Educational equity requires knowing who is in your classroom because all students deserve access to an education that acknowledges and understands multiple worldviews. This can begin by understanding that each student in your classroom will have different life experiences, worldviews, cultural protocols and practices, knowledge systems, ways of learning and understanding that each of these differences strengthens the collective body of knowledge in your classroom, in disciplines, in societal knowledge as a whole. We cannot begin to provide equitable educational opportunities for our students until we first acknowledge that we have an education problem, we have a justice problem, and we have a false sense and understanding of what belonging, access, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (BA-JEDI) mean. Rather BA-JEDI is a misnomer used by educators, researchers, and institutions to build careers, receive funding, and cloak the historical traumas perpetrated by a system that refuses to face the truth and the impacts of its actions toward diverse students and scholars.
Authentic voice is vital to BA-JEDI for cultural understanding of cultural needs, worldview, equitable educational opportunities, role models, ethical teaching practices rather than an interpretation of diversity needs within geoscience education. This issue reflects authentic voice in geoscience education and highlights that representation of diverse communities is changing, where voice is now coming from inside community with a rich understanding of the needs of students. In the past, JGE issues focusing on BA-JEDI were predominantly authored by White (77%) authors demonstrating a long-standing problem with professional publications of diverse scholars, whereas the remaining authors were represented by Hispanic/Latinx 8%, Black/African American 7%, Middle Eastern and/or Asian 3%, Native American/Alaska Native 2%.
This BA-JEDI special issue of the Journal of Geoscience Education continues the discussion of how to increase the noticeably low diversity of geoscience students and professionals, who are so needed to address today’s Anthropocene environmental issues. The issue breaks with traditional diversity-focused approaches by highlighting the importance of authentic voice in education, BA-JEDI initiatives, in providing equitable education for all, and how valuable diverse geoscientists are for transformative and high-impact research in both the field of geoscience education and within their own community networks. Manuscripts in this issue are authored predominantly by female (85%) authors, Native American/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander 31%, Black/African American 38%, Hispanic/Latinx 15%, Indian and White 8%.
In this special issue we focus on identifying priority areas for change in academic institutions’ culture to develop an environment that promotes thriving of diverse scholars in the Earth sciences in the classroom, field, and interdepartmental interactions. Authors showcase the factors to pay attention to and interventions that can guide positive change in Earth science education, academic outreach to diverse communities, to increase recruitment, retention and enhance career development of diverse scholars in the Earth sciences. This issue showcases best practices, case studies and authentic voice guidelines for improving Earth sciences so that all students have equitable access to pursue careers in the Earth science fields and can integrate their ethnic identity into becoming a scientist.
This issue presents seven commentary (54%), five research (38%), and one literature review (8%). The high number of commentaries reflects how diverse scholars consider their educational research and practices as community service rather than a career building activity.
The articles showcase how increasing the diversity of representation and overall inclusivity in the Earth sciences requires recognizing, accepting, and empowering the full range of identities diverse students and environmental professionals bring to learning, practicing, and evolving the discipline. The authors explore the interconnected elements and impacts of an individual’s identity, sense of belonging, history and cultural connections to place, and sense of emotional and physical security for creating a multidimensional framework to diversify the Earth sciences. Data results and program implementation guidelines derived from authors’ life experiences incorporate the importance of these four elements to positively impact recruitment and retention of diverse students. The authors outline how to develop online, classroom and field activities that make the Earth sciences academy welcoming to diverse students and scholars, as well as create a supportive institutional culture for retaining diverse educators and researchers.
Equitable geoscience education for all students is possible but will require a shift in lesson design and student engagement practices—from using one cultural knowledge system to using multiple knowledge systems to enhance student agency in learning and in developing research skills needed by Earth scientists. To deny other knowledge systems in favor of just one, Western science knowledge, in science education goes again the very nature of science, reinforces systemic racism in education, and impedes critical thinking, innovation, and productivity in the sciences.