Written by: Reagan Flowers, PhD Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) provide culturally responsive environments and play an essential role in bringing together students who have had marginalized lived experiences. Studies have shown that even though an equal number of Black students begin college majoring in STEM fields, they do not continue. A third of minority students […]
Written by: Reagan Flowers, PhD It’s a new year, and even more importantly, a new administration has stepped in. Following drops across the board in enrollment in 2020 — from Kindergarten to college — it’s time to take a serious look at the opportunity to improve education for the future, especially concerning STEM for economically disadvantaged students. Learning gaps […]
Written by: Reagan Flowers, PhD The harsh effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on education have reached another level of concern. Recent numbers have shown that the decline in U.S. college enrollment doubled in fall 2020 compared to fall 2019. Enrollment was 3.6% lower than in 2019. That’s more than 560,000 students. As soon as schools started closing […]
Written by: Reagan Flowers, PhD Improving equity in STEM education is an ongoing journey. I have been passionate about this effort throughout my work in education. It will take much more action in the coming decades to move the needle. As a community of educators, parents and supporters, there are many ways to improve equity […]
Written by: Reagan Flowers, PhD Having passed the sixth-month of the impacts of COVID-19, we’ve now seen schools close and reopen. We’ve seen the cancellation of standardized tests. We’ve seen parents and students struggling to keep up and get the resources they need, especially the most economically disadvantaged families and minorities. Now we’re seeing something […]
With the COVID-19 pandemic followed immediately by the escalation of the Black Lives Matter movement, everything has changed this year. Classrooms are operating with remote learning, and in some cases, there are students attending classes and others attending school from home. We are now re-examining how to address injustice and inequality in many facets of […]
Written by: Jeffrey L. Boney There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the Academy Award-nominated film Hidden Figures, which features an all-star cast of professionals who bring to life on the big screen the lives of three African American women (Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson). The math and STEM-related contributions of these three […]
Written by: Reagan Flowers, PhD The complete impact of the Coronavirus remains to be seen. Across the board, our efforts as a nation to keep our country safe are already having a significant impact on education. The announcements of school closings keep coming, and the dates for projected reopening continue to be extended. The hardest […]
Written by: Reagan Flowers, PhD The days of slow-paced change, data kept in hard copy files, and only some workers needing to learn new technology, are long gone. Today’s students require different skill-sets and the changing workplace continues to outpace many schools, leaving students unprepared to enter the workplace right out of high school. Something […]
Written by: Reagan Flowers, PhD As a nation, we are making strides in STEM education, but there is still more work to be done. In the last decade, two million STEM jobs have been created in the United States. Which means there are two million new opportunities to bring about needed change in the […]
Written by: Dr. Reagan Flowers, PhD Though many activities associated with STEM are implemented through hands-on activity, reading is still a crucial skill for students. First, reading can help students discover which areas of science, technology, math, and engineering excite them. Second, it provides a crucial base of knowledge for engaging in these areas. […]
Written by: Reagan Flowers, PhD Beginning STEM education when a child is very young is a natural fit, not only because of a young child’s curiosity, but also because of the way a young brain develops.We learn throughout our lives by creating connections in our brains. Several factors affect these connections. We create new connections […]
