In this article, we explore the work of Marcia Gentry as it relates to Project Having Opportunities Promotes Excellence (HOPE).We describe Project HOPE, the hundreds of scholarships it provided to students from around the country, and the broader effect it had on gifted student programs at Purdue University. We also discuss how Project HOPE…

While the academic job market continues to be strong for social work doctoral graduates relative to graduates of other fields, there has been relatively little guidance for students and their mentors on how to prepare for and obtain these positions. Research in doctoral education across disciplines shows that students need help transitioning from…

Despite growing interest and investment in building a more racially and ethnically diverse teacher workforce, increases in the share of teachers of color nationally have stalled in recent years. Even with more new teachers of color entering the profession each year, about 80% of the teacher workforce has been white since 2015. This trend…

Amidst ongoing racist violence in the United States, this article will recognize workplace-based efforts to act against racially motivated discrimination targeted at the Black community. More specifically, this article will examine anti-racist initiatives in the workplace by connecting these efforts to broader discussions of human rights,…

This column shares reflections or thoughtful opinions on issues of broad interest to the community. This month's issue calls on STEM professionals to take three simple steps toward diversifying the STEM workforce.

A focus on faculty professional learning, given the challenges that California community colleges and students face, must remain a high priority and continue to evolve. The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) has long been an advocate for the development of robust professional development policies as part of senate purview…

This framework provides a set of recommendations for postsecondary institutions and employers to support Black learners and workers to build professional social capital. It expands on a related JFF market scan that maps the landscape of nonprofit and social enterprise-led social capital initiatives.

In a globalizing economy, education is key to competitiveness and economic growth. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is playing catch up in terms of investing in the human capital needed to participate effectively in the world economy. The Sub-Saharan region is currently engaged in what has been termed as a "catch-up" period as is reflected in…

The 2019 Kappa Delta Pi Teachers of Color Summit addressed three critical issues facing teacher education programs: recruitment, retention, and support of teachers of color upon graduation. This article targets strategies for teacher preparation programs to support teachers of color after graduation.

The Becoming A Man (BAM) program is a school-based group counseling and mentoring program run by Youth Guidance (YG), a community organization that serves children in Chicago schools who are at risk. BAM guides young men to learn, internalize, and practice social cognitive skills, make responsible decisions for their future, and become positive…

Beginning a new career as an academic is a daunting task. Carol Mutch's latest book aims to demystify the process by providing new and intending academics with an insight in what to expect. The book is based around the real-life concerns and questions that were raised by the early career academics she worked with in her innovative Emerging…

Utah 4-H and Fidelity Investments collaborated on a program for increasing the financial literacy of teens and children. The collaboration resulted in positive impacts for both Extension and Utah youths. Extension benefited through partnership with a corporation that provided content expertise, volunteers, and funding for a financial literacy…

Many special educators seek opportunities to learn more and to make systemwide changes. These educators, however, may not know what else to do or where else to look for answers to challenges they experience within their current roles and settings. Rather than continuing to search for answers within their current position, some special educators…

Postdoctoral positions in biology education research (BER) are becoming increasingly common as the field grows. However, many life science graduate students are unaware of these positions or do not understand what these positions entail or the careers with which they align. In this essay, we use a backward-design approach to inform life science…

Rural, economically disadvantaged communities face a bigger challenge than urban communities in recruiting and retaining high school (HS) students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) because many of these students do not have access to high-quality STEM opportunities. In this article, we describe a mentoring program we…