Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography
Jessica Branstetter
June 25, 2015
CUR 341
Joel Blomenkamp, Ed.D.
Teachers College of San Joaquin

Annotated Bibliography

Topic: Equity in the STEM classroom.

It is a well-known fact within and outside of education that not all schools or classrooms
are created equal. Some schools are deemed drop out factories with drop out rates of
40% or more, whereas other schools have graduation rates in the high 90th percentile. If
we want to have a successful public education system, it is our job as a community to
make sure students are getting what they need to be successful. Does this mean that we
will give all students the same resources and assistance? I believe it does not. My passion
within education is to discover how we can make our educational system equitable so all
students, regardless of gender, ethnicity, special needs, linguistic background, or cultural
or socioeconomic status, have the best possible chance for success; not only while they
are in school, but for the rest of their lives. This is a complex idea, with many different
schools of thought as to how to make this a reality. Below is a list of resources Ive used
while researching equity in the STEM classroom.
Battey, D., Kafai, Y., Kao, L.L., & Nixon, A.S. (2007). Professional development for
teachers on gender equity in the sciences: Initiating the conversation. Teachers
College Record, (109), 221-243. Retrieved from
http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=12741
This article examines gender inequality in the STEM classroom with the view
that the issue is more complex than it has ever been. They examined 170
STEM projects with a focus on engagement, inquiry, long-term sustainability,
and integration of professional development. They found that half of the
projects did not address core content, and 84% of the projects did not include a

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component of inquiry. They also concluded that most of the professional

development lacked any essential component of gender equality, and the
further implications and steps needed to make STEM classrooms equitable.
Cobb, P., Hodge, L. (2011). Chapter 11 Culture, Identity, and Equity in the Mathematics
Classroom. In K. Gravemeijer, A. Sfard, & E. Yackel (2011 Edition), A Journey
in Mathematics Education Research: Insights form the work of Paul Cobb (pp.
179-195). New York: Springer.
This section of the book begins with defining equity in relation to a
mathematics classroom environment in context of learning and teaching as
affecting students access to future success. Two views of culture are also
examined; one of these views links culture to easily identified communities,
whereas the other view links culture to ones physical location. The relationship
between equity and culture is examined, as well as possible ways to make the
classroom equitable to all students.
Edutopia. (2012). How Canada is closing the achievement gap (Education everywhere
series). Canada.
This video discusses the closing of the achievement gap in Ontario, Canada.
About 400,000 immigrant students enter the Canadian school system every
year, and of those about 80% are from non-English speaking countries. Despite
this, the implementation of one-on-one instruction and staff collaboration has
closed the achievement gap by half in the past six years. Teachers work
collaboratively not only with other staff members, but also with parents and

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families. They acknowledge the different difficulties facing students and work
to minimize those difficulties.
Farinde, A.A., & Lewis, C.W. (2012). The underrepresentation of African American
female students in STEM fields: Implications for classroom teachers. USChina Education Review, B(4), 421-430.
This article states that African American women are underrepresented in the
professional STEM community that is linked to a cultural view of an inferior
race, sex, and class. This cultural view leads to African American female
students being historically under-educated and without the confidence to enter
STEM fields. The authors suggest implementing culturally relevant teaching
practices that will undo the cultural biases and create a more equitable learning
environment for African American female students.
Toglia, T. V. (2013). Gender equity issues in CTE and STEM education. Tech
Directions, 72(7), 14-17.
In this article, the author asserts that teacher attitudes about female student
achievement and opportunities are a major factor in how well students perform
and how far female students go in the CTE and STEM fields. There is also a
gap between access to work and education for women compared to those
available to men. The author suggests several strategies that will broaden these
opportunities for female students and women.

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