Research
My current research is focused on disrupting traditional higher education in favor of tailored education and increased equity.
Improving STEM Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities at a National Scale
NSF's Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES INITIATIVE: The Alliance of Students with Disabilities for Inclusion, Networking, and Transition Opportunities in STEM (TAPDINTO-STEM). Welcome to our website where we share resources, news, and as we forge our alliance, ways to engage with us for collective impact. Through the collective impact of the NSF INCLUDES TAPDINTO-STEM Alliance, persons with disabilities nationwide will be empowered to succeed in STEM disciplines by increasing the quantity of students with disabilities completing associate, undergraduate, and graduate degrees in STEM;
facilitating the transition of students with disabilities from STEM degree completion into the STEM workforce; and enhancing communication and collaboration among institutions of higher education, industry, government, national labs, and local communities to address the education needs of students with disabilities in STEM disciplines.
How to Collect and Use Data for National Alliance
Education, at all levels, strives to be evidence-based. In the U.S., what institutions of higher education, and associated scholarship, know the least about are students with disabilities. One reason may be because reporting outcomes data for students with disabilities is not typically required. Achievement gaps must be closed, but it is difficult to ascertain the achievement gaps for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities often face barriers that hinder their persistence. Increasing numbers of researchers are focused on broadening participation, especially since the National Science Foundation launched the Eddie
Bernice Johnson INCLUDES Initiative, and yet, disability is rarely a data point for making evidence-based decisions about student outcomes. Researchers at UMKC have designed a dynamic data portal to support efforts to better understand the successes and barriers of students with disabilities.
Diagnosing Intersectional Challenges for Equity in STEM (DICES)
The ADVANCE- Catalyst: Diagnosing Intersectional Challenges for Equity in STEM (DICES) project supports a two-year self-study at the University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC). The self-study aims to identify systemic barriers that affect the recruitment, retention, and success of women faculty in STEM disciplines. UMKC has recently reorganized, creating three new academic units, all of which include STEM disciplines: the School of Science and Engineering, the School of Humanities and Social Science, and the School of Education, Social Work, and Psychological Science. The size and scope of this reorganization bring about a unique opportunity for evidence-based change. The DICES project provides UMKC with the requisite data-informed insight to implement amended policies by identifying policies and procedures contributing to existing inequities. Faculty who are underrepresented in STEM experience may also identify with multiple historically marginalized groups. DICES will also provide an opportunity to approach the work of creating new and more equitable academic policies and procedures through an intersectional lens.
Employment First Toolkit - Believer Series
