An Anti-Deficit Achievement Framework for Research on Students of Color in STEM

In this chapter, I offer the National Black Male College Achievement Study (NBMCAS) as an example of how to explore and better understand the enablers of minority student achievement in STEM. Methods employed in the national study are described in the next section, followed by the presentation of an anti-deficit achievement framework for research on students of color at various junctures of the STEM pipeline, from K–12 schools through doctoral degree attainment and transitions into science research and long-term industry careers. Though informed by and conceptually similar to the framework used in the NBMCAS, I have customized the one introduced here for students of color (women and men, as well as various underrepresented minority groups) in STEM fields.