This report summarizes the ideas and conversations of the CAISE Broadening Participation Task Force, which was led by the authors, along with James Bell, Principal Investigator and project director of CAISE (see informalscience.org/bp-task-force). The task force was instrumental in identifying key ideas and challenges to the field, providing edits and input into the report, developing and drafting the associated practice briefs, and piloting the materials.
Across the nation, many are undertaking efforts to significantly transform who participates in science, technology, engineering, and
The Year in ISE is a slidedoc designed to track and characterize field growth, change and impact, important publications, and current topics in ISE in 2018. Use it to inform new strategies, find potential collaborators for your projects, and support proposal development. Scope This slidedoc highlights a selection of developments and resources in 2018 that were notable and potentially useful for the informal STEM education field. It is not intended to be comprehensive or exhaustive, nor to provide endorsement. To manage the scope and length, we have focused on meta analyses, consensus reports
Ruff Family Science is a project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that aims to foster joint media engagement and hands-on science exploration among diverse, low-income parents and their 4- to 8-year-old children. Building on the success of the PBS series FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, the project leverages FETCH’s funny and charismatic animated host, along with its proven approach to teaching science, to inspire educationally disadvantaged families to explore science together. The project is utilizing a research and design process to create resources that meet the needs of families
The STEM Effect project is a collaborative effort to engage cultural organizations around the U.S. in developing a Collaborative Action Agenda for better understanding the mid- and long-term impacts of informal STEM programs for girls.
Traditionally, programs designed for community audiences are designed by the STEM institution or organization seeking to “serve” a given community, using top-down design processes that are framed by the perspectives of the lead organizations, and typically reinforcing dominant cultural norms in STEM and therefore marginalizing certain audiences. Co-design offers an approach that can lead to more robust and sustainable results by developing programs that are culturally responsive, respectful, and inclusive.
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This is a practice brief produced by CAISE's Broadening
Broadening participation efforts need to move beyond the programmatic to the institutional. Embedding inclusion throughout an organization’s operations will lead to more comprehensive, better supported, and more impactful and sustainable results.
About this resource:
This is a practice brief produced by CAISE's Broadening Participation in STEM Task Force to help informal STEM education (ISE) and science communication groups reflect on and strengthen their efforts to broaden participation in STEM. It is part of a larger professional development toolkit, developed for those who lead staff
Science educators and communicators must value and appreciate science that already takes place in the community, which may look different than traditional (school-like) representations of science, which have historically excluded many communities. "Community science programs" are designed by community members to advance community priorities and recognize that communities themselves—not just the nearby universities or research labs—are rich with people, resources, and practices that make up science in everyday life.
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This is a practice brief produced by CAISE's
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Angela Calabrese BartonEdna TanDaniel BirminghamCarmen TurnerCenter for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE)
Organizations, institutions, or initiatives often do not engage these influential adults as effectively as they might, nor are they always sensitive to the perspectives, needs, and expertise that caregivers bring to the activities in which their children participate. STEM educators and science communicators can better support youth when they effectively engage parents in relevant aspects of the work by considering whether parents are part of the intended audience and if so, how they can participate.
About this resource:
This is a practice brief produced by CAISE's Broadening
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Dale McCreedyMicaela BalzerBhaskar UpadhyayCenter for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE)
Many communities are adopting a “STEM learning ecosystem” approach to identify and map those settings and time frames, to enrich and reinforce opportunities within them, and to broaden participation in STEM. Science communicators and STEM educators can increase the relevance and inclusiveness of their programs by making explicit connections between the programs they offer and additional or ongoing opportunities learners can pursue in the local STEM learning ecosystem.
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This is a practice brief produced by CAISE's Broadening Participation in STEM Task Force to help
Science communication that connects STEM-based professionals with various publics are often designed and implemented with a range of multiple outcomes in mind which can influence the effectiveness of engagement efforts. Scientists, science communicators, and STEM professionals can be more effective at engaging diverse audiences if they align their engagement strategies with their communication goals and target audience.
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This is a practice brief produced by CAISE's Broadening Participation in STEM Task Force to help informal STEM education (ISE) and science
The varied and diverse ways in which people engage with STEM are often not acknowledged due to the historical representation of STEM in school, industry, and society. These cultural models of “who does STEM” discourage many who don’t identify as male and/ or white, or who don’t see themselves as highly intelligent, from choosing or identifying with STEM. To broaden participation, the field needs to define STEM more comprehensively so that people can recognize the ways they already engage in, use, and contribute to STEM disciplines, even if they don’t conform to cultural stereotypes associated
When everybody engaging in STEM is expected to adhere to dominant cultural norms established by the populations that have historically participated in and institutionalized STEM—that is, male, white, western, and privileged, some may feel like outsiders, even though others will find them familiar and comfortable. This can shape perceptions about who has expertise and/or belongs in STEM fields. STEM programs and science representations must encourage and support participation by leveraging audiences' personal experiences and cultural practices.
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This is a practice