Papers by Monica Ridgeway
Urban Education
The state takeover of schools in predominantly Black communities has not disrupted the racial sub... more The state takeover of schools in predominantly Black communities has not disrupted the racial subjugation of Black girls. Using proportional analyses and Detroit, Memphis, and New Orleans as research sites, we find that the takeover of school districts does not produce statistically weaker associations with the use of harsh disciplinary practices against Black girls. This finding is important in the context of education reform, as researchers begin to question the motives and outcomes of education reforms. Moreover, this study is important to literature that considers the civil rights that Black communities must forego for the promise of better schools. Finally, this finding is relevant to extant conversations in urban education, especially as those conversations consider the school-to-prison pipeline and disparate disciplinary outcomes for Black girls.
Communications on Stochastic Analysis, 2019
This essay shares a personal narrative from a Black woman STEM education researcher whose experie... more This essay shares a personal narrative from a Black woman STEM education researcher whose experiences living in poverty positively impacted her childhood and provided her with skills and strategies to navigate academia. The author's lived experiences have influenced her social justice research agenda aimed at combating social inequities. Her use of narrative is intended to provide insight for other researchers of color who may share similar experiences with their participants. Ultimately, her goal is to disrupt deficit narratives about communities of color living in poverty, which typically fail to address their systematic disenfranchisement, by providing a counter-narrative and descriptions of her lived experiences with STEM.
Cultural Studies of Science Education, 2019
This paper is written in response to Alberto J. Rodriguez and Deb Morrison's article entitled, "E... more This paper is written in response to Alberto J. Rodriguez and Deb Morrison's article entitled, "Expanding and Enacting Transformative Meanings of Equity, Diversity and Social Justice in Science Education." The authors provide a historical account of science education social justice research efforts within the USA and support the need to more critically incorporate social justice research agendas in science education. They summarize four main rationales used in science education research for engaging in equity, diversity and social justice: the economic, moral, demographic shift, and sociotransformative arguments. The authors remind researchers to consider systems of power and privilege when advocating for marginalized people, arguing that social justice should be embodied by the researcher and constantly be enacted within their work. The authors question why few have taken up social justice science education research. This paper expands on these authors' arguments by offering a critical race analysis of the social justice construct in science education research. I conclude with suggesting the need to deconstruct whiteness within social justice science education research agendas.
Multicultural Learning and Teaching, 2018
In this paper we build a conceptual framework to argue for culturally compelling instruction that... more In this paper we build a conceptual framework to argue for culturally compelling instruction that leads to teaching for change. Culturally compelling instruction calls for a substantive shift in how teachers view their students, communities, and what the perspective might mean for students’ future when they have access to alternative learning opportunities. The framework encourages teachers to take a stance and assume responsibility and ownership for their own decisions about the curriculum and instructional delivery. Most prominent is to acquire a depth of understanding of their students’ identities and needs. To represent our vision for culturally compelling instruction we use the lead poisoned water crisis in Flint, Michigan, USA as an illustrative case. Our work provides an example of how a real-world circumstance such as Flint’s may be integrated into content area subjects to frame a culturally compelling instructional practice.
The Urban Review, 2018
This article focuses on the scholarship of Black mathematics education researchers whose work foc... more This article focuses on the scholarship of Black mathematics education researchers whose work focuses on Black students in P-20 mathematics spaces. We conducted a metasynthesis literature review of empirical studies by Black mathematics education researchers. The authors utilized critical theories of race and racism to aid in the synthesis of the literature. The Black researchers we reviewed challenged the perspective that failure and limited persistence in Black students who are learning and participating in mathematics is normative. As a critical defense, these scholars offer research that problematizes test score data, race and racism, opportunities to learn mathematics, identity considerations, and other constructs that produce unequal effects in mathematics learning. We found that Black mathematics education researchers strategically disrupt the deficit narrative about Black students. Black scholars select theoretical frameworks that allow them to focus on race and how racism operates in mathematics education. We present this research to incite dialogue among all mathematics educators about improving the mathematical context for Black students.
International Perspectives on Inclusive Education, 2017
Abstract This chapter employs multiple frameworks to establish the need for and the promise of cu... more Abstract This chapter employs multiple frameworks to establish the need for and the promise of culturally inclusive science literacy strategies for urban United States contexts. Relevant frameworks for inclusive science education include (but are not limited to) science literacy by discourse norms found in Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and National Research Council (NRC) reform documents and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Science education research has demonstrated that traditional notions of literacy have historically led to exclusion of diversity among successful science students. In part, an assessment driven narrow representation of science in schools has led to a growing opportunity gap for children of colour, particularly in urban settings in the United States. Culturally based best practices in teaching science literacy can aid in the achievement of underrepresented science students as research continues to demonstrate the need for culturally relevant curriculum materials which recognise diverse cultural perspectives and contributions in science.
Journal of Engineering Education, 2019
Background: Engineering education in the United States has been accused of favoring White men at ... more Background: Engineering education in the United States has been accused of favoring White men at the exclusion of those traditionally underrepresented in engineering. However, contrary to the culturally responsive literature addressing approaches to "colorblindness," engineering faculty believe they should treat all students equally. Purpose: This study explored conceptions of equity and privilege present within the culture of engineering education, particularly the White male population. Method: This longitudinal qualitative study investigated the experiences of one longtime engineering professor, an insider to the culture of engineering confronted with conceptions of his own privilege. We analyzed interview, focus group, and field note data to evaluate shifts in our participant's perspective while he was enrolled in a doctoral program that challenged his views of race, privilege, and equity. Results: Our participant was initially opposed to conceptions of his own privilege. Through repeated challenges to his beliefs about privilege coupled with reflections on his experiences and positioning in society, his beliefs shifted toward recognizing inequities based on class and race. Conclusions: In a discipline with an overrepresentation of White men, there can be resistance to addressing topics of equity and privilege. However, it is possible for engineering educators, despite their race and gender, to change their beliefs related to the culture of engineering education and to address inequities within engineering departments and classrooms.
Cultural Studies of Science Education, 2016
This case study examines after school programming in citizen science from the perspective of Crit... more This case study examines after school programming in citizen science from the perspective of Critical Race Theory. During the course of enacting community outreach projects this data was used to examine the positioning of experts, student, and teachers within the program. This study explores the role of race and ethnicity, and the ways in which marginalization can manifest itself with black urban youth and teachers. Implications for partner selection and training are addressed.
The aim of this study was to investigate reasons Latina and Black females’ decide to pursue caree... more The aim of this study was to investigate reasons Latina and Black females’ decide to pursue career opportunities in health profession programs at higher education institutions. Within a HCOP outreach designed to serve students identified as financially or academically at risk who self-identified as a member of an underrepresented group in STEM. This study was conducted at a small, private college in the Northeast, U.S. Using the lens of identity formation and social cognitive career theory, the findings revealed students lack of self-efficacy attributed to specific messages of health, career identity, and body-image. Students who did not consider themselves healthy and fit did not aspire for HCOP professions and who excluded themselves as a result of privately held beliefs. Further investigations of students’ perceptions and beliefs in other health profession programs are required to improve recruitment and improve success and placement into health related careers.
This study explores engineers’ disciplinary, pedagogical, and cultural knowledge as they navigate... more This study explores engineers’ disciplinary, pedagogical, and cultural knowledge as they navigate their way through a PhD education program. Engineers typically do not engage in studies of their own teaching practice. Rather, engineering education research articles typically report applying a novel treatment or tool, reporting improvements in standardized content scores. Researchers sought to understand how engineers could promote specific STEM habits of mind with diverse students with histories of academic failure in a summer STEM camp. We explored how a White engineers’ teachers’ thinking, speaking, and acting engage or confounds diverse students’ participation. Engineers’ planning and enacted pedagogy demonstrated shifts in their beliefs regarding under-represented urban STEM youth toward that of more culturally responsive teaching. Implications for engineering education as well as for future research are discussed
Journal of Latinos and Education, 2017
ABSTRACT Diversity in dietetics, like other health professions, has remained stagnant despite the... more ABSTRACT Diversity in dietetics, like other health professions, has remained stagnant despite the increase of racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States. We examined how Latina and Black women, enrolled in a university outreach program, make sense of a critical media literacy program during career introduction to dietetics. Our findings revealed that the women did not identify with the dietetics major and profession due to stereotypical images. Cliché messages were used as a discourse method. The need to explore public discourse to understand identity formation and barriers to entry into health profession careers is discussed.
Black graduate students in engineering and computing experience isolation due to their underrepre... more Black graduate students in engineering and computing experience isolation due to their underrepresentation. In this manuscript, we analyzed how Black engineering and computing doctoral students’ experiences of isolation and impostor syndrome were exacerbated by negative interactions with their Asian international peers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 23 Black PhD students regarding their doctoral experiences. Across the interviews, participants expressed similar experiences in their programs: 1) Feelings of racial isolation from underrepresentation among their peers, 2) Perceptions that Asian peers were positioned to be in STEM which made Black students feel as though they were impostors in their academic fields 3.) Interactions with Asian peers that challenged their sense of belonging in their departments and programs, leading them to feel increased isolation and minimal support. This research affirms the need to create and employ initiatives at the ins...
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Papers by Monica Ridgeway