Unleashing Excellence: A Conversation with Dr. Leena

Dr. Leena Bakshi McLean is the founder of STEM4Real, a nonprofit professional learning organization committed to combining STEM and standards-based content learning and leadership with principles of justice-centered pedagogy. She currently serves as the Director of Multicultural Education and Equity for the National Science Teaching Association. Leena has worked with pre-service teachers at UC Berkeley and Claremont Graduate University teaching STEM methods and Universal Design for Learning. She is a former county and state level administrator and mathematics, science and anatomy teacher. She is also the author of the children’s book, “There’s Something in the Water”, a story that highlights the real life of Dr. Tyrone B. Hayes, an endocrinologist from UC Berkeley. As a woman of color and a mom of two girls, access and opportunity in STEM are personal for her. She believes that in order for us to increase our representation in STEM, we must create an identity in STEM. Her doctoral dissertation was on "The Successful Implementation of STEM Initiatives in Lower Income Schools". Leena travels the world as a keynote speaker, inspiring audiences in education, leadership, and technology to think about equitable STEM education and how to ensure access for all. Her next book, Teaching and Learning in STEM, #4Real will be coming soon in October of 2024.

Show Highlights

• Investigate the hesitancy of teachers towards discussing justice and anti bias topics.
• Provide support, coaching, and mentorship for teachers that focuses on building strong relationships with students.
• Tips to unbind yourself from the system, to lead within the system to implement changes.
• Don’t attach yourself to results by experimenting, observing and pivoting where the results take. you.
• Create a transparent budget aligned with the priorities of your community.
• Pull leaders out of the weeds with a candid assessment of school priorities.
• The challenges created by neglecting science and history curriculum.

“The system is not set up to disrupt itself, to innovate, to redesign, but we need that because just looking at the results that kids experience we know that they're inequitable. If you're okay with that, keep doing what we're doing and maintain the system. If that bothers you. Our kids deserve better and equity is something we should all be fighting for, then how are we changing the system to produce a better result?”

-Chief Ruckus Maker Danny Bauer

“There's a program called the Anti Bias and Education Grant that came out of California, and this word anti bias has so much energy where some leaders are saying, you know what, I think we should just call it something else or let's kind of tippy toe around the word or let's not say the word. I don't want to dissuade people from coming. And there's part of me that's like, no, there is bias. We're going to address it, we're going to go head on. And then another part of me that's like, well, yeah, maybe we can change the word and invite people in and call them in and see what way we can handle it. And that's just with one word, anti bias.”

Dr. Leena Bakshi McLean

Get the episode transcript here!

• Linkedin
• STEM4Real
• What Does a STEM4Real Partnership Look Like?
• Teaching STEM #4Real Podcast – Listen Now | STEM4Real
• Webinar: Creating An Anti-Racist STEM Classroom | STEM4Real
• STEM Lesson Planning Tools
• Better Leaders Better Schools Resource Hub

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