This book offers a comprehensive approach that covers a wide range of topics, from understanding the STEM divide to implementing practical solutions and envisioning the future landscape of STEM education. This approach makes the book a valuable resource for OST educators, policymakers, and researchers. This book emphasizes the role of OST programs, particularly FIRST LEGO League robotics, offering insights into an often overlooked but crucial aspect of STEM education. The book also offers specific strategies for implementing culturally responsive robotics programs, making it a practical guide for educators working with diverse student groups.
1. Education Access and the STEM Divide.- 2. The Importance of Early
STEM Exposure for Racially and Linguistically Marginalized Children.- 3. The
Role of Out-of-School Time Programs in STEM Education.- 4. FIRST LEGO League:
Building Democratic Learning Communities Through STEM.-
5. Disciplinary
Literacy in STEM.- 6. Culturally Sustaining Pedagogical Strategies for
Enhancing Robotics Programs.- 7. Case Study of a FIRST LEGO League Challenge
OST Program.- 8. A Brief look at STEM Education Policy in the United States
1957 to 2025.- 9. The Future Landscape of STEM Education in the United
States.- 10. Closing Thoughts: The Promise of a Diverse STEM Future.
Rachel G. Salas is Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Learning and Literacy at the University of Nevada, Reno, USA. Her work also focuses on issues of race, culture, and language in the classroom, academic environments, and children's literature. She has over thirty years of experience working with underrepresented, culturally and linguistically diverse learners and their families. Her university teaching career began at a designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in south Texas and has taken her to universities and schools in North Carolina, California, and Nevada.
