Anti-Racism Interactive Science to Expand Success (ARISES)

Generously funded by the Hewlett Foundation

Hewlett Foundation logo

Building on the POWER project, ARISES explores how open educational resources (OERs), combined with research-tested pedagogical patterns, can be used in teacher workshops to customize interactive science units to promote anti-racism while enhancing student agency.

This work extends our Anti-Racism Interactive Science Education (ARISE) project. ARISES refines our Social Justice KI pedagogy while leveraging insights from experienced teachers to reformulate the ARISE professional development, bring anti-racism science curricula to new teachers and schools, and design new OER models and units to expand the curriculum.

Leadership Team

Research Team

  • Sarah Bichler
    Sarah Bichler
    Post-Doctoral Scholar
  • seagull
    Kelly Billings
    Graduate Student
  • Allison Bradford
    Allison Bradford
    Graduate Student
  • flower
    Jennifer King Chen
    Post-Doctoral Scholar
  • Rui Li
    Rui Li
    Visiting scholar
  • leaf
    Weiying Li
    Graduate Student
  • frog
    Jacquie Madhok
    Research Specialist
  • Geoffrey Kwan
    Geoffrey Kwan
    Software Developer
  • Jonathan Lim-Breitbart
    Jonathan Lim-Breitbart
    Designer / Developer
  • Hiroki Terashima
    Software Developer
I think the biggest goal for me is that I want to try to make science more relevant to all my students’ lives. I think that’s something that is lacking the most. I am not saying I am achieving it, but I do think that by addressing racism and making it something you speak about, you make a space for all people to feel to be part of your classroom… students feel that you understand and have empathy for them.
– ARISES Teacher

Redlining and Asthma Rates

Asthma redlining maps
“The map on the left shows how neighborhoods were rated under redlining policies. The map on the left shows asthma levels in the same areas. What do you notice about the asthma rates for neighborhoods colored in red?”

The ARISES partnership is identifying OERs with the potential to advance anti-racism. We study how these OERs, when used by teachers to customize technology-rich interactive science units, can strengthen science understanding, build student agency, and promote racial equity.

We are investigating how incorporating anti-racism OERs can strengthen science units by promoting integrated understanding of science and developing commitments to oppose racism and promote equity. This work will contribute insights into how science units featuring OERs can set students on a path towards increased racial equity and agency.

ARISES is building a library of promising resources and incorporating them into the WISE curriculum customization environment. Teachers use the ARISES library to develop inquiry science units that address environmental and social justice topics.

Sample curriculum topics by grade level:

In the news:

Misleading Graphs: COVID Data

Georgia COVID graph
“In May of 2020, Georgia’s Department of Public Health released this graph on their website to report cases of COVID-19 in their counties. However, people noticed that the data was presented in a misleading way and that there were 2 problems with the graph. Can you identify these problems?”

Mapping Asthma Data: County vs Neighborhood

Asthma map

The ARISES partnership includes teachers from culturally varied schools in the SF Bay Area (Alameda and Contra Costa counties), learning sciences researchers, science discipline experts, software designers, and advisors who are leaders in anti-racism.

ARISES proposes design guidelines for science units featuring OERs along with instructional patterns that enable them to succeed in science instruction. We are developing a prototype workshop model that includes online activities and can be customized for future investigations.

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