As a society, we want all college students to be successful. For many students of color, college is often a daunting experience. According to the National Center on Education Statistics:
The percentage of college students who are Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Black has been increasing. From 1976 to 2009, the percentage of Hispanic students rose from 3 percent to 12 percent, the percentage of Asian/Pacific Islander students rose from 2 percent to 7 percent, and the percentage of Black students rose from 9 percent to 14 percent. During the same period, the percentage of White students fell from 83 percent to 62 percent. Nonresident aliens, for whom race/ethnicity is not reported, made up 3 percent of the total enrollment in 2009. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98
See, Minorities and the Recession-Era College Enrollment Boom http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/06/16/minorities-and-the-recession-era-college-enrollment-boom/
Patrice Peck is reporting in the Huffington Post article, STEM Majors Prove Especially Profitable For Minority Students: Study:
And with studies showing that college degrees still hold their value, despite the economic downturn, choosing a major that yields the right post-graduate rewards is more important than ever.
According to a study published in the June issue of Research in Higher Education, majoring in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) proves to be the most profitable for minority students, whether they actually pursue the STEM field professionally or not.
The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, followed more than 1,000 Asian and Pacific Islander, Latino and black students over a period of nine years in an effort to determine the profitability of STEM degrees and help bridge the gap of minorities in those fields.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/15/stem-majors-profitable-minority-students_n_1785021.html?utm_hp_ref=education&ir=Education
The Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM defines STEM:
What is STEM Education?
Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics
In 2001, Judith A. Ramaley, a former director of the National Science Foundation’s education and human-resources division was credited by many educators with being the first person to brand science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum as STEM. It was swiftly adopted by numerous institutions of higher education as well as the scientific communities as an important focus for education policy focus and development.
TIES always views STEM instruction and the STEM resources that support the instruction with a trans-disciplinary lens. Issues in our world arise and are demanding of solutions. Since before Da Vinci, we have taken up this call to action through the design process. It asks for a multiplicity of pathways to offer a series of plausible solutions. From that process has come the power of prototyping, and beta testing. Rarely have our classrooms offered children the chance to engage in such questioning and processes. Now, through STEM education we have the chance to invite our children to look at their school work as important to the world.
For information on how TIES STEM Consulting can work with your organization to launch a comprehensive STEM curriculum program contact us at 443-955-9168 or via email . http://www.tiesteach.org/stem-education.aspx
The study, The Earnings Benefits of Majoring in STEM Fields among High Achieving Minority Students examines the benefits of STEM education for college students of color.
Here is the press release:
For Minority College Students, STEM Degrees Pay Big
June 22, 2012Study finds degrees in science, technology, engineering and math associated with 25 to 50 percent higher earnings; Latino college grads are highest earners
Minority college students who major in the STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and math – earn at least 25 percent more than their peers who study humanities or education, according to the results of a new study.
And those who took jobs related to their STEM degrees earned at least 50 percent more than their classmates who majored in humanities or education fields.
Published in the June issue of Research in Higher Education, the study followed more than 1,000 Asian and Pacific Islander, Latino and black students over nine years. The students were scholarship applicants for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which awards grants to highly motivated, low-income minority students.
While minority groups continue to be underrepresented in the STEM fields, the study’s researchers believe this will change if students understand how much more money can be earned in those fields.
“The premiums for majoring in STEM fields are huge,” said lead author Tatiana Melguizo, associate professor of education with the USC Rossier School of Education. “We need to educate students that if they get a job in a STEM-related occupation, they have an even higher earning premium. Otherwise, students aren’t reaping the economic benefit of all the hard work they went through as undergrads.”
Overall, Latinos reported the highest average earnings after college – $42,180 annually – relative to the other minority groups. Black students reported earning $35,900 and Asian Pacific Islanders earned $40,261 (data in 2006 dollars).
Latinos majoring in STEM fields also reported the highest earnings among the groups studied: an average of $56,875 per year, higher than the reported average salaries of $39,365 for blacks and $47,530 for Asian Pacific Islanders.
The study’s authors said more research must be done to determine whether these discrepancies are attributable to different career preferences among racial/ethnic groups or employers’ hiring decisions, as well as the role colleges and universities play in the career and occupational development of minority students.
“Among the high achieving minority students we studied, Latinos not only reported the highest annual earnings overall, but also reported the highest annual earnings among STEM majors,” said study co-author Gregory Wolniak, a senior research scientist at the independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago. “Preliminary findings suggest this may partially be due to Latino students’ ability to find jobs related to their major. These findings are encouraging signs that strengthening the pipeline of underrepresented students into STEM careers offers a viable solution to our nation’s growing competitiveness problem in engineering and science fields.”
Funding for the study was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the Institute for Higher Education Policy.
About the USC Rossier School of Education
The USC Rossier School of Education (ross-EAR) is one of the world’s premier centers for the study of urban education. In addition to the school’s transformational research and partnerships, Rossier also prepares teachers and educational leaders who are committed to improving urban education locally, nationally and globally.
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent research organization headquartered in downtown Chicago with additional offices on the UChicago campus, the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, Atlanta and Boston. With clients throughout the world, NORC collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations and businesses to provide data and analysis that support informed decision-making in key areas including health, education, economics, crime, justice, energy, security and the environment. NORC’s 70 years of leadership and experience in data collection, analysis and dissemination—coupled with deep subject matter expertise—provides information and analysis that form the foundation for effective solutions.
Contact: Merrill Balassone at (213) 740-6156, (213) 509-7805 or balasson@usc.edu
USC Information
Citation:
Title: The Earnings Benefits of Majoring in STEM Fields among High Achieving Minority Students
Full-Text Availability Options:
Help Finding Full Text | Find in a Library | Publisher’s Web Site
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In Borrowing from work: Schools teach career mapping Moi said:
One of the goals of education is to give the student sufficient basic skills to be able to leave school and be able to function at a job or correctly assess their training needs. One of the criticisms of the current education system is that it does not adequately prepare children for work or for a career. A liberal arts education has been considered the gold standard. Moi wrote in Why Go to College? https://drwilda.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/borrowing-from-work-schools-teach-career-mapping/
The societal push the last few years has been to have more kids go to college. Quite often schools are ranked on the percentage of kids that go directly to college from high school. So, counselors are following cultural cues they have received from administrators, parents, and the media.
Chris Stout lists Top Five Reasons to Go to College Stout places the emphasis on the college experience and the fact that college is not just a place for possible career training. Forbes. Com published Five Reasons Not to Go to College Some people discover their passion earlier in life than others. Forbes.Com addresses its comments at those folks. The calculation is that if one already knows what they want to do, college could be an unnecessary detour. A US News and World Report article estimated the value of a college degree https://drwilda.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/why-go-to-college/ Georgetown University has released a study that finds a college degree gives an advantage, even during times of recession.
See, In an Economic Storm, a College Degree Is Still the Best Umbrellahttp://chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/in-economic-storm-a-college-degree-is-still-the-best-umbrella/31187
Resources:
STEM Education Coalition http://www.stemedcoalition.org/
What Is STEM Education? http://www.sciencemag.org/content/329/5995/996.summary
Dr. Wilda says this about that ©
drwilda 