Equity & Science Education
Equity, at its most basic definition, is “the quality of being fair and impartial”. This is frequently interchanged with the term equality, the state of being equal; the latter term assumes equal background, treatment, systemic and cultural support. With true equality of representation and access being the goal of ASTA regarding STEM education, we must utilize equity, and focus on fairness as a pathway to that goal.
Equity shifts the focus from assuming all students enter our classrooms with the same systemic support. We know, however, that this is far from true. From STEM representation, to messaging around what a scientist, engineer, mathematician,
etc. “looks like”, to our STEM classes reflecting the true demographics of our schools, we have a long way to go. We, at ASTA, are committed to the use of equitable practices, reflections, instruction, and resources to ensure that
all students are able to access STEM ideas, practices, ways of thought and career pathways.
It is becoming increasingly vital for all students to have access to science as a way of thinking and to see themselves as a scientist, regardless of their looks, cultural practices, or background. There are two primary reasons that
we feel all students deserve access to becoming scientific in their thought process: necessary skill-building for an innovative world and the love of science as a worldview.
Based on the NRC A Framework for K-12 Science Education that influenced our Arizona Science Standards (AZSS), one shift of Framework-based standards is that they are intended to be more equitable and accessible for all students.
New standards alone will not solve equity issues in Arizona science education. Equity must be pursued in all systems and levels (state, district, school, classroom, and educational partners organizations) that influence science curriculum,
instruction, and assessment.
The ASTA Equity Task Force has started building an Equity Resource Table, a place to gather resources to help Arizona educators as we seek to support all students with the new science standards. The table includes resources that support implementation of the new science standards through an equity lens. Criteria for resource selection:
- Research-based
- Attends specifically to increasing access and opportunity for K-12 students from traditionally marginalized communities to engage in three-dimensional, phenomena-driven science learning (see Appendix 4 of the Arizona Science Standards)
- Free-to-access
We encourage educators to reach out if you have a resource that has been helpful in pursuing equitable opportunities and access to the new science standards. Through the sharing of resources, we hope to make connections and identify resources that can help science educators and students across the state. If you can contribute a resource to support this equity work, please click here.
