This book offers a comprehensive approach that covers a wide range of topics, from understanding the STEM divide to implementing practical solutions and envisioning the future landscape of STEM education. This approach makes the book a valuable resource for OST educators, policymakers, and researchers. This book emphasizes the role of OST programs, particularly FIRST LEGO League robotics, offering insights into an often overlooked but crucial aspect of STEM education. The book also offers specific strategies for implementing culturally responsive robotics programs, making it a practical guide for educators working with diverse student groups. 

Rachel G. Salas is Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Learning and Literacy at the University of Nevada, Reno, USA. Her work also focuses on issues of race, culture, and language in the classroom, academic environments, and children's literature. She has over thirty years of experience working with underrepresented, culturally and linguistically diverse learners and their families. Her university teaching career began at a designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in south Texas and has taken her to universities and schools in North Carolina, California, and Nevada.