that all ideas have value 

Shut down potentially stigmatizing and racist 

comments of peers 
How can STEM teachers learn 

such pedagogies? 

Teaching is a learnable 

profession 

New teachers’ ideas about 

STEM and instruction 

need to be disrupted 

New teachers need 

opportunities to rebuild a 

framework for equitable 

and ambitious teaching 

New teachers need 

opportunities to rehearse 

equitable and ambitious

teaching 
Extended teaching rehearsals 

Macroteaching

(Stroupe & Gotwals, 

2018) 

Teach 10-12 

instructional hours 

during methods class 

to peers 

Learn to recognize 

epistemic injustice 

and navigate 

uncertainty 
June 4-7, 2018 
Dr. Niral Shah 

Assistant Professor 

College of Education 

University of Washington 
 

STEM Teacher Preparation 

for Racial Equity 

Niral Shah, Ph.D. 

niral@uw.edu 
Equity & Inequity: 

Looking Inside STEM Classrooms 
How can we support STEM teachers in 

making racially equitable teaching concrete

in everyday practice? 
 

 

 

 

 

Isaac’s Story 

“They think...just because [Polynesians] are so big that we don't know how to 

do math. They think we're dumb...But me and my brother...we try to prove them 

wrong. Not that we're only big and good at sports, but we're trying to also tell 

them that we're also smart. We’re scholar-athletes, ya know what I mean? That’s 

what we’re trying to prove.” 

- Isaac (12th Grade, Algebra 2, Tongan) 
The Process of Learning STEM is Racialized 

Asian people 

are... 

Black people are... 

Polynesian people 

are... 

White people are... 

Latinx people are... 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evidence of Racialized Experiences and Inequity across STEM 

Disciplines 

> Mathematics Education 

– Martin, D. B. (2009). Researching race in mathematics education. The Teachers College Record, 

111(2), 295-338. 

– McGee, E. (2013). Young, Black, mathematically gifted, and stereotyped. The High School Journal, 

253-263. 

– Nasir, N. S., & Shah, N. (2011). On defense: African American males making sense of racialized 

narratives in mathematics education. Journal of African American Males in Education, 2(1), 24-45. 

> Computer Science Education 

– Margolis, J., Estrella, R., Goode, J., Holme, J. J., & Nao, K. (2008). Stuck in the shallow end: 

Education, race, and computing. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 

– Scott, K. A., & White, M. A. (2013). COMPUGIRLS’standpoint: Culturally responsive computing and 

its effect on girls of color. Urban Education, 48(5), 657-681. 

> Physics Education 

– Johnson, A., Ong, M., Ko, L. T., Smith, J., & Hodari, A. (2017). Common challenges faced by women 

of color in physics, and actions faculty can take to minimize those challenges. The Physics Teacher, 

55(6), 356-360. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4999731 

– Rosa, K., & Mensah, F. M. (2016). Educational pathways of Black women physicists: Stories of 

experiencing and overcoming obstacles in life. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 12(2), 

020113. 
 

Problem #1: 

To Address Racism => 

Teachers Must First Learn to See Racism 
Racial Noticing Framework 

Using Case-based Scenarios + Live Classroom Observation 

Attending Interpreting Responding 

> In Classroom Interactions 

> In Curriculum 

> In Course Placement 
 

Problem #2: 

To Address Implicit Bias => 

Teachers Need Classroom-Level Data 
EQUIP: Equity QUantified In Participation 

https://www.equip.ninja/ 
EQUIP: Equity QUantified In Participation 

https://www.equip.ninja/ 
 

EQUIP: Equity QUantified In Participation 

https://www.equip.ninja/ 

> Data on equity patterns is a first step 

> Coaching + data => increase equity for minoritized 

students 
 

Key Takeaways 

> STEM learning happens in a complex racial context 

> STEM teachers need support in making racial equity 

concrete in their daily teaching practice 

Niral Shah, Ph.D. 

niral@uw.edu 
 

 

KAMAL HAMDAN 

MIA HOWERTON Director, Center for Innovation of 

Program Manager, Effective Educator STEM Education, California State JANET STRAMMEL 

Development, U.S. Dept. of Education University – Dominguez Hills Professor, College of Education, 

Fort Hays State University 

COLLEEN HINDS-RODGERS DAVID STROUPE NIRAL SHAH 

National Director of STEM, Associate Professor, Department of Teacher Assistant Professor, College of 

Teach for America Education, Michigan State University Education, University of Washington 
Questions 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020