Equity in Graduate Education Learning
Continuous learning is an essential part of working to advance racial equity. Through a combination of individual and collective learning opportunities, we are creating a community that is engaged and knowledgeable about the science of equity.
Virtual Journal Club & Article Summaries
Quarterly gatherings that break down research studies and social theories that are relevant to equity in graduate education, with attention to practical implications.
Quarterly Virtual Journal Club
Article: TBD
Date: TBD
Time: TBD
Co-sponsored by IGEN & C-CIDE
October 2022The intersectional privilege of white able-bodied heterosexual men in STEM.
June 2022 Departmental support structures for physics graduate students:...
March 2022 Graduate bridge programs as nepantla for minoritized students in STEM...
Nov 2021 Exploring the role of community cultural wealth in graduate school access & persistence for Mexican American PhDs... View Summary
Sept 2021 Reimagining Merit and Representation
May 2021 Understanding Women’s Doctoral Experiences in STEM...
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Feb 2021 Developing an Indigenous Mentoring Program for faculty mentoring...
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Nov 2020 How white admissions counselors screen black prospective students.
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July 2020: “Am I going crazy?!”: A critical race analysis of doctoral education...
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March 2020: Typical physics Ph.D. admissions criteria limit access...
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December 2019: Implicit theories of change...
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Book Discussion Guide
Equity in Science: Representation, Culture, & the Dynamics of Change in Graduate Education
by Dr. Julie R. Posselt
Equity in Science (Stanford University Press, 2020) presents a vision for systemic change in STEM graduate education based on ethnographic case studies of courses, PhD programs, and disciplinary societies that have been actively working toward diversity, equity, and/or inclusion. This guide to the book can encourage reflection, discussion, and action -- three activities that allow us to imagine better worlds and begin bringing them about. They are especially important for people with privileged identities and for groups whose members come to equity work from different perspectives.
Numbers
Inequity in Degree Attainment Rates in Higher Education
One of our goals is to reduce the degree attainment gap between bachelor's and graduate degrees for Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and Indigenous students, specifically in STEM.
Here and in the link below we depict the state of STEM fields, specifically the low rates of graduate degrees awarded to racial and ethnic minorities and the drop in percentages to those groups from BS, to MS, to Ph.D.
Note in particular the y-axis in which no field awards even 20% of the bachelors degrees to students from these groups.
Note: This data is aggregated across Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students, which is not the recommended approach for organizations to consider.
Stories
Awareness is the first step to understanding issues related to social justice: with deeper understanding, we all can take more effective action. Each topic below includes short videos and a few thought exercises to initiate personal reflection, conversation, and actions. You can work through the videos within each topic as a series, or on their own.
Cultural, racial, and gender inequities
Learning Objectives
Explore the meaning and impact of social constructs such as meritocracy and gender roles.
Increase awareness of the effects that race, gender and family resources have on who gets what in our society.
What does it take to resolve biases?
Learning Objectives
Recognize actions that can and have lead to injustice.
Awareness of knowledge and ideas that obstruct the path to equity.
Paths to fostering social justice
Learning Objectives
Identify ways we can reduce the suffering and create more opportunities for everyone.
Consider your actions, attitudes, and beliefs, and for guiding yourself and your community toward equity.
Curated Library
Selected research curated to foster learning about inclusive practices in graduate education.
Graduate Recruitment
Implicit bias in graduate student recruitment: Milkman, K. L., Akinola, M., & Chugh, D. (2015). What happens before? A field experiment exploring how pay and representation differentially shape bias on the pathway into organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(6), 1678.
Student choices: Bersola, S. H., Stolzenberg, E. B., Love, J., & Fosnacht, K. (2014). Understanding admitted doctoral students’ institutional choices: Student experiences versus faculty and staff perceptions. American Journal of Education, 120(4), 515-543
Administrators' role: Kimberly A. Griffin & Marcela M. Muñiz (2011) The Strategies and Struggles of Graduate Diversity Officers in the Recruitment of Doctoral Students of Color, Equity & Excellence in Education, 44:1, 57-76.
Enabling Change
Systemic change in graduate education: Posselt, J. R. (2020). Equity in Science: Representation, Culture, and the Dynamics of Change in Graduate Education. Stanford University Press.
Change in STEM: Kezar, A. J., Gehrke, S., & Elrod, S. (2015). Implicit Theories of Change as a Barrier to Change on College Campuses: An Examination of STEM Reform. The Review of Higher Education, 38(4), 479–506.
Graduate Admissions
Faculty decision making: Posselt, J. R. (2016). Inside graduate admissions: Merit, diversity, and faculty gatekeeping. Harvard University Press.
Non-cognitive assessment: Victoroff, K. Z., & Boyatzis, R. E. (2013). What is the relationship between emotional intelligence and dental student clinical performance?. Journal of dental education, 77(4), 416-426.
GRE score disparities: Miller, C. W., & Stassun K. (2014). A test that fails. Nature, 510, 303-304
GRE validity: Miller, C. W., Zwickl, B. M., Posselt, J. R., Silvestrini, R. T., & Hodapp, T. (2019). Typical physics Ph. D. admissions criteria limit access to underrepresented groups but fail to predict doctoral completion. Science advances, 5(1), eaat7550.
Creating a Positive Climate
Linking access & climate: Slay, K. E., Reyes, K. A., & Posselt, J. R. (2019). Bait and switch: Representation, climate, and tensions of diversity work in graduate education. The Review of Higher Education, 42(5), 255-286.
Attrition: Lovitts, B. E., & Nelson, C. (2000). The hidden crisis in graduate education: Attrition from Ph. D. programs. Academe, 86(6), 44.
Lived experiences: “Am I going crazy?!”: A Critical Race Analysis of Doctoral Education by Gildersleeve, R. E., Croom, N.N., & Vasquez, P. L. (2011). Equity & Excellence in Education, 44 (1)
Dimensions of racial climate: Milem, J. F., Chang, M. J., & Antonio, A. L. (2005). Making diversity work on campus: A research-based perspective. Washington, DC: Association American Colleges and Universities.