Invisible Inequities
Strategies
Implement the following strategies from Invisible Inequities, NAPE Module 1, so that every student has
what they need to succeed in FIRST®.
Recruitment Strategies Retention and Participation Strategies
—— Meet people where they already are. This may —— Provide transportation solutions. Help
include recruiting in nontechnical classes rather students by providing alternate transportation
than just math and science classes, or going arrangements. This will make meetings
out to local community centers that involve more accessible for those who have trouble
community members who do not match the accessing transportation to and from FIRST
demographics of your student community. team meetings. Ensuring everyone can travel to
Recruiting in diverse environments will send a and from meetings easily sends a message that
message to diverse populations that you value you value every student’s participation.
their participation on your team. —— Make your meeting space accessible.
—— Communicate with families. Communicate Hold team meetings at the school before
with parents and families about the value of or after class time. This will make meetings
FIRST, particularly when recruiting younger more accessible for those who have trouble
students. Reach out to families who may not accessing transportation or who may feel
think their children fit in with a FIRST team uncomfortable in other environments due to
or those who are part of communities that inequities.
are not currently on your team. Be open to —— Ensure participation is affordable or free. Work
their perspectives, and listen to what they to reduce or eliminate costs for the program,
say. Actively reach out to families; don’t for everything from transportation to food. This
assume people will come to you. If you are a will help make the team more accessible and
teacher or work in a school, consider doing limit stigmatization for students who cannot
this during events such as Parent-Teacher afford aspects of participation.
night, purposefully seeking out and speaking —— Try every role. Have all team members,
to parents of underrepresented students. including Mentors and Volunteers, try every
Purposefully reaching out to families in role. This sends a message that you believe
meaningful ways can help change conceptions everyone can participate on the team in a
about FIRST and who is valued on a FIRST variety of ways successfully.
team. —— Be aware of your stereotypes and biases.
—— Reach out in a familiar language. Translate Your cultural stereotypes may limit your ability
information about the team into languages to recruit and retain underrepresented students
from ethnicities that make up your community. onto your team. Take the Implicit Association
Consider sending these fliers home to parents Test (see section below) and consider how your
or posting in communal spaces where that biases may affect recruitment and retention
language is spoken. Making an effort to on your team. NAPE Module 2, Hidden
communicate to participants in their native Messages, will further discuss the subtle ways
language sends a biases may affect recruitment, retention and
message that they are participation.
valued on your team.
Produced in collaboration with the
© National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity
Invisible Inequities
Community Demographic Resources
In Invisible Inequities, NAPE Module 1, you are asked to think about the demographics of your
local community and team. Follow the step-by-step instructions in this resource to identify the key
demographics for U.S. communities, and explore the recommended resources for identifying key
demographic data in countries outside of the U.S.
U.S. Demographic Data
The steps below can help you identify statistics Additional U.S. Resources
and demographics from your local community in Although the previous steps should lead you to
the U.S. relevant demographics, you may want to explore
1. Go to: factfinder.census.gov other tools:
2. Type the name of your community’s county, National Equity Atlas | nationalequityatlas.org
city, town or zip code in the box under the This engaging website educates viewers on
“Community Facts” section. changing demographics related to equity, including
race, ethnicity and socioeconomic background
through interactive maps, graphs and other
infographics. This is a helpful tool to gain insights
into trends for states or major cities, but may not
have data on your local community.
Diversity Data Kids | diversitydatakids.org
This informative website focuses on equity
for children (age 18 and under). Information is
3. To look at gender and race statistics, provided for counties, metro areas, large cities
click on “General Population and Housing and/or large school districts, depending on your
Characteristics” link. state. Data comes from census data, school
data and other resources. Although areas focus
on race, ethnicity and poverty level, you can
customize how you view data. This is a helpful tool
in that it provides a different method for searching
for data and includes school data.
4. If you would like to investigate other aspects of
your community demographics, for example,
poverty level, click on relevant boxes to the left.
Overall percentages will show up at the top of
the screen or you can click on links to look at
more specific data.
Produced in collaboration with the
© National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity
International Demographic Data: Examples and Suggestions
With some searching, you can hopefully find resources to identify community demographics including
gender, ethnicities, and income levels. Consider searching using key terms, such as “demographics”
“statistics” in a web browser and work through census websites to find local data. Below are examples
of websites that have useful demographic data from various countries.
Worldwide Demographic Information | infoplease. U.K. Office for National Statistics | neighbourhood.
com/ipa/A0855617.html statistics.gov.uk/dissemination
This website gives a very general description of the The U.K.’s National Statistics website allows
predominant ethnicities and races in every country participants to enter their neighborhood postcode
in the world. Although this may be too general to and find key demographic data including economic
assist in community demographics, it can help status, gender, religion and other useful areas.
illustrate racial and ethnic differences between Data is often compared with the larger area and
countries. country. Ethnic and racial data are found in the
“more” tab, under “People and Society: Population
Statistics Canada Census Program | www12. and Migration.”
statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/index-eng.cfm
This is a helpful tool for Canadians to investigate Australian Bureau of Statistics | stat.abs.gov.au/itt/r.
and compare demographics within their country jsp?databyregion#/
or local community. An area on the referenced This website offers different ways to evaluate
webpage allows you to search a place name to demographic data for Australia. To narrow data
bring up 2011 Census data from the area or a down to local demographics, you can choose
2011 NHS profile. The census data includes family your town or government area in the drop-down
and household information which is helpful, but menu under “Local Government Area” or choose
does not explicitly denote ethnicities and economic to “Greater Capital City Statistical Areas” for larger
status. The NHS profile is robust, and includes cities. You also can use the map feature or search
details including ethnicity and economic status, based on current location. Data includes gender,
among other useful statistics. economic data, and some ethnic data, among
many other factors.
Produced in collaboration with the
© National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity
Invisible Inequities
References for Additional Reading
ACT (2014). Understanding the underserved learner: The condition of STEM 2014. Retrieved from
https://act.org/stemcondition/14/pdf/STEM-Underserved-Learner.pdf
Committee on STEM Education, Office of Science and Technology Policy. (2013). Federal science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/
sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/stem_stratplan_2013.pdf
Fernandes-Alcantara, A. L. (2014). Vulnerable youth: Background and policies. Washington, DC: Con-
gressional Research Service. Retrieved from https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33975.pdf
Fernandes-Alcantara, A. L. (2015). Disconnected youth: A look at 16 to 24 year olds who are not work-
ing or in school. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service. Retrieved from https://www.fas.org/
sgp/crs/misc/R40535.pdf
Gendler, T. S. (2008). Alief and belief. The Journal of Philosophy, 105(10), 634-663.
Morrell, C., & Parker, C. (2013). Adjusting micromessages to improve equity in STEM. Diversity & De-
mocracy, 16(2). Retrieved from https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/adjusting-micromes-
sages-improve-equity-stem
Phillips, K. W. (2014, October 1). How diversity makes us smarter. Scientific American. Retrieved from
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/
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© National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity
