Broadening Participation in STEM: Challenges and Opportunities

Shirley Malcom
American Association for the Advancement of Science
2007

Prepared for the Carnegie-IAS Commission on Mathematics and Science Education

In 2005, 6,404 doctorates were awarded in engineering, over 63 percent earned by non–U.S. citizens. Of the remaining degrees, eight were awarded to American Indians, two-hundred forty-two to Asian citizens, eighty-five to Blacks and seventy-three to Hispanics. Minorities who under-participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) received 166 doctorates in engineering or 2.6 percent of total. These groups, collectively, represent about one-third of the 18-24-year-old population. Women received only 18.3 percent of PhDs in engineering in 2005 despite being over 50 percent of those enrolled in higher education.

While the numbers of Blacks and Latinos receiving bachelors degrees in engineering has increased over the last decade, in 2005 collectively these groups received less than 12 percent of all such degrees. These groups were over 24 per cent of all undergraduates enrolled in 2004 and represented some 40 per cent of public school enrollment in 2005. The data for engineering illustrate the magnitude of the problem, though some fields are better (e.g., biosciences) and others are worse (e.g., computer science).

We cannot reasonably consider America’s capacity to produce a continuous stream of STEM professionals unless we consider the contribution of minorities and females as groups that currently contribute at reduced levels.

The Issues for Female Students in STEM

Formal education of girls and young women looks very much like that for boys and young men until the years in high school where the courses in science and mathematics become elective. Female students have closed the gap in mathematics coursetaking except at the highest level; they have also closed the gap in achievement. They are more likely to take Advanced Placement courses in biology than male students and less likely to take AP courses in physics.

Female students take a more rigorous program of study in high school overall than do males and perform better in terms of their grades. Despite these facts their scores on tests such as the SAT tend to be slightly lower than those of males who have taken comparable courses and levels of curricula.

We cannot reasonably consider America’s capacity to produce a continuous stream of STEM professionals unless we consider the contribution of minorities and females as groups that currently contribute to these at reduced levels.

Women are at or near parity in bachelors degree attainment in biology, mathematics, and chemistry but lag in degree production in physics, computer science, and engineering.

In terms of the overall picture for female students, there have been increases in participation in all fields of science and engineering over the past two decades, albeit to a greater or lesser extent depending on the field. The exception to this statement is for computer science where women’s bachelors degree production declined after reaching a high in the mid–1980s.

Young women have pursued more rigorous study in mathematics and science in high school which then served to open up a wider range of study and career options for them in college. The major issue at the college level is that of retention in these fields and majors and losses from the talent pool as women move into graduate study.

The Issues for Underrepresented Minorities in STEM

The challenges for African American, American Indian and Latino students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have more to do with access and opportunity than with choice. The specific issues vary widely with different groups. Included among the general challenges are the following:

• Different and lower expectations for study in these fields at all levels;
• Lower levels of coursework available in high schools attended by these students, including lesser likelihood of AP course offerings;
• Less access to highly qualified teachers due to availability or policies related to assignment and distribution of teachers;
• Poorer facilities and resources such as laboratories, computers and science equipment in schools attended by these students; and,
• Less access to information about careers and study in STEM fields, as well as college options and financial aid.

The lower levels of education and performance that result from the lack of resources for quality education decrease the likelihood of students from these groups being able to select and succeed in STEM fields in higher education. In the past a network of non–formal programs, often run by museums, science–technology centers, and universities, provided the career guidance and supplemental learning opportunities that permitted students’ realization of STEM career aspirations. But legal challenges often made institutions more leery of offering such special programs; and declining resources made it difficult to expand such efforts. For African American students, Historically Black Colleges and Universities have played a significant role in identifying and educating “smart but under-prepared” students who were then able to attain success in science and engineering fields.

The lower levels of education and performance that result from the lack of resources for quality education decrease the likelihood of students from these groups being able to select and succeed in STEM fields in higher education.

Community colleges have played (and continue to play) a significant role as entry points into higher education, especially for minority students. It is not yet clear, however, as to the efficiency of this pathway for moving students through to STEM fields. The large numbers of developmental classes that these students have to take in mathematics and English can be deterrents to completing abachelors degree in any field and certainly in STEM fields.

Money still matters. The buying power of Pell grants has declined over time. And the shift of federal funding from a primary focus on grants to a primary focus on loans presents serious barriers for many students from these groups.

The value of the non-formal sector cannot be overstated. Opportunities for summer activities, internships, and engagement with research and the world of work beyond school contribute significantly to the development of students. These efforts can provide young people with role models and help to instill confidence in their capacities beyond “book work.” Such experiences are especially effective when the goals of the formal and non-formal sectors are better coordinated. At the college level there is documented impact of the effect of co-op programs, especially on the retention of minority engineering majors. At the upper elementary level, an after school program developed by AAAS, Kinetic City: Mission to Vearth, has been shown to be effective in improving science learning while improving performance in reading and writing. The program elements were designed for an out-of –school setting, reflect the themes of AAAS Project 2061 Benchmarks, and incorporate language arts standards. See: http://www.kcmtv.com/KCEvalRevised.pdf and http://www.kcmtv.com/2007EvaluationReport.pdf )

The value of the non-formal sector cannot be overstated.

The Way Forward

While there are many elements that I would urge the Commission to consider, the following are critical to moving the effort beyond the usual suspects and the predictable set of recommendations:

• More attention is needed to whole system transformation, including the impact of higher education. How can the individual pieces be aligned in ways that support each other? For example, given the large proportion of high school graduates who eventually pursue some level of postsecondary study, it might help if course requirements for the diploma looked more like the requirements for entry into college.

More attention is needed to whole system transformation, including the impact of higher education.

• More efforts are needed to develop curricular options that require the same high standards and cover important core concepts, with quality teaching by highly qualified teachers providing similarly rich experiences.
• More attention is needed to the quality of science and mathematics learning experiences of K-12 teachers, both initially and in ongoing professional development.
• A shift is needed from valuing the things we can measure (e.g. seat time; test scores, especially for those tests not linked to materials being taught) to measuring the things we value (i.e. capacity to perform in real world settings). Are students able to apply knowledge gained in school to unexpected problems or in novel environments? Realigning the accountability structures is key to identifying problems and supporting rational solutions.