ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to shine the spotlight on an issue that appears to have been subsumed under wider concerns of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education community in relation to defining the nature and purpose of STEM education in schools more broadly. Conversations with staff in a North Queensland school serving low-socioeconomic status communities indicate that they are envisioning an important role for STEM in engaging their students and are experimenting with a variety of approaches to find the best positioning for STEM in their school. A critical pedagogy orientation towards science education necessitates exploring the cultural practices of school science that can act to exclude and marginalise students from diverse backgrounds. Somewhat lost in the ongoing debates on the pragmatic nature of STEM in schools has been any real consideration of what form STEM education should take to better meet the needs of diverse learners.
