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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Educ.
Sec. Language, Culture and Diversity
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1434813
This article is part of the Research Topic Situating Equity at the Center of Continuous Improvement in Education View all 3 articles

Adapting Improvement Science Tools and Routines to Build Racial Equity in Out-of-School Time STEM Spaces

Provisionally accepted
Jennifer Iriti Jennifer Iriti 1,2*Lori Delale-O'Connor Lori Delale-O'Connor 3Jennifer Z. Sherer Jennifer Z. Sherer 2Talia Stol Talia Stol 2Disan Davis Disan Davis 2Chris Matthis Chris Matthis 2Danielle Lowry Danielle Lowry 2Alison S. Legg Alison S. Legg 4
  • 1 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States
  • 2 Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
  • 3 School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
  • 4 Broadening Equity in STEM Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Over the past two decades, networked improvement communities (NICs) have become popular for their collaborative, evidence-based approaches to enduring educational challenges. However, traditional improvement science has had inconsistent focus and efficacy in working on issues of racial equity. This study examines the integration of equity into improvement science through the case of the STEM PUSH Network, an NSF-funded alliance aimed at increasing racial and ethnic equity in STEM postsecondary enrollment and persistence. The STEM PUSH Network consists of 40 precollege STEM programs that strive to increase participation of Black, Latine, and Indigenous students in STEM undergraduate pathways. This paper tells the developmental story of how the network has embedded equity into its improvement practices, focusing on professional development in anti-racism and culturally sustaining pedagogy, the adoption of "living" norms, and the restructuring of inquiry cycles to prioritize marginalized voices. Initial results indicate that these efforts have significantly improved the network's equity practice and culture. The network's experiences reveal challenges such as variations in member capabilities while also demonstrating the potential for NICs to effectively incorporate equity into their practice. The STEM PUSH Network's journey offers valuable insights for other improvement networks seeking to prioritize equity, showcasing the necessity and impact of deliberate adjustments in improvement science tools and routines.

    Keywords: improvement science1, equity2, networked improvement community3, tools4, racial equity5. (Min.5-Max. 8)

    Received: 18 May 2024; Accepted: 20 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Iriti, Delale-O'Connor, Sherer, Stol, Davis, Matthis, Lowry and Legg. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jennifer Iriti, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.