Superintendents as social justice advocates for African American female students in STEM

ABSTRACTAlthough the Obama-Biden administration recognized and the Biden-Harris administration continues to emphasize the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), including medicine, for the nation’s continuing prosperity, the United States produces significantly fewer STEM graduates than other countries. To make up the difference, the United States relies on foreign STEM workers. For a variety of reasons, it would be better to produce STEM professionals domestically. One approach to narrow or eliminate the gap between the number of STEM workers the United States needs and the number of graduates in STEM fields is to attract and maintain more women of color in STEM careers. Fulfilling this vision requires superintendents who view getting more African-American female students interested in STEM as both an economic and social justice issue. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationNotes on contributorsShawn JosephDr. Shawn Joseph’s passion for equity and social justice has led him to serve in a number of positions in the world of education. He has been an English teacher, school administrator, central office administrator, and superintendent in Delaware and Tennessee. He served on the faculty of Fordham University in the Department of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy during the 2019-2020 school year and is currently Co-Director of the AASA/Howard Urban Superintendent Academy and Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy Studies at Howard University.Khalid ArarKhalid H. Arar, Ph.D. is a Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy, Education and Community Leadership, School Improvement Doctoral Program, College of Education at Texas State University. His international and comparative research scholarship is rooted at the nexus of social justice, equity, and diversity in educational leadership and policy. His research interests contribute in a novel, robust, and significant way to the scholarship of social justice leadership and policy, more specifically to the area of refugee welcome education. For the past two decades, he has conducted studies in the Middle East, Europe, the Mediterranean, North America, and the United States. His book: School Leadership for Refugees, was a winner of Routledge’s prestigious choice Outstanding Academic Title in 2021. He was recently awarded the title of Honorary Professor of International Studies at Texas State University, while AERA Division A honored him with the Excellence in Research Award 2023. Prof. Arar has served on amble of international scholarly conference boards; he is on the editorial board of 12 scholarly journals editor-in-chief of Leadership and Policy in Schools, and associate editor of Journal of Educational Administration and History, and Equity in Education and Society.Hasan KaraburkDr. Hasan Karaburk is a professor of education and the president at Washington University of Science & Technology. In addition to his executive role, he teaches leadership courses both at graduate and undergraduate levels. He specializes in developing and implementing STEM related curriculum and he is an avid supporter of social justice reforms promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion among the under-served, underprivileged and socioeconomically at-risk population.Salman ElbedourDr. Salman Elbedour is Professor in the Department of Human Development & Psychoeducational Studies at Howard University, where he teaches doctoral-level courses in developmental Psychopathology, child abuse & neglect, resiliency & evidenced-based classroom practices. He has published extensively and his research areas primarily involve socioemotional behavioral science topics with focus on high-risk disadvantaged and under-served populations such as minorities, children living in war zones, students with special needs, and underrepresentation of minorities in STEM fields. He has conducted numerous research studies on school crisis, school violence, and the development of comprehensive school safety & crisis plans – (preparedness, prevention, response/intervention, follow-up).