Presented by Dr. Tarek C. Grantham and Kristine Collins
Educators, parents and counselors are invited to join us as we explore how students can help cultivate positive STEM identity.
Identity development is an area that is tied to social and emotional issues. Many Black students’ positive STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) identity is under-developed or frail due to barriers such as low STEM self-esteem, parent misunderstanding of STEM fields, few role models and mentors in STEM fields, and accusations of “acting White” by peers.
Parent engagement in STEM is essential to promote effective school improvement initiatives that promote excellence and equity in STEM education. Parents of gifted Black students are critically important in addressing the quiet crisis that exists in STEM fields. While there is greater ethnic diversity in public schools, educators struggle to cultivate a STEM scholar identity among gifted Black students and to serve the pipeline of advanced courses and experiences that lead to careers in STEM fields. Parents are children’s first teachers, and they can help to shape the social, academic, and career identity that support children’s STEM awareness. Schools need effective STEM parent engagement programs to help gifted Black students navigate threats to their multiple identities as students who are smart and Black and who can be successful in STEM areas.
This presentation will provide research on STEM programs and offer strategies to promote parent engagement in cultivating positive STEM identity in gifted Black students.
About the Presenters
Dr. Tarek C. Grantham is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology (EPIT) at the University of Georgia. He has served as program coordinator and teaches courses in the Gifted and Creative Education Program. His research focuses on recruitment and retention of under-represented students, particularly African Americans, in advanced programs. Dr. Grantham is co-editor of Gifted and Advanced Black Students in Schools, and he currently serves on the Diversity and Equity Committee for the National Association for Gifted Children.
Kristina Collins is a doctoral student in the EPIT department whose research focuses on parent engagement, STEM identity, and under-represented gifted students. She taught at the Academy of Liberal Arts at Newton High School and served as its program coordinator where she designed high school STEM and magnet programs. She also facilitated family engagement initiatives and curricular innovations to support students’ STEM development. As a former engineer, Collins’ STEM work with the U.S. Navy Reserves as a cryptologists and electronic surveillance Operator encouraged her leadership in K-12 STEM classrooms.
For more information, contact Cyndy Launchbaugh. This webinar is provided by SENG, www.SENGifted.org. SENG is committed to sharing complex issues relating to the social and emotional needs of giftedness. SENGinars reflect the opinions of their speakers and do not necessarily represent SENG’s philosophy. SENG invites your comments and discussion about this webinar following the session.