Communications of the ACM
U.s. STEM Stats Continue to Alarm
Credit: pastorcraigwalker.net
Not only is the U.S. facing a shortfall of women entering the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, the U.S. is now rapidly falling behind other nations in the number of students studying in the STEM fields in both high school and college. At the Office of Naval Research's STEM Forum in June, Charles Vest, Chair of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), noted that 3% of women entering college choose engineering majors but less than 12% graduate. Moreover, the U.S. now ranks 28th among nations in the number of students entering the STEM fields in high school and college.
The NAE has published a book, Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation, which frames the discussion at the highest level. The book details 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.
The findings are clear: the number of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields is growing only slightly, if at all, and shrinking in some core disciplines, such as computer science. Mentoring works to improve retention and graduation rates, especially among students from underrepresented groups, and should be included as part of a total solution to the problem. As a result, MentorNet continues to work to expand the numbers of institutions and corporate partners it serves.
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