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Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop (2022)

Chapter: 3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention

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Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
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3

Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention

Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×

Moving from the first panel’s high-level perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing Black men and Black women in their pathways to careers in science, engineering, and medicine, the second panel focused on personal experiences. In a session moderated by Ian Henry, Ph.D., Proctor & Gamble, participants heard from Chris Pulliam, Ph.D., Proctor & Gamble; Tracy Lall, M.S.Ed., Thurgood Marshall Academy; Elise Mike, M.D./Ph.D. candidate at Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Italo Brown, M.D., M.P.H., Stanford University; and Sharon Spencer, M.A., M.S.Ed., a teacher and administrator currently writing her Ph.D. dissertation. They shared lessons learned about barriers and opportunities they have encountered and what they have observed for others around them, including the young people they teach or mentor.

THE NEED FOR COMMUNITY

Dr. Pulliam shared his own journey and some of the lessons he has extracted from it. Raised in Indianapolis, he attended a predominantly Black high school, but he and his twin brother were usually the only Black students in Advanced Placement (AP) classes. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering and Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Purdue University. At Purdue, he was often the only or one of very few Black students in his classes, and noted he had to “learn how to thrive in those spaces.”

As a graduate student, he recognized the need to increase the number of students of color in Purdue’s graduate chemistry program. The program recruited 70 to 90 students per year, he said, of whom only 2 or 3 were students of color. The tipping point for him was during a year in which only 1 student of color out of 100 new students entered the program. He decided to become part of recruitment and retention efforts through a student-led organization called the Chemistry Diversity Initiative. “The idea was to figure out what was working for us and then apply it,” he explained.

In the 5 years since the program began, more than 50 Black and Brown students have entered Purdue’s chemistry Ph.D. programs, of whom 48

Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×

earned a Ph.D. Strategies behind this high retention rate include mentorship and focus on a community that encompasses a critical mass of students of color. He stressed the importance for students to have a community with whom they can vent in a safe place.

Now at Proctor & Gamble, Dr. Pulliam said community is still critical to his success. He credited Dr. Henry with helping create such an environment at Proctor & Gamble. He also noted the challenge of being “stretched thin” as a high-achieving professional who wants to reach back to the community. Lack of critical mass of peers represents another challenge. In a class or work setting, “you can feel like a token, the voice of all people of color,” he said. At the same time, he said, “I realize that privilege that comes with my degree: ‘Dr. Pulliam’ allows me into the room where others cannot go.”

Dr. Pulliam also discussed barriers that inhibit some students of color from pursuing advanced degrees: not only fear of failure from an individual perspective but also fear of reinforcing stereotypes. Another aspect, he said, is when students perceive their failure is inevitable based on societal expectations. He noted that when he mentors Black middle and high school students, fear of failure prevents many from trying. He stresses that “failure can be advantageous if done correctly, and it is important to learn how to get help to navigate failure.”

TEACHING AS A LIFETIME COMMITMENT

Ms. Lall provided a perspective about middle and high school based on her 25 years at Thurgood Marshall Academy in central Harlem. She identified what she sees as the biggest barrier to Black students’ science, technology, engineering, and medicine (STEM) attainment:

One of biggest problems in motivating our kids to go into more rigorous classes or look at math and science is they have great difficulty in reading. The biggest problem in public school is student inability to read and read well. Thus, they lack academic confidence…. To get kids into AP, you have to start in grade 1. A lot goes on beforehand.

Poor reading skills are not due to lack of innate intelligence but lack of early preparation, Ms. Lall clarified. Many of her students have limited exposure to household-centered talking and reading before they enter kindergarten, an observation confirmed by her colleagues who are early

Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×

childhood educators. They may not be familiar with basic concepts of numbers and colors, or of using scissors and crayons. She noted few interventions are available in the later grades for students with basic reading problems.

Another significant problem she said she has seen is “students are used to failure or barely passing. It’s hard to motivate them.” Related to lack of motivation is lack of academic discipline. Students do not have the capability to sit and think deeply about a subject, she said. “Listening to a lecture about the cell on a molecular level or another subject—kids will tune out, say it is boring, but it has more to do with the fact that they cannot manage this type of language and subject, or have the discipline to sit and study, or to handle rigorous homework,” she commented.

She continued that this has meant that public schools like hers have cut the number of AP and other rigorous classes offered because of low enrollments. Her school no longer offers physics or calculus. She used to teach AP biology, but needed a minimum class size of 25 students, rather than the 15 or so who enrolled. Moreover, a consequence of special education students integrated into the classroom, she said, is that teachers tend to focus more on imparting basic skills to these students, and others in the classroom get less attention.

Ms. Lall provided a concrete example of the roadblocks that many students face in applying to colleges and universities. A strong Thurgood Marshall student applied to the Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program at City University of New York (CUNY). Although she ultimately entered CUNY’s Honors Program, she was not admitted to Sophie Davis because she had not taken physics or calculus in high school. Teachers have to be strong and committed, Ms. Lall said. As she related,

By the time students get to high school, there is often apathy. You have to fight through it to get them to trust you so they will come on the journey with you to learn. It is a fight every day. Some teachers become apathetic. Students give resistance, and you have to fight and establish relationships…. Teaching is not a job, or even a career—it is a lifetime commitment to get kids through school.

Ms. Lall also noted that pressures at home make it difficult for many students to do well at school. She realized that as she is pushing students to do well on their tests, some are going home to families worried about paying rent or with other adult problems.

Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×

SURVIVING AND THRIVING AS A STUDENT

Dr. Mike reflected on her own path to contribute to the panel’s larger theme of barriers and potential interventions. She grew up in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, attended a small high school with about 30 students in her graduating class, and had never taken a standardized test until the SAT. She had no family members in medicine or science, but she knew at age 5 that she wanted to become a doctor. When she moved to Atlanta to attend Emory University on a merit-based scholarship, she experienced culture shock as one of the only Black students in a pre-med class with 150 students. Some students assumed she had gained admittance and a scholarship because of race. When she told her academic advisor that she wanted to pursue an M.D./Ph.D., he laughed. Thus, she identified people who did not believe in her capabilities as a barrier.

A pivotal experience occurred after her junior year when she attended a summer research and training program at Baylor College of Medicine, in which she worked in a lab and shadowed at the hospital. After graduation from Emory, she returned to the Baylor lab and studied for her MCATs (Medical College Admission Tests). Her principal investigator, who was also director of Baylor’s M.D./Ph.D. program, advised her to take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), apply for the Ph.D. program, then apply to the M.D./Ph.D. program internally. However, other co-directors did not agree with this route, and she had to withdraw and apply to a program elsewhere.

She chose Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s M.D./Ph.D. program in part because of its commitment to social justice expressed in its mission statement. However, she related, she faced obstacles in the Ph.D. component related to different requirements placed on her compared with others in the lab. In a meeting with the program director and dean of diversity, she had to agree not to go to Human Resources or have to start again, she reported. Despite these obstacles, she finished the Ph.D. program in 3 years with two published articles in which she served as first author. She went through the medical school component and is now applying for residencies. She noted she is excited for the next step but realizes hurdles remain in this very competitive field.

She identified the issue of representation as another barrier. “When I was applying to programs, I had never met a Black M.D./Ph.D. student in my life,” she said. “There’s a certain mental fortitude you need to have in order to get through.” In addition, she said, lack of familiarity with stan-

Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×

dardized testing from a young age became a barrier. “We need to make sure our students know how to take these tests,” she said. “There’s a difference between knowing the material and knowing how to take these tests.”

She also stressed the importance of mental health:

It’s important for trainees, including myself, to find the balance between trying to promote diversity and inclusion but also making sure that we get through the process ourselves. I started the White Coats 4 Black Lives chapter at Einstein to expose racism as a public health issue and try to get more students at Einstein to understand the importance of addressing and making Einstein an anti-racist institution. Work is ongoing and I am passionate about it, but it also has to take its place within making it through myself. We need to make sure our impressive, excellent, working twice-as-hard-to-get-half-as-much Black students figure out the balance and the psychosocial concerns of dealing with all this at the same time.

Dr. Henry commented that many refer to the multiple demands to invest in others and manage one’s own career as “the Black Tax.” In the corporate world, he said, the perception is that if Black STEM professionals spend too much time on diversity and inclusion activities then they are less committed or less capable to do technical work. Scientists of color may become tracked for management rather than senior technologist roles in those situations.

BATTLING IMPOSTER SYNDROME

Dr. Brown’s trajectory had some common elements reported by the previous presenters, along with his own unique experiences. Now an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Stanford and instructor in social emergency medicine at Stanford Hospital, he began his remarks by acknowledging he came from a place of personal vulnerability in discussing barriers and interventions.

Dr. Brown grew up in Sacramento, not far, he noted from three cities listed as the most dangerous in America. His parents were very deliberate in instilling in him a consciousness of his identity as a Black man and an understanding of the value he brought to the table. His mother was an educator, and his father was a firefighter. From them, he gained a sense of how to encounter obstacles and have confidence.

Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×

He attended a combination of private and public schools. To enroll in a public high school in a strong school district, he had to use a family member’s address, and he was often one of the few Black students in AP classes. After high school, he received a scholarship to Morehouse College. Setting foot on Morehouse’s predominantly Black campus was, he said, both empowering and intimidating, and he struggled academically. The saving grace were people who invested in him—making sure he had the knowledge, resources, and tools to navigate the system and graduate on time. Although interested in attending medical school, he was not a competitive candidate and went to Boston University for a master’s in public health. He took the MCAT twice but scored poorly. He noted the prevailing sentiment that links MCAT performance with potential caliber as a physician led to a steep erosion in confidence.

“I was crashing into hurdles and watching my confidence dwindle,” he related. A critical turning point was when a professor pulled him aside and “decided to double down on her investment.” She worked with him to study appropriately, manage his time, and cultivate a lifestyle to grow as a scholar and get into the mindset of someone who wanted to be a physician. It still was not easy. He received many rejection letters before acceptance at Meharry Medical College. He is now the only Black male emergency physician in his group, as well as the only Black male to receive a fellowship in social emergency medicine, at Stanford.

To Dr. Brown, success for Black students comes down to three things: exposure, mentorship, and resources. “Exposure is huge,” he said. “If you’re not given the opportunities to see people who are in those places doing the things that you aspire to do, you’re going to have difficulty. We know that Black students are disadvantaged in this regard.” He commented on seeing a white colleague bring her 11-year-old daughter into the hospital in a shadowing experience and realizing that few Black children have these kinds of opportunities. Second, he recognized the value of mentorship in his own situation, but noted these opportunities do not exist for all. Third is the issue of money. “You can have opportunity and a champion, but if you don’t have the resources, you are set up for failure to a degree,” he said.

He agreed with Dr. Mike, who noted that students of color, especially those who want to become physicians, have to learn how to handle exams. Just as students train to get “in the zone” for a sports tournament, they have to learn how to get into preparation mode to take high-stakes, standardized tests. Knowing how to navigate the terrain is also important. He said he is transparent about his failures so others can see that they will encounter

Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×

obstacles and still succeed. He also pointed out that his struggles help him relate to his patients, a valuable quality.

Finally, he said,

We have to be very honest with ourselves—the imposter syndrome is debilitating. Other people may give an aura that they think you are there because of affirmative action or diversity actions. We need to develop a practiced response, almost an inherent response, to imposter syndrome. It has to be a focal point.

He noted the particular challenge along a physician’s career path, since so many elements are built on competition. Microaggressions occur, and social justice and health equity are not written into the curriculum, he said. As long as African Americans or people who identify as Black are not in the conversation, there will be upstream and downstream hurdles.

He concluded with thanks to the people who invested in him so he can make those same investments in others to try to reduce barriers for students of color at all levels. “That is the unspoken pact of any physician of color. You buy into it,” he concluded.

THE NEED FOR DIVERSE FACULTY AND STAFF

Ms. Spencer passed on the lesson her mother taught her: listen, learn, and follow directions. She said her parents sent her to Catholic school and pushed her to excel. Like other presenters, she was one of the few Black students in her school, and she rarely saw Black role models among teachers and other professionals. A guidance counselor steered her, as an honors student, away from City University of New York and toward other institutions. Her parents, who were from Antigua, did not know the U.S. system, including the financial aid system. The result was a bachelor’s degree from a private college and $32,000 in debt. Although she had wanted to become a doctor, her godmother suggested she enter teaching.

She said in her 20 years of teaching, she has had many similar experiences as Ms. Lall at Thurgood Marshall Academy (see above). Many Black and Brown students, especially males, are not strong readers and cannot handle science textbooks. Many are reluctant to ask teachers or peers for help for fear they will be seen as inferior or incapable. For this reason, she said, mentorship needs to start in elementary school before deficits are solidified. She also noted the media entice students to want to become rappers

Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×

or basketball players. “While there is no problem with these careers if you have the talent,” she said, “they should not be the only targets for our Black and Brown students.”

She helped launch New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science IV in Queens, where she said she was very purposeful about hiring staff who reflected the student body (mostly students of Caribbean descent). When the network’s superintendent said the school had the most diverse staff in the network, she told him, “That’s a problem.” As she pointed out, 90 percent of the system’s 140,000 students were Black and Brown, and a more diverse teaching staff was necessary in all its schools.

Ms. Spencer related other important ingredients of success for students. The first, as Dr. Brown commented on, is time management. Second, representation and investment are crucial. She agreed with Ms. Lall that teaching is a lifetime commitment. She noted that she always had a tea station in her office, reflecting a common practice from Antigua. If students lingered, she knew they had something on their minds and would engage with them. She also noted that bias must be addressed, especially when teachers believe in stereotypes that Black and Brown students cannot excel.

Ms. Spencer said she pushes students to take 4 years of science, even though six credits are the minimum requirement. She has found students get a taste of success in AP classes that carry over into other courses. However, she said, they need skills and support, such as how to take notes, in order to succeed. They need to see other role models and peers around them to avoid what she called the “peas in the rice syndrome,” in which very few students of color are in a given situation. Finally, they benefit from exposure to exciting, authentic science as well as learning soft skills for interviews and other settings.

DISCUSSION

Dr. Henry asked the panelists to comment on obstacles created by isolation in situations with little or no other Black representation. Ms. Spencer said such situations put her on guard and make her feel the need to prove herself, which is something she sees among many Black and Brown students. Dr. Brown commented on the perceived requirement of having to serve as representative of an entire race or ethnic group. “The reality is that you represent yourself and you are a sample of an entire people,” he said. “Being able to extract the difference relieves the pressure.” When asked to serve on an interview committee or in another setting, he asks himself

Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×

whether he is asked as a token or whether he has expertise in the subject at hand. Dr. Pulliam noted some students he mentors look at him as a success but also as an exception. “I try to help them see that I have succeeded and they can, too. It is a matter of evidence of proof versus exceptionalism,” he said. Dr. Mike added, “There is also the belief you have to be excellent all the time and are afraid to talk about challenges.” She noted the tendency not to show the “dark spots” to a mentor out of fear they will not invest in a mentee who may be having difficulty.

Changing topics, a participant asked Ms. Lall about the structural barriers that would prevent an AP class of 15 students from going forward. She replied that the school’s average class size is 30 students and a small class would enlarge other classes. Like Ms. Spencer, she noted the value of students taking AP, although she criticized the concept of AP for All without appropriate tutoring and other resources to support less-prepared students. She questioned how the material lost during COVID-19 will be made up, even with remote learning, for example, gaps in algebra as students take higher math classes in the future.

A participant asked the panelists about balancing societal expectations without losing a sense of their own identity. Dr. Brown noted he wears his hair in dreadlocks, and some people have advised him to cut his hair. He replies that his hair is part of his identity, “tied to who I am.” But another benefit, he added, is that he can connect with patients in emergency room settings, which makes them more receptive to his medical advice. Dr. Pulliam noted that he draws from his training as a scientist to define what success looks like, focusing on the process to achieve results. Rather than avoid failure, “I explain it is part of the process, as happens with experimentation in science,” he said. Dr. Mike emphasized the importance of counter-spaces: for example, “other Black students who understand the feeling when you come in with a white coat and someone assumes you are there to pick up their lunch tray. You don’t have to expend energy explaining, you can just feel your feeling.” She added her perspective that Black people in America often do not have the luxury of being able to thrive and spend time in ways that bring them joy, but this outlet is vital to get through challenging situations day to day. Ms. Spencer said it is important to remain grounded in her own culture while remaining open to learning about others’ cultures. The lesson she tries to impart to students and staff is, “It’s okay to maneuver around American society with your own unique cultural aspects.”

Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×
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Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×
Page 22
Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×
Page 23
Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×
Page 24
Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×
Page 25
Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×
Page 26
Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×
Page 27
Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×
Page 28
Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×
Page 29
Suggested Citation:"3 Teachers and Young Professionals: Perceived Obstacles, Real Barriers, and Potential Points of Intervention." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Educational Pathways for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26391.
×
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Academic preparation is critical to increase Black representation in Science, Engineering, and Medicine, but so, too, are such interrelated factors as providing mentoring and role models in sufficient numbers, adequately funding school and community support services, and analyzing the intentional and unintentional consequences of a range of policies and practices. To address these issues, the Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a virtual workshop on September 2 and 3, 2020. Titled "Educational Pathways for Blacks in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Exploring Barriers and Possible Interventions," the workshop provided a platform to explore challenges and opportunities, beginning in the earliest years of life through K-12 schooling, undergraduate and postgraduate education, and into the workforce. Presenters throughout the workshop provided perspectives from research and from their own experiences to discuss the need for systemic solutions inside and outside of formal education institutions. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop.

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