A significant oversight of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curricula in general is the assumption that these fields are neutral and objective, and therefore exempt from conversations of racial justice. Science, in truth, is conducted by humans who hold their own prejudices and implicit biases. It is impossible for science and other STEM classrooms to be truly neutral when instruction occurs within the oppressive historical and political landscapes of the local and national community ( Russ, 2017) . Ignoring racism and anti-Blackness in the history of STEM does FPS students a great disservice. If the assumption that STEM is neutral and objective is accepted, knowing that BIPOC people are excluded in these fields, then it follows that their exclusion can be deemed natural and rational. Moreover, units in STEM courses have a responsibility to explore the ways in which our understanding of STEM’s “objectivity” has been manipulated to oppress Black people and other communities of color in the United States.

To address the humans and institutions, including their systemic and implicit biases, behind the STEM concepts students learn, curricula must include lessons on the people behind these discoveries. Throughout FPS’s K-12 STEM education, though technical concepts of each subject are thoroughly investigated and applied, lessons about the racially diverse thinkers behind these subjects are a rarity in the current curricula.

Analysis of Current K-12 Curricula

Elementary School

Beyond the material found in STEM courses, students formulate perceptions around what types of people belong in these fields at a very young age. Studies have found that by the second grade, the stereotype of a scientist as a White man has already begun to materialize ( Chambers, 1983) . Developing STEM curricula so that young BIPOC students see their identities as a part of these subjects reaffirms their rightful place studying these concepts. Learning about the thinkers and influences behind STEM subjects humanizes these fields and reveals the influence of BIPOC scientists, mathematicians, and thinkers who contributed to these subjects. Kindergartners, for example, begin their Math courses learning and counting numerals without understanding how this system was formed in part by ancient Sumerians ( FPS Mathematics, 2020; The Story of Mathematics) . Elementary STEM education needs to promote the BIPOC thinkers that helped create these academic fields, thereby showing students of all racial identities that they equally belong in these areas.

Middle School

Developing curricula to include the diverse array of people behind the STEM fields should be continued into middle school. Math 6 and 7 extensively investigate reasoning principles, but seemingly makes no mention of the influential mathematicians that developed these concepts ( FPS, 2013) . Research shows that developing a s cience identity for students is important in middle and high school classrooms ( Vincent-Ruz, 2018) , seeing as it is an important driver of students’ choices during this developmental period. This identity is not only cultivated from an excellent technical training in the subject matter itself, but from exposure to people within the field that share an identity with the student. Both of these components must be met if all students are to succeed in STEM.

High School

Like many high school courses, students’ exposure to STEM courses and resulting experiences heavily influences the types of academics or work they pursue after graduation. Studies have found that BIPOC students who leave high school with the intention of studying science in college often feel unsupported or discouraged upon arrival to those institutions (J ohnson, 2007) . BIPOC students must have their aptitude and identity affirmed in high school science classrooms to gain a salient sense of self and belonging that will allow them to succeed in higher education ( Vincent-Ruz, 2018 ).

Recommendations for Improvement of K-12 Curricula

Promoting anti-racism and the decolonization of curricula in STEM requires teachers to develop lesson plans that incorporate identity into these fields. Because these areas of study have been and continue to be particularly exclusionary across factors like race, gender, and socioeconomic class, the content of a STEMcourse’s classwork must be accompanied by re-affirming lessons in identity through a variety of mechanisms. Below are our recommendations that, while applicable to many subject areas, are particularly important to implement in STEM given the unique racial inequities and obstacles in these classrooms.

Alter curriculum to explicitly acknowledge the contributions of BIPOC scientists to content taught in STEM classes. While it is important to integrate the voices of BIPOC scientists into the curriculum, it must go hand in hand with the acknowledgement of those whose voices were not acknowledged throughout history. Maintaining the centrality of White, male thinkers in STEM suggests BIPOC thinkers have nothing to contribute, an implication that is far from the reality. We cannot amplify modern BIPOC voices without acknowledging that they have been silenced for centuries, and have not been included in the discussion ( Bourzac, 2019) . It is important to have these conversations and to incorporate them with intention ( Russ, 2017; Daane, 2017) . To learn from modern, diverse voices in STEM, teachers may turn to Twitter, making it easier than ever to find and amplify modern scientists in the classroom. Hashtags such as #BlackInSTEM, #BlackInTheIvory and #ShutDownSTEM both amplify the voices of Black scientists and their science, while also acknowledging the many areas for improvement for achieving equity in science ( ShutDownSTEM ).

Highlight teachers’ identities. STEM teachers should highlight the role that identity plays in STEM while also sharing aspects of their own identity. Described as “courageous transparency,” this teaching strategy reveals the humanity behind the instructor and “relinquish[es] some element of power” giving it to the students ( Tuitt 2016) , ( Knezz 2019) . In one particular study of BIPOC women in science classrooms, a majority of participants expressed strong desires to get to know their instructors ( Johnson 2007) . Breaking down these barriers and allowing for humanity and identity to be a part of the classroom helps to form an equitable and inclusive learning community. Tailor class structure to student demographics and needs . A simple gesture that can have a significant impact on a student’s sense of belonging in the STEM classroom is matching the course syllabus, classroom behavior, and group dynamics within the classroom to the instructor’s pedagogy ( Subramaniam, 1999) . Setting clear expectations and acknowledging a need for racial equity within the syllabus and initial instruction helps to create a safe and equitable learning community for students.

Creating and administering pre-course surveys to gain information from students about what they are excited about, what they are nervous about, how they learn best, and how the instructor can best support their learning is helpful to achieve this end. This not only produces useful information for the instructor as they design the course, but also communicates to students that these aspects of their individual identities are valued in the classroom ( Laudadio, 2019 ; Laudadio, 2017 ).

Rephrase and restructure opportunities for students to ask questions. It is proven that closing a lecture with “any questions?” is not an effective way of gauging classroom understanding and sparking discussion ( Johnson, 2007). This strategy leaves many voices unheard while allowing for the overamplification of certain voices. BIPOC students are often less likely to speak up for fear of drawing attention to themselves, or feeling isolated in their confusion (J ohnson, 2007) . There are a number of equitable discussion strategies that could be easily incorporated into any classroom, including STEM classrooms. These strategies acknowledge different learning styles, provide time for students to process what is salient and what is unclear, and can operate on individual, small group and large group levels.

Additionally, frequent formative assessment is a great method for an instructor to gain information about how students are incorporating the classroom knowledge, and can be easily tied in with these discussions (i.e. collecting written discussion responses at the end of class ( Dunnavant, 2017 ). Include identity affirming activities in class . The strategies detailed above for acknowledging and validating the role that anti-Blackness has played in science throughout history at the elementary school level should be continued on to both the middle and high school levels. Within this established context, it is worthwhile to affirm the identities of students within the classroom as being compatible with the attributes that make a good scientist ( Knezz, 2019) . Intentional identity-affirming activities are recommended at all levels of K-12 education. As an assignment, students can be tasked with researching and presenting on diverse scientists. There are a multitude of online resources for finding and learning about diverse scientists throughout history (1 75 Faces of Science, African American Pioneers of Science) .

Inclusive lesson plans available online detail how to assign short research projects on diverse scientists to students, specifically asking to not only discuss their accomplishments, but also their personal experiences( Laudadio, 2017 ).

Include conversations about racial injustice in STEM across the relevant subject areas. It is imperative that in addition to studying theorems and principles, students learn not only about those who created them, but the systems of racial bias and oppression that allowed certain people to progress in these discoveries while preventing others from the same success. It is also imperative that students understand how science and pseudoscience have been weaponized against marginalized communities. Find examples and information about these historical injustices in Appendix II .