They’re Moving in Spaces They’re Not Used to: Examining the Racialized Experiences of African American Students in a High School STEAM Academy

Abstract

In this study, we explored how an urban high school with a STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts, and Mathematics) theme approached racialized student experiences as learning opportunities. We were interested in documenting curricular and pedagogical practices, and the mission of the STEAM Academy, which was aimed at exposing African American/Black students to possibilities beyond the school including university settings and workplace environments (through job shadowing and internships). Based on the perspectives of school personnel and community partners, we found the school administrators and teachers enacted social justice–centered curricular strategies to elicit emancipatory and participatory actions for administrators, teachers, and students. This type of curriculum for students helped them cope with the stressors of encountering racialized experiences and microaggressions in the school and beyond; thereby, enabling them to be resilient in the face of a discriminatory and oppressive society.