ABSTRACT
America’s science and engineering classrooms have a diversity problem. Whereas US higher education suffers from racial disparities in student enrollments, the gap is even wider in classrooms devoted to the teaching of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Whereas White students obtain STEM and non-STEM bachelor’s degrees at equivalent rates, Black and Hispanic students are more under-represented among STEM bachelor’s degree recipients than they are among recipients of degrees in non-STEM fields. Within STEM fields, non-White employees are further stymied as they try to climb the professional ladder of their chosen industries. This chapter dismantles the public myth that diversity is irrelevant to the STEM classroom. It then demonstrates, through a summary of extensive empirical research, the value of diversity in STEM teaching and learning in developing the next generation of STEM professionals. Finally, the chapter provides tangible teaching strategies to leverage and advance diversity in STEM classrooms.
