Despite the undeniable growth in STEM fields and the need for employers to find talent to fill these positions, there are still segments of the population without sufficient access to STEM education or the tools to help them succeed in these fields. Spurred by the goal of the Obama Administration to add one million STEM professionals to the workforce by 2022, work is still being done to effectively fill these gaps.
According to the Department of Education, schools predominantly serving African-American youth aren’t equipped with the educational resources to get students prepared for a career in STEM early on. For instance, only about one-third of these schools offer calculus and only 40 percent offer physics. In addition, African-American students make up only nine percent of students in Advanced Placement (AP) courses and nine states reported having zero participation in the AP computer science exam. In higher education, African-Americans receive only 7.6 percent of bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields.
However, there are institutions that are rising to the challenge of increasing STEM engagement. Armed with $850 million over the next decade to make sweeping changes, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are already showing promise. While they only make up three percent of higher learning institutions, HBCUs are awarding 27 percent of bachelor degrees to African-Americans. Xavier University in particular is awarding more degrees in biological and physical sciences than any other university nationwide.
Other initiatives and programs are also making waves in this space. Here are just a few:
- America’s College Promise Proposal: Offers two free years of community college or two years for free (or a reduced cost) at HBCUs for hardworking students dedicated to their education.
- Mathematics and Science Partnership Programs: Creates a partnership between institutions of higher education, local education agencies, and elementary and secondary schools to improve the knowledge base and skill level of teachers teaching math and science.
- Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program: Helps predominantly minority higher education institutions to improve science and engineering programs in order to diversify these STEM fields.
Learn more about the efforts to spread STEM education here:
Fact Sheet: Spurring African- American STEM Degree Completion