Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology TalentAmerica’s Science and Technology Talent
at the Crossroadsat the Crossroads
Freeman HrabowskiPresident, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Chair, Study Committee
September 2010
Changing World
• Our ability to meet the challenges and achieve the opportunities of our time depends in large measure on our science and engineering (S&E) enterprise.
• Yet, while our S&E capability is as strong as ever,
the dominance of the U.S. in these fields has lessened as the rest of the world has invested in and grown their research and education capacities.
Rising Above the Gathering Storm
• Gathering Storm documented this global leveling and argued that the U.S. was at a crossroads: for the U.S. to maintain the global leadership and competitiveness in science and technology that are critical to achieving national goals today, we must– Invest in research
– Encourage innovation, and
– Grow a strong, talented, and innovative science and technology workforce
Rising Above the Gathering Storm
• Resonated strongly in both the executive and legislative branches of government
• Led to:
– America COMPETES Act
– Substantial appropriations through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Something Missing…
• Rising Above the Gathering Storm provided compelling recommendations that we fully support…but they are insufficient…
• Critical demographic trends require that a national effort to strengthen the S&E workforce must draw on the minds and talents of all Americans, including minorities underrepresented in STEM
Origins of the Report
• Citing the need to develop a strong and diverse S&E workforce, Senators Kennedy, Clinton, Mikulski, and Murray requested a follow-up study
• Focused on increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM a request later included as a mandated report in the America COMPETES Act.
Charge to the Committee
• Examine the role of diversity in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce and its value in keeping America innovative and competitive.
• Analyze the rate of change and the challenges the nation currently faces in developing a strong and diverse workforce.
• Identify best practices and the characteristics of these practices that make them effective and sustainable.
• Write a consensus report that provides a prioritized list of actionable recommendations across stakeholder groups
Committee Membership• Freeman Hrabowski, Chair, University of Maryland, Baltimore County• James Ammons, Florida A&M University• Sandra Begay-Campbell, Sandia National Laboratories• Beatriz Chu Clewell, The Urban Institute• Nancy Grasmick, Maryland State Department of Education• Carlos Gutierrez, California State University-Los Angeles• Evelynn Hammonds, Harvard College• Wesley Harris (NAE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology• Sylvia Hurtado, Higher Education Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles• James S. Jackson (IOM), Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan• Shirley McBay, Quality for Minority Education Network• Diana Natalicio, University of Texas El Paso• John Nemeth, Oak Ridge Associated Universities• Eduardo Padron, Miami Dade College• Willie Pearson, Georgia Institute of Technology• Sidney Ribeau, Howard University• John Slaughter (NAE), NACME• Richard Tapia (NAE), Rice University• Lydia Villa-Komaroff, Cytonome, Inc.• Linda Sue Warner, Haskell Indian Nations University
Why Broad Participation Matters1. Our sources for the S&E workforce are
uncertain: • For many years, the nation relied on an S&E workforce that was
predominantly male and white and Asian.
• In the more recent past, we have seen gains for women in some fields and an increasing reliance on international students in others.
• Non-U.S. citizens (e.g. those from China and India) have accounted for almost all growth in STEM doctorate awards
• However, we are coming to understand that relying on non-U.S. citizens for our S&E workforce is an increasingly uncertain proposition
Why Broad Participation Matters
2. The demographics of our domestic population are shifting dramatically:
• That we need to draw on all domestic sources for a strong and robust S&E workforce makes the future of our S&E workforce all the more urgent.
• Those groups that are most underrepresented in S&E are also the fastest growing in the general population.
Why Broad Participation Matters
3. Diversity is an asset and an opportunity:
• Increasing the participation and success of URMs in S&E contributes to the health of the nation by: expanding the S&E talent pool, enhancing innovation, and improving the nation’s global economic leadership.
• The S&E workforce is projected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to grow faster than any other sector in coming years: This growth rate provides an opportunity as well as an obligation to draw on new sources of talent to make the S&E workforce as robust and dynamic as possible.
U.S. population by race/ethnicity, 1990-2050 (2010-2050 projected)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
2035
2040
2045
2050
Hispanic
Two or more races
NHPI
Asian
AIAN
Black
White
Student Population Projected to be 50% URMS by 2050 U.S. Population 18-24 Years Old, by Race/Ethnicity: July 1990-99 & Projections to 2050
Source: National Science Foundation, Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering, 2004.
We Start from aChallenging Position
• Underrepresented minority groups comprised 28.5 percent of our national population in 2006, yet just 9.1 percent of college-educated Americans in science and engineering occupations (academic and nonacademic)
• Suggests the proportion of underrepresented minorities in S&E would need to triple to match their share of the overall U.S. population.
U.S Population and U.S. Science and Engineering Workforce, by Race/Ethnicity, 2006
U.S. Population
White, 67.4Asian, 4.4
Black, 12.5
Hispanic, 15
American Indian, 1
S&E Workforce
White, 74.5
Asian, 16.4
Black, 4.0
Hispanic, 4.7
American Indian, 0.4
UR Minorities in US Pop = 28.5%
UR Minorities in US S&E = 9.1%
And Challenging Results
• Underrepresentation of this magnitude in the S&E workforce stems from the underproduction of minorities in S&E at every level of postsecondary education
– 38.8 percent of K-12 public enrollment
– 33.2 percent of the U.S college age population
– 26.2 percent of undergraduate enrollment
– 17.7 percent of those earning S&E bachelor’s degrees
– 17.7 percent of overall graduate enrollment
– 14.6 percent of S&E master’s– 5.4 percent of S&E doctorates.
Enrollment and Degrees, by Educational Level and Race/Ethnicity/Citizenship, 2007
38.8
33.2
26.2
17.7
17.8
14.6
5.4
61.2
66.8
71.7
78.3
70.3
58.3
52
0
0
2.1
4
11.9
27.1
42.6
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
K-12 Public Enrollment
U.S. College-AgePopulation
UndergraduateEnrollment
S&E Bachelor'sDegrees
Graduate Enrollment
S&E Master's Degrees
S&E Doctorates
URM
non-URM
Temporary Residents
Postsecondary Attainment
• There is a strong connection between increasing educational attainment in the United States and the global leadership of our economy.
• Calls—from the College Board, the Lumina and Gates Foundations, and the Administration—to increase the postsecondary completion rate from 39 to 55 or 60 percent.
• The challenge is greatest for underrepresented minorities:
– in 2006 only 26 percent of African Americans, 18 percent of American Indians, and 16 percent of Hispanics in the 25-29-year old cohort had attained at least an associate degree
News is Worse for STEM
• In 2000, the U.S. ranked 20th in the percent of 24-year olds who had earned a first degree in NS&E.
• Gathering Storm recommended increasing the US percentage from 6% to at least 10%.
• Underrepresented minorities would need to triple, quadruple, or even quintuple their proportions in order to achieve this 10 percent goal.
• 24-year olds with a first university degree in NS&E– 2.7 percent of African Americans
– 3.3 percent of Native Americans /Alaska Natives
– 2.2 percent of Hispanics and Latinos
Why?
• Underrepresented minorities aspire to major in STEM in college at the same rates as their white and Asian American peers, and have done so since the late 1980s.
• Yet, they have lower four- and five-year undergraduate STEM completion rates relative to those of whites and Asian Americans.
• That a similar picture was previously seen in data in the mid-1990s, signals that while we have been aware of these problems for some time, we as a nation have made little collective progress in addressing them.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
4-Year Completion:Started in STEM Field
4-Year Completion:Started in non-STEM
Field
5-Year Completion:Started in STEM Field
5-Year Completion:Started in non-STEM
Field
% o
f S
tud
en
ts
White Asian American Latino Black Native American
Four- and Five-Year Completion Rates of 2004 Freshmen, by Initial Major Aspiration and
Race/Ethnicity
Fixing the Problem
• Preparation, access, motivation, financial assistance, academic support, and social integration provide URM students the means for obtaining the ingredients for success in STEM– the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and habits of mind
– opportunities to put these into practice
– a developing sense of competence and progress
– motivation for and a sense of belonging to the field
– information about stages, requirements, and opportunities
• These ingredients require attention at every stage along the STEM educational continuum.
Preparation
• Today, the nation remains faced with many of the same issues since A Nation at Risk: failing schools, inequitable distributions of resources across schools, achievement gaps.
• Moreover, substantial growth in the nation’s Hispanic population has increased pressure on our nation’s schools by increasing the number of nonnative English speakers
Preparation
• Considerable disagreement over solutions such as school choice, testing, and teacher pay…
• But substantial agreement about the need for– Strong pre-school programs
– More qualified mathematics and science teachers in predominantly minority and low-income schools
– Challenging high school curricula that prepare underrepresented minorities for college
Access and Motivation
• Underrepresented minorities now comprise 26.2 percent of all undergraduates: attaining this proportions represents a significant national achievement.
• However, we must do much more to attract and retain underrepresented minorities, low-income students, and first-generation undergraduates who aspire to a major in STEM.
Access and Motivation
• Improve college awareness activities for prospective college students
• Focus on college admissions policies that support matriculation of qualified underrepresented minorities
• Raise awareness of STEM careers through K-12 activities, improved counseling for science and mathematics, and activities that promote STEM
• Promote STEM outreach that specifically targets underrepresented minorities
Affordability
• College affordability is an issue for all students, especially as tuition rises above the inflation rate.
• Financial support that meets student need is strongly correlated with student attendance and persistence, in general and in STEM.
• It is most effective in reducing attrition among low-income and minority students in STEM when provided in conjunction with academic support and campus integration programs.
Academic and Social Support
• Underrepresented minorities in 4-year institutions major in STEM at the same rate as others, but their completion rate is lower.
• Academic support and social integration constitute keys to persistence and completion.
Academic and Social Support• The institutional transformation needed to provide these
must be based on:
– Strong leadership from trustees and regents, the president, provost, deans, and department chairs
– A campus-wide commitment to inclusiveness
– A deliberate process of self-appraisal focused on campus climate
– Development of a plan to implement constructive change
– Thoughtful program development
– Ongoing evaluation of implementation efforts
Moving Beyond the Crossroads
• Our proposal for “moving beyond the crossroads” includes a discussion of:
– Guiding Principles to Frame National Policy
– Institutional Roles
– The Importance of Leadership
– Program Development and Characteristics
Policy Principles
1. The problem is urgent and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
2. A successful national effort to address underrepresented minority participation and success in STEM will be sustained.
Policy Principles
3. The potential for losing students along all segments of the pathway from pre-school through graduate school necessitates a comprehensive approach that focuses on all segments of the pathway, all stakeholders, and the potential of all programs, targeted or non-targeted.
4. Students who have not had the same level of exposure to STEM and to postsecondary education require more intensive efforts at each level to provide adequate preparation, financial support, mentoring, social integration, and professional development.
Policy Principles
5. A coordinated approach to existing federal STEM programs can leverage resources while supporting programs tailored to the specific missions, histories, cultures, student populations, and geographic locations of institutions with demonstrated success in preparing and advancing URMs in STEM.
6. Evaluation of STEM programs and increased research on the many dimensions of underrepresented minorities’ experience in STEM help insure that programs are well informed, well designed, and successful.
Institutional Roles• The diversity of American higher education institutions is
a competitive advantage in the global knowledge economy.
• This institutional diversity could be, but is not yet, effective in addressing the varied needs of the nation’s underrepresented minority students in STEM.
• For our recommended actions to be successful, every institution of higher education should take steps to address the problem of underrepresented minority participation in STEM.
• Currently, only a small number of institutions are.
Institutional Roles
• Those that are taking steps can be found among all institutional types and categories.
• They are successful because they are doing something special to support the retention and completion of underrepresented minority undergraduates in the natural sciences and engineering.
• Their actions can be replicated and when they are, with a focus on both numbers and quality, it will pay off significantly.
Institutional Roles
• Predominantly-White Institutions: The best way to increase the retention of underrepresented minorities in STEM is to replicate programs of the successful PWIs at a very large number of similar institutions, especially large state flagships.
• Minority-Serving Institutions: MSIs have a legacy of recruiting, retaining, and graduating a disproportionate number of minorities, especially at the undergraduate level. With additional support, MSIs can expand their effectiveness in recruiting, retaining, and graduating an increased number of minorities, especially at the baccalaureate level.
• Community Colleges: To facilitate and increase the successful transfer of underrepresented minorities in STEM to four-year institutions, an increased emphasis on and support for articulation agreements, summer bridge programs, mentoring, academic and career counseling, peer support, and undergraduate research at two-year institutions is recommended.
Leadership
Leadership is key to the successful transformation of
institutions and development of sustainable programs.• Sectoral Leadership: Leadership in articulating minority success as
an institutional goal is essential for all stakeholders.
• Institutional Leadership: The academic leadership—regents, trustees, presidents, provosts, deans, and department chairs—should articulate minority participation as a key commitment to set a tone that raises awareness and effort.
• Programmatic Leadership: A champion at the program level is typically critical to the success.
Successful Program Development• Resources and Sustainability• Coordination and Integration – agencies, programs• Focus on STEM Pathways, and Transition Points• Program Design – innovative or replicative• Program Execution• Program Evaluation• Knowledge Sharing
Program Activities
• Research experiences• Summer programs• Access to quality
facilities and equipment
• Intro courses that support and advance students
• Professional development activities
• Mentoring• Tutoring• Peer support• Study groups• Social activities
Recommendations and Implementation ActionsPreparation• Recommendation 1: Pre-School through Grade 3
Education– Develop reading readiness, provide early mathematics skills,
and introduce concepts of creativity and discovery. • Federal: Fully fund Head Start and pre-k programs.
• States: Align early childhood programs with public school curriculum and quality standards
• Local School Districts: Align pre-school curricula with learning expectations through third grade.
Recommendations and Implementation Actions
• Recommendation 2: K to 12 Mathematics and Science – Vastly improve K-12 mathematics and science education for
underrepresented minorities.• Federal: Require equitable state and district budgeting practices;
improve early intervention programs such as TRIO and Upward Bound Math-Science program
• States: Adopt evidence-based curriculum standards across subject areas to ensure college readiness.
• Local School Districts: Develop and provide quality math and science curricula.
• Non-Profits: Pioneer innovative program approaches.
Recommendations and Implementation Actions• Recommendation 3: K-12 Teacher Preparation
and Retention– Improve the preparedness of K-12 mathematics and
science teachers.• Federal: Provide incentives for the recruitment, retention, and
professional development of math and science teachers who teach minority teachers.
• States: Coordinate STEM teacher training programs that recruit, prepare, and place qualified teachers in high need schools proportionately to all other schools.
• Institutions: Increase the pool of well-qualified K-12 math and science teachers who are prepared to teach diverse students.
Recommendations and Implementation Actions
Postsecondary Success• Recommendation 4: Access and Motivation
– Improve access to postsecondary education and technical training and increase URM student awareness of and motivation for STEM education and careers.
• Federal: Ensure that outreach programs linking institutions and K-12 emphasize improving math and science awareness for underrepresented minority students.
• Employers: Provide STEM career awareness and role models.
• Institutions: Engage in outreach and recruitment activities to help cultivate students who may aspire to enroll in these institutions.
Recommendations and Implementation Actions
• Recommendation 5: Affordability– Provide adequate financial support to URM undergraduate
and graduate students.• Federal: Provide financial support through institutional grants that
also provide academic and social support; increase funding for undergraduate and graduate STEM programs targeting URM students.
• States: Fully support higher education generally.
• Non-Profits: Support programs that employ innovative approaches or target specific niches in STEM education for URMs.
• Institutions: Provide need-based as well as merit-based financial assistance to URM students.
Recommendations and Implementation Actions
• Recommendation 6: Academic and Social Support– Transform the nation’s higher education institutions to
increase inclusiveness and college completion and success in STEM for URM students.
• Federal: Increase funding for infrastructure, research, curriculum development, and professional development at MSIs; create an ADVANCE type program for URMs.
• Institutions: Articulate an institutional commitment to inclusiveness; diversify the faculty; replicate practices of institutions with demonstrated success in producing URMs in STEM.
• Professional Associations: Communicate the importance of broadening participation to members, the public, and policy makers.
• Industry and Federal Labs: Provided structured incentives and programs to ensure sustained impact; expand partnerships with institutions that enroll large numbers of URMs in STEM.
Priority 1Undergraduate Retention and Completion• We propose, as a near-term focus for increasing the
participation and success of underrepresented minorities in STEM, programs that increase undergraduate completion through strong academic, social, and financial support.
• Financial support for underrepresented minorities that allows them to focus on and succeed in STEM will increase completion and better prepare them for the path ahead.
• This financial assistance should be provided through higher education institutions along with programs that simultaneously integrate academic, social, and professional development.
Priority 2
Teacher Preparation, College Preparatory Programs, and Transitions to Graduate Study
•We propose an emphasis on teacher preparation and secondary school programs that support preparation for college STEM education.
•We encourage programs that facilitate the transition from undergraduate to graduate education and provide support in graduate programs.
Final Thoughts• The report is relevant and
timely.
• The report expands the previous knowledge concerning STEM education and workforce development.
• This is a transformative moment for the nation to seize so that we do not fail future generations.
Points of Contact
Peter Henderson, Co-Study Director
Director, Board on Higher Education and Workforce
Earnestine Psalmonds, Co-Study Director
Senior Program Officer and
Visiting Scholar from National Science Foundation
