These articles both discuss the experiences of minorities and females in science classrooms in urban public schools. Race can have harmful impacts on student outcomes despite it being merely a social construct.¹⁰ As the population of Latino and Black children grows (to an expected 62 percent Black and Latinos in 2050), it is concerning for the United States that Black and Latino students’ performances in STEM fields are decreasing.¹⁰ Furthermore, this issue is not being properly recognized or addressed as shown by the lack of discussion of ethnicity, class, or gender issues in science learning in The National Science Education Standards.¹⁰

Teaching methods in the urban public school science classroom must be adapted to the background of each student.¹⁰ Each minority group tends to learn best in a slightly different way.¹⁰ Thus, if teachers are aware and act upon this information the students will present the most ideal learning enviornment. Unfortunately, today teachers tend to teach in a style most closely aligned with how white students learn best.¹⁰ African American students tend to be holistic thinkers and be more engaged by content that has a real-world, social context.¹⁰ Furthermore, they are inclined to “favor learning in cooperative groups, express themselves in affective manners, and use language that is dependent upon unique context.”¹⁰ Therefore, teachers should base curriculum on these tendencies to best serve African American students. It is essential that African American students be supported in the science classroom as these students face the barrier of conflicting identities because science tends to be considered a white man’s field.

Similarly, Latinos have distinct learning styles that must be considered by science teachers in urban public schools.¹⁰ Latino students tend to have strong problem-solving skills, diligence, and dedication.¹⁰ Furthermore, Latino students can use their Spanish speaking abilities to learn and understand science vocabulary because Spanish and Latin derivations in scientific words are similar.¹⁰ Furthermore, because the Hispanic culture is collectivist and there is a great emphasis on family, Latino students respond well to high expectations and peer tutoring and mentoring.¹⁰

Black and Latino students must be supported in science classrooms because they already face the challenge of confronting stereotypes of what a scientist looks like which is a barrier to succeeding in science of stereotype threats.¹⁰ Black and Latino students are not part of what is generally considered to be the stereotype of a scientist, and thus are often overlooked in science classrooms.¹⁰ Girls also face these stereotype threats, and their performance is consequently hindered.⁹

The performance of minority, low-income, and female students is connected to the support of their teachers and the available resources. These students must be supported in the process of reconciling their personal identities with their science identities.⁹ The students must be shown that they can be combined to form a hybrid identity and that they are capable of pursuing science as a career.⁹ One study found that most girls were inspired to pursue a career in a STEM field as a result of pursuing science outside of school and connecting what they were learning in the classroom to the real world.⁹ Family and friends also play an important role in supporting students in their science endeavors.⁹ Informal science clubs and other out of schools science programs also have a huge impact on a students’ success in the classroom.⁹