The declining position of the United States in worldwide prominence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains has been a concern for the last two decades and is due in part to racial disparities in STEM achievement. The current project forges new science by focusing on African American parents’ racial beliefs and experiences as mechanisms shaping their parenting practices that are relevant to youths’ STEM success. Thus, the project links a developmentally critical aspect of adolescence– race as a social identity–with parenting and young adolescents’ performance in science and mathematics–areas where youth of color are especially likely to underperform, and subjects that tend to be viewed as particularly difficult to master.
