~AEA Public Library

Culturally Responsive and Equitable Practices for Evaluating Mentorship Programming for Black Men in STEM 

11-16-2019 13:34

AEA 2019 Presentation Slides

Culturally Responsive and Equitable Practices for Evaluating Mentorship Programming for Black Men in STEM: Faculty, Administrator, and Evaluator Insights for Ensuring Evaluation Leaves No One Behind

Quality mentorship in STEM has been lauded as an effective tool for helping underrepresented students navigate the education-to-career pipeline; however, the unique capacities and needs of Black men in the STEM education-to-career pipeline are often overlooked. This panel will stress the importance of how culturally responsive and equity-focused evaluations help bridge the gap between educational researchers' and administrators' attempts to create meaningful change in Black men’s educational and career outcomes. This panel consists of a STEM researcher, a college administrator, and an evaluator. They will discuss the mentoring experiences of a select group of Black men who are postdocs in STEM. The researcher-professor and administrator will provide insights about their priorities concerning effective mentorship for Black men, while the evaluator will discuss how culturally responsive and equity-focused approaches to evaluation can help facilitate change in the condition of black men in STEM.



Abstract 1 Title: Making Sense of Black Men’s Mentoring Experiences in STEM: Culturally Responsive STEM Evaluation Promotes Deeper Understanding
Presentation Abstract 1:
Mentoring has been identified as one useful tool for improving Black men’s STEM persistence (Alston, Guy, & Campbell, 2017; Gasman & Nguyen, 2014). Encouraging Black men’s persistence in STEM is rewarding but challenging. Improving Black men’s STEM career outlook and economic parity via higher-paying STEM jobs would help improve overall minority underrepresentation in STEM as well as America’s positionality on the global STEM market. Of course, the long-term goal of STEM parity is a challenging pursuit, but, is a pursuit that can be well-informed (even transformed) by evaluation. This discussion will explore qualitative data collected from a group of academically successful men who were Black STEM postdocs and highlight ways by which researchers and evaluators can refine their methods to help ensure equity for this perpetually underrepresented group. The presentation will explore factors related to STEM persistence, mentoring, and equity from the lens of an educational researcher.

Abstract 2 Title: Using a Culturally Responsive Evaluative Approach to Assist Educational Researchers and Administrators in Making Sense of Data
Presentation Abstract 2:
Frameworks bridging social science theory, research and practice are well cemented in developmental evaluation (Berry, 2015). Underlying this framework is the idea that evaluators help with organizational sensemaking (Brown, Colville, & Pye, 2014). Building off of this framework, a culturally responsive evaluation (CRE) approach to conducting evaluations is a viable option for helping educational researchers and administrators make sense of data and also promotes equitable change (Hood, Hopson, & Frierson, 2015). Utilizing a CRE lens, the evaluator would use a critical race theory approach to synthesizing data relevant to underrepresented minorities (URM) in mentoring programs. Specifically, the panelist will use qualitative mentoring data collected from black male postdocs as an example. They will guide the audience in each step of utilizing this approach to help educational researchers and administrators make sense of data and to highlight opportunities to strategize around promoting equitable change.

Abstract 3 Title: Engaging Faculty Mentors to Promote Positive STEM Outcomes and Organizational Change
Presentation Abstract 3:
The completion rate for STEM PhD students of color continues to lag behind completion rates for non-minoritized students (NSF, 2014; Sowell, Allum, & Okahana, 2015). Attaining equitable educational outcomes through faculty-led efforts remains critical given faculty mentors have a strong, direct impact on student progress and career decisions. Faculty-led organizational change efforts at the department level, coupled with senior-level administrator-led transformation efforts, create the culture for increasing retention and placement of URM doctoral students into the professoriate where STEM faculty of color remain underrepresented. Core elements of institutional change allow for flexibility in design to address challenges to change (Kezar & Eckel, 2002), yet are flexible enough to respond to feedback for corrective action. This learning curve, or “sensemaking,” allows project managers to tweak and improve change activities in response to feedback. Changes, in turn, lay the groundwork for enhanced organizational performance in the future.

Statistics
0 Favorited
13 Views
1 Files
0 Shares
13 Downloads

Related Entries and Links

No Related Resource entered.

Tags and Keywords

Attachment(s)
pdf file
Culturally Responsive and Equitable Practices for Evaluat...   2.74 MB   1 version
Uploaded - 11-16-2019
AEA 2019 Panel Presentation