Board 249: Developing and Creating Affective Knowledge Spaces for Teachers as Advocates for Social Justice

Broadening the talent pool in STEM fields starts with increasing social justice and equity for racially minoritized undergraduates and women. While the demand for STEM workers and high-earning wages provides an excellent opportunity for upward socioeconomic mobility, women and people of color remain significantly underrepresented in most STEM fields [1], [2]. Centering middle and high school students with racially minoritized backgrounds, the Catalyzing Inclusive STEM Experiences All Year Round (CISTEME365) initiative aims to better understand practices that increase students' motivation and capacities in pursuit of careers in STEM fields. Overall, the project aims to develop transformative paradigms for advancing interests, self-efficacy, abilities, and pathways in STEM with a set of three interconnected strategies. • School-based teams of classroom teachers and academic advisors participate in year-round professional learning experiences focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM, as well as a project-based electrical engineering curriculum. • Participating schools receive resources and technical assistance to establish or expand a STEM club using the strategies and content from the professional learning experiences. • Students from these schools are eligible to receive scholarships to attend the University of Illinois' summer programs for pre-college students interested in STEM. This paper focuses on the professional development component of the CISTEME365 initiative, which supports the creation of affective and knowledge spaces among guidance counselors and teachers as advocates for social justice and equity in STEM education. Using a qualitative case study approach [3], we examine what happens when a pair of middle school educators (science teacher and dual language science teacher) develop an after-school STEM club with a specific goal of creating an equitable and inclusive environment for girls and students from racially minoritized backgrounds. Further, we use inductive thematic analysis methodology [4] to identify propositions on professional development aspects of CISTEME365 programming and its influence on STEM Club design and student experiences.