Addressing Student Diversity and Equity: The Next Generation Science Standards are Leading a New Wave of Reform

Abstract

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While student demographics continue to change nationwide, science achievement gaps persist, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NCES 2012). The National School Lunch Program feeds more than half of the nation's public school students with free or reduced-price lunch (Southern Education Foundation 2015), and English language learners (ELLs) are now the fastest-growing student population. As traditional racial and ethnic minority students have become the numeric majority (NCES 2013), teaching science for all increasingly means addressing diverse student populations. Emerging now is a new wave of science education reform grounded in A Framework for K--12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC 2012) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013). The goal of this reform is to make all students ready to pursue STEM college degrees and careers and to be informed citizens. We would argue that this new wave of reform is more ambitious than that which followed the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik--the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth--in 1957. While the space race education reform arguably targeted elite students with the potential to become future scientists (Rudolph 2002), the new wave calls for all students to learn academically rigorous science, become college and career ready, and take part in the global community. This article describes how the NGSS address diversity and equity issues and calls for next steps in implementing the NGSS for diverse student groups. Diversity and equity in the NGSS The NGSS address diversity and equity issues from the start in discussing what counts as science and who does science. First, in describing the nature of science, the NGSS state: Men and women from different social, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds work as scientists and engineers (NGSS Appendix H, p. 6). While scientists have traditionally been portrayed in popular culture as white males, nowadays scientists of color and female scientists serve as role models for students who otherwise might not consider science relevant to their lives or careers. Second, from an epistemological perspective, including engineering in the NGSS addresses diversity as well. Much of the historical development in Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, and Arabic (American Association for the Advancement of Science 1989, p. 136), and other cultures (e.g., Siamese, Balinese, Incan, Aztec, Aksum, Haida) involve engineering (i.e., designing solutions to problems) more than science (i.e., explaining phenomena) (Siegel 2002; Snively and Corsiglia 2001). By recognizing engineering, the NGSS open the door to contributions of non-Western cultures as demand for technological innovations grows. The NGSS redefine what counts as science learning with four aspects particularly relevant to diversity and equity issues. First, the NGSS present performance expectations and weave together three dimensions--science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas--to explain phenomena and design solutions to problems. When phenomena and problems are placed in home and community contexts, diverse students build on their everyday experience and language to make connections among school science and home and community. Another aspect is the central role of engineering. From a pedagogical perspective, by designing engineering solutions to problems in local contexts, students deepen their science knowledge and recognize science as relevant to their lives and future (Rodriguez and Berryman 2002). Exposure to engineering in local contexts (e.g., watershed improvement, habitat restoration, alternative energy innovation, local health initiatives) can generate students' interest in studying STEM areas and inspire them to choose STEM-related college coursework or careers. Early engagement with engineering, fostered by the NGSS, is particularly important for students who have not traditionally considered science as a possible career pathway (Katehi, Pearson, and Feder 2009; NSF 2010). …