Increasing STEM Degree Attainment for Underrepresented Populations
Increasing STEM Degree Attainment for Underrepresented Populations

Author: Peter M. Plourde

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13:

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This qualitative study implements Critical Race Theory and the use of narrative to investigate reasons why rates of degree attainment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remain particularly low among underrepresented minority (URM) students. Four African Americans who were formerly STEM majors at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) were interviewed to ascertain reasons why they changed majors or left higher education without reaching attainment in a STEM discipline. The explicit purpose of this research grounded study sought to discern how URMs could be better served within higher education classrooms and campuses to ensure greater numbers successfully enter the STEM workforce with a meaningful credential. A secondary purpose of the study sought to examine the cultural experiences of URM students initially enrolled in STEM degree programs who also identify with the culture of Hip Hop to examine the perceived usefulness of including elements from Hip Hop culture into the culture of STEM or the campus culture as a whole. The implications of this study suggest various supports often implemented for URMs at PWIs are not effective enough to help increase attainment results to acceptable levels among URMs who often view the culture of STEM as particularly unwelcoming and insensitive to issues of race. A lack of a positive mentor and support within STEM was cited by those who left STEM majors for other disciplines perceived as more accepting and nurturing. All of the participants were familiar with Hip Hop culture and expressed favorable attitudes concerning incorporating elements of Hip Hop programmatically into STEM departments where it is noticeably absent.

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation
Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2011-07-29

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 0309159687

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In order for the United States to maintain the global leadership and competitiveness in science and technology that are critical to achieving national goals, we must invest in research, encourage innovation, and grow a strong and talented science and technology workforce. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation explores the role of diversity in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce and its value in keeping America innovative and competitive. According to the book, the U.S. labor market is projected to grow faster in science and engineering than in any other sector in the coming years, making minority participation in STEM education at all levels a national priority. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation analyzes the rate of change and the challenges the nation currently faces in developing a strong and diverse workforce. Although minorities are the fastest growing segment of the population, they are underrepresented in the fields of science and engineering. Historically, there has been a strong connection between increasing educational attainment in the United States and the growth in and global leadership of the economy. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation suggests that the federal government, industry, and post-secondary institutions work collaboratively with K-12 schools and school systems to increase minority access to and demand for post-secondary STEM education and technical training. The book also identifies best practices and offers a comprehensive road map for increasing involvement of underrepresented minorities and improving the quality of their education. It offers recommendations that focus on academic and social support, institutional roles, teacher preparation, affordability and program development.

STEM Models of Success
STEM Models of Success

Author: J. Luke Wood

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2014-03-01

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 1623964830

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As the U.S. focuses on positioning itself to retain and advance its status as a world leader in technology and scientific innovation, a recognition that community colleges are a critical site for intervention has become apparent. Community colleges serve the lion’s share of the nation’s postsecondary students. In fact, 40% of all undergraduate students are enrolled in community colleges, these students account for nearly 30% of all STEM undergraduate majors in postsecondary institutions. These students serve as a core element of the STEM pipeline into four-year colleges and universities via the community college transfer function. Moreover, community colleges are the primary postsecondary access point for non-traditional students, including students of color, first-generation, low-income, and adult students. This is a particularly salient point given that these populations are sordidly underrepresented among STEM graduates and in the STEM workforce. Increasing success among these populations can contribute significantly to advancing the nation’s interests in STEM. As such, the community college is situated as an important site for innovative practices that have strong implications for bolstering the nation’s production and sustenance of a STEM labor force. In recognition of this role, the National Science Foundation and private funding agencies have invested millions of dollars into research and programs designed to bolster the STEM pipeline. From this funding and other independently sponsored inquiry, promising programs, initiatives, and research recommendations have been identified. These efforts hold great promise for change, with the potential to transform the education and outcome of STEM students at all levels. This important book discusses many of these promising programs, initiatives, and research-based recommendations that can impact the success of STEM students in the community college. This compilation is timely, on the national landscape, as the federal government has placed increasing importance on improving STEM degree production as a strategy for America’s future stability in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. Informed by research and theory, each chapter in this volume blazes new territory in articulating how community colleges can advance outcomes for students in STEM, particularly those from historically underrepresented and underserved communities.

Fostering Success of Ethnic and Racial Minorities in STEM
Fostering Success of Ethnic and Racial Minorities in STEM

Author: Robert T. Palmer

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-05-07

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 113658918X

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To maintain competitiveness in the global economy, United States policymakers and national leaders are increasing their attention to producing workers skilled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Given the growing minority population in the country, it is critical that higher education policies, pedagogies, climates, and initiatives are effective in promoting racial and ethnic minority students’ educational attainment in STEM. Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) have shown efficacy in facilitating the success of racial and ethnic minority students in STEM and are collectively responsible for producing nearly one-third of the nation’s minority STEM graduates. In Fostering Success of Ethnic and Racial Minorities in STEM, well-known contributors share salient institutional characteristics, unique aspects of climate, pedagogy, and programmatic initiatives at MSIs that are instrumental in enhancing the success of racial and ethnic minority students in STEM education. This book provides recommendations on institutional practice, policy, and lessons that any institution can use on their campus to foster better retention and persistence among minority students. Higher Education leaders and administrators interested in encouraging achievement among racial and ethnic minority students in STEM education will find this book a welcomed and timely addition to the discourse on promoting minority student success.

Minority Serving Institutions
Minority Serving Institutions

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2019-02-05

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 0309484448

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There are over 20 million young people of color in the United States whose representation in STEM education pathways and in the STEM workforce is still far below their numbers in the general population. Their participation could help re-establish the United States' preeminence in STEM innovation and productivity, while also increasing the number of well-educated STEM workers. There are nearly 700 minority-serving institutions (MSIs) that provide pathways to STEM educational success and workforce readiness for millions of students of colorâ€"and do so in a mission-driven and intentional manner. They vary substantially in their origins, missions, student demographics, and levels of institutional selectivity. But in general, their service to the nation provides a gateway to higher education and the workforce, particularly for underrepresented students of color and those from low-income and first-generation to college backgrounds. The challenge for the nation is how to capitalize on the unique strengths and attributes of these institutions and to equip them with the resources, exceptional faculty talent, and vital infrastructure needed to educate and train an increasingly critical portion of current and future generations of scientists, engineers, and health professionals. Minority Serving Institutions examines the nation's MSIs and identifies promising programs and effective strategies that have the highest potential return on investment for the nation by increasing the quantity and quality MSI STEM graduates. This study also provides critical information and perspective about the importance of MSIs to other stakeholders in the nation's system of higher education and the organizations that support them.

Women of Color In STEM
Women of Color In STEM

Author: Beverly Irby

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2021-03-01

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 1648023711

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Though there has been a rapid increase of women’s representation in law and business, their representation in STEM fields has not been matched. Researchers have revealed that there are several environmental and social barriers including stereotypes, gender bias, and the climate of science and engineering departments in colleges and universities that continue to block women’s progress in STEM. In this book, the authors address the issues that encounter women of color in STEM in higher education.

Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century
Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2018-09-21

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 0309472733

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The U.S. system of graduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has served the nation and its science and engineering enterprise extremely well. Over the course of their education, graduate students become involved in advancing the frontiers of discovery, as well as in making significant contributions to the growth of the U.S. economy, its national security, and the health and well-being of its people. However, continuous, dramatic innovations in research methods and technologies, changes in the nature and availability of work, shifts in demographics, and expansions in the scope of occupations needing STEM expertise raise questions about how well the current STEM graduate education system is meeting the full array of 21st century needs. Indeed, recent surveys of employers and graduates and studies of graduate education suggest that many graduate programs do not adequately prepare students to translate their knowledge into impact in multiple careers. Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century examines the current state of U.S. graduate STEM education. This report explores how the system might best respond to ongoing developments in the conduct of research on evidence-based teaching practices and in the needs and interests of its students and the broader society it seeks to serve. This will be an essential resource for the primary stakeholders in the U.S. STEM enterprise, including federal and state policymakers, public and private funders, institutions of higher education, their administrators and faculty, leaders in business and industry, and the students the system is intended to educate.

The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM
The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2020-01-24

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 0309497299

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Mentorship is a catalyst capable of unleashing one's potential for discovery, curiosity, and participation in STEMM and subsequently improving the training environment in which that STEMM potential is fostered. Mentoring relationships provide developmental spaces in which students' STEMM skills are honed and pathways into STEMM fields can be discovered. Because mentorship can be so influential in shaping the future STEMM workforce, its occurrence should not be left to chance or idiosyncratic implementation. There is a gap between what we know about effective mentoring and how it is practiced in higher education. The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM studies mentoring programs and practices at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It explores the importance of mentorship, the science of mentoring relationships, mentorship of underrepresented students in STEMM, mentorship structures and behaviors, and institutional cultures that support mentorship. This report and its complementary interactive guide present insights on effective programs and practices that can be adopted and adapted by institutions, departments, and individual faculty members.

Hispanic-Serving Institutions
Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Author: Anne-Marie Nunez

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-02-11

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 1317601696

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Despite the increasing numbers of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and their importance in serving students who have historically been underserved in higher education, limited research has addressed the meaning of the growth of these institutions and its implications for higher education. Hispanic-Serving Institutions fills a critical gap in understanding the organizational behavior of institutions that serve large numbers of low-income, first-generation, and Latina/o students. Leading scholars on HSIs contribute chapters to this volume, exploring a wide array of topics, data sources, conceptual frameworks, and methodologies to examine HSIs’ institutional environments and organizational behavior. This cutting-edge volume explores how institutions can better serve their students and illustrates HSIs’ changing organizational dynamics, potentials, and contributions to American higher education.

STEM Summer Programs for Underrepresented Youth Increase STEM Degrees
STEM Summer Programs for Underrepresented Youth Increase STEM Degrees

Author: Sarah R. Cohodes

Publisher:

Published: 2022

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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The federal government and many individual organizations have invested in programs to support diversity in the STEM pipeline, including STEM summer programs for high school students, but there is little rigorous evidence of their efficacy. We fielded a randomized controlled trial to study a suite of such programs targeted to underrepresented high school students at an elite, technical institution. The STEM summer programs differ in their length (one week, six weeks, or six months) and modality (on-site or online). Students offered seats in the STEM summer programs are more likely to enroll in, persist through, and graduate from college, with gains in institutional quality coming from both the host institution and other elite universities. The programs also increase the likelihood that students graduate with a degree in a STEM field, with the most intensive program increasing four-year graduation with a STEM degree attainment by 33 percent. The shift to STEM degrees increases potential earnings by 2 to 6 percent. Program-induced gains in college quality fully account for the gains in graduation, but gains in STEM degree attainment are larger than predicted based on institutional differences.