ERIC Number: EJ1303996
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jul
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Important Role of Chemistry Department Chairs and Recommendations for Actions They Can Enact to Advance Black Student Success
Journal of Chemical Education, v98 n7 p2209-2220 Jul 2021
There is a severe shortage of Black scientists in the United States. Amid the recent national movement to dismantle systemic racism and racial injustices, many scientists publicly highlighted the prevalence of racist learning environments in STEM, contributing to the underrepresentation of Black students in STEM fields. Acknowledging this longstanding troubling reality, this article emphasizes the instrumental role of chemistry department chairs in advancing Black student success in chemistry and STEM broadly. Guided by literature on systemic change and equity in higher education as well as our research on the Black student experience and teaching practices in chemistry, this article describes the following five recommendations for actions that chemistry chairs should consider enacting to promote equity-mindedness within their departments to advance Black student success: (1) disaggregate data to make publicly visible racial inequities; (2) offer formal opportunities for Black students to candidly share their perspectives; (3) conduct systematic assessment of course syllabus; (4) measure teaching practices; and (5) create chemistry education research positions. The enactment of these recommendations by chemistry chairs provides meaningful opportunities for faculty and staff to critically examine the chemistry learning environment using an equity-minded approach to in turn inform the development of strategic efforts to support the advancement of Black student success.
Descriptors: College Faculty, Science Departments, Department Heads, Administrator Role, Chemistry, Science Achievement, College Students, African American Students, Equal Education, Data Analysis, Racial Bias, Student Attitudes, Course Descriptions, Educational Assessment, Teaching Methods, Educational Research
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A