STEMMing the Tide

STEMMing the Tide proposes to facilitate a Student Research Symposium (SRS) in the spring/summer of 2025 for approximately 20-30 middle school students (grades 6-8). At this symposium, students from Mobile County Training Middle School (MCTS) and other partnering local middle schools will present their Globe informed research projects and receive feedback from participating STEMM professionals. Not only do we believe that the support and mentorship from teachers and other STEMMing-affiliated partners will enhance students’ competencies across a range of scientific skills. We also know that these kinds of interventions are critical in helping to address the race gap that appears in self-efficacy measures generated to assay students’ confidence in their ability to learn, understand, and implement scientific knowledge. This is evident, for instance, when examining the 2023 Alabama state testing data for MCTS— a school with a near 95% African-American/Black student demographic—which shows level 1 science proficiency at 43.5, level 2 at 39.06, and 17.19 at level 3 (reportcard.alsde.edu).