March 2023 MBR The Education Shelf

The Education Shelf

Losing the Precious Few
Richard A. Tapia
Arte Publico Press
University of Houston
4902 Gulf Freeway, Bldg 19, Rm 100, Houston, TX 77204-2004
www.artepublicopress.com
9781558859425, $24.95, PB, 323pp

https://www.amazon.com/Losing-Precious-Few-Minorities-Engineering/dp/155885942X

Synopsis: With the publication of "Losing the Precious Few: How America Fails to Educate Its Minorities in Science and Engineering", Professor Richard A. Tapia, an academician who has created minority STEM programs, examines issues that contribute to the lack of certain minority groups in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, particularly Latinos and African Americans, including racism, immigration practices, educational preparation, college admissions and affirmative action, insecurity, undergraduate competitiveness, faculty role models, graduate school aspects, faculty hiring and promotion, and the lack of leadership at the national level, and solutions to these issues.

Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of two Appendices (MIT Resignation Letter; List of Students that Dr. Tapia Directed), twelve pages of Notes, a twenty-two page bibliography of Works Cited, and a ten page Index, "Losing the Precious Few: How America Fails to Educate Its Minorities in Science and Engineering" is an expose that will be of immense interest to readers on the subject of STEM Education at the college/university level. Articulate, thought-provoking, timely, "Losing the Precious Few: How America Fails to Educate Its Minorities in Science and Engineering" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, college, and university library Contemporary Educational Issues collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists. It should be noted that "Losing the Precious Few: How America Fails to Educate Its Minorities in Science and Engineering" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Richard A. Tapia (https://tapiacenter.rice.edu/who-professor-richard-atapia) is a mathematician and professor in the Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He is internationally known for his research in the computational and mathematical sciences and is a national leader in education and outreach. Tapia's current Rice positions are University Professor (only the sixth individual afforded this title in the 100-year history of Rice University), Maxfield-Oshman Professor in Engineering, Director of the Center for Excellence and Equity in Education, and Director of the Rice Graduate Education for Minorities and Empowering Leadership Alliance Programs.

Understanding and Teaching Contemporary US History Since Reagan
Kimber M. Quinney, editor
Amy L. Sayward, editor
University of Wisconsin Press
728 State Street, Suite 443, Madison, WI 53706-1418
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299339500, $39.95, HC, 28pp

https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Teaching-Contemporary-History-Goldberg/dp/0299339505

Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Kimber M. Quinney and Amy L. Saward, "Understanding and Teaching Contemporary US History since Reagan" is specifically designed for classroom teachers looking for new perspectives on teaching the recent past -- which is the period of US history most often given the least attention in classroom curriculums.

Unlike a traditional textbook, "Understanding and Teaching Contemporary US History since Reagan" is comprised of a diversity of voices and approaches to teaching a field that, by its very nature, invites vigorous debate and puts generational differences in stark relief. Older history is likely to feel removed from the lived experiences of both teachers and students, allowing for a certain dispassion of perspective. By contrast, contemporary history creates unique challenges, as individual teachers and students may think they know "what really happened" by virtue of their personal experiences.

The contributors to "Understanding and Teaching Contemporary US History since Reagan" collectively addresses a wide swath of topics ranging from social movements around identity and representation to the Supreme Court, to law enforcement, migration, climate change, and international relations.

Emphasizing critical thinking and primary-source analysis, "Understanding and Teaching Contemporary US History since Reagan" will aid teachers in creating an invigorating and democratizing classroom experience. Intended for use in both secondary and postsecondary classrooms, the structure of "Understanding and Teaching Contemporary US History since Reagan" allows for a variety of applications and invites a broad audience.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Understanding and Teaching Contemporary US History since Reagan" is comprised of fifteen erudite contributions deftly organized into two main sections: Within the Borders of the United States & Beyond the Borders of the United States. Informative enhanced with the additional inclusion of an informative introduction (Teaching Contemporary History since Reagan), a complete listing of the contributors and their credentials, and a thirteen page Index, "Understanding and Teaching Contemporary US History since Reagan" is an ideal and recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library American History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Kimber M. Quinney is an assistant professor of history at California State University, San Marcos. Specializing in the convergence of ethnicity, immigration, and domestic politics in the making of US foreign policy. she is also an advisor to aspiring history-social science teachers. (https://www.conviviosociety.org/team-convivio/kimber-m-quinney-phd)

Editorial Note #2: Amy L. Sayward (https://www.mtsu.edu/faculty/amy-l-sayward) is a professor of history at Middle Tennessee State University. She is also the author, coauthor, or editor of several books, including The United Nations in International History and Tennessee Histories.

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