This paper calls for a critical reimagination of science epistemology and praxis by advocating for a move toward Black liberation in and through K-12 science education. This call is driven by our desires as authors to foster a future of K-12 science teaching and learning that centers, embraces, and promotes historical and contemporary Black scientific innovation and creativity through practices that redress structural anti-Black racism and its implications on Black existence and life. Black Liberatory K-12 Science Education (BLKSE) names the existing challenges with cultivating and empowering Black minds in and through science as a result of anti-Black ideologies that ground and govern K-12 science access, teaching and learning. In naming said challenges as the manifestations of anti-Black ideologies, we shed light on the roles of K-12 science teachers and science teacher education regarding the treatment of Black students given oppressive policies and practices that fail to recognize Black brilliance and innovation. By advocating for a push toward BLKSE, we offer guiding concepts we feel are necessary to begin the process of rooting out anti-Blackness; a process that centers a holistic, heterogenous form of Blackness at the crux of science inquiry and understanding. As a result of this perspective, BLKSE embraces the beauty and creativity of Black youth, naming their positions and ideas as forms of scientific knowledge and inquiry, while disrupting existing mainstream paradigms and practices in science education. Implications for ways to work toward BLKSE in K-12 science teaching and teacher education are provided.

Students from rural communities face significant challenges due to low academic preparation, geographic isolation, and poor socioeconomic conditions (Byun, Meece, & Irvin, 2012). These challenges have the potential to hinder or deter rural students from entering four-year colleges or universities. With over nine million students living in rural communities or attending rural high schools (Johnson, Showalter, Klein, & Lester, 2014), research characterizing their college attainment process is necessary to better meet the needs of rurals students aspiring to attend college. Using focus group interviews situated in Coleman's (1988) social capital theory, we examined the perspectives and experiences of 10 high-achieving students who attend a rural high school. Throughout the interviews, students expressed fears, worries, and concerns regarding their ability to attend and be successful in college. Additionally, the students reported having limited access to resources needed for attending and completing college. Study findings have important implications for college access preparation, programming, and research.