Increasing the number of persons of color in science and engineering

June 21 2002 - The low participation rate of persons of color in science and engineering employment, and the shortage of people in those professions needs a concerted and collaborative effort by corporate, governmental and educational communities, says a recent report from Educational Testing Service.

Meeting the Need for Scientists, Engineers, and an Educated Citizenry in a Technological Society, was written by Paul Barton of the ETS Policy Information Center. ETS President and CEO Kurt Landgraf featured the report in his remarks at a conference of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc. (GEM), held in Chicago last month.

"This report serves as a reaffirmation of my values and the values of ETS," said Landgraf, "especially with respect to our desire to work with corporate, educational and other partners to meet the shared goal of increased access."

Barton points out that the issues surrounding the problem are interconnected. To illustrate this, Landgraf wrote in his foreword, "From the demographers, we learn that we are facing an increasingly diverse population. From the labor economists, we understand that the number of jobs in the technical areas will continue to rise at a rapid rate, though we also learn that the number of individuals pursuing advanced degrees in these fields is falling. And from the educational research community, we find that the achievement level in mathematics and science at all ages, together with more general literacy skills, is woefully inadequate to repopulate and sustain a well-qualified and diverse science and engineering workforce."

Paul Barton puts forward a number of clear pathways to achieve increased access:

Starting early. The best chances for increasing achievement in mathematics and science will come from greatly expanded early childhood development and education.

Improving mathematics and science instruction and curriculum. Suggestions range from making the teaching profession more attractive for K-12 mathematics and science teachers, to a middle school technology curriculum, and training for school counselors.

Increasing high minority achievement. It will be virtually impossible to integrate America's institutions completely, especially at the leadership levels, until many more underrepresented minority students from disadvantaged, middle class and upper class circumstances are very successful educationally.

Providing assistance and support. A lack of proper counseling, guidance, and support, along with limited financial aid, remain hurdles, particularly for students from lower-income families. As to the question of why certain individuals persist in attaining their educational goals, the rigor of high school courses that they take seems to be a better predictor of completion of degree than either test scores or their GPA/class rank.

In his foreword, Kurt Landgraf acknowledges that this is more than just an issue for persons of color or even graduate education, for that matter. "The larger story is that we must focus our efforts on improving the success of [all] students from the beginning of their academic careers," he writes.

Barton concurs. "It isn't just tomorrow's innovative engineers and scientists who will drive our economy, but a larger cadre of well-educated workers in an array of fields that require quantitative and scientific knowledge," he writes. "And beyond both a sufficient supply of scientists and engineers, and a large cadre of skilled workers, is the need to have a generally educated citizenry in a vibrant and democratic society. The task ahead is as daunting as it is necessary," he concludes.

Copies of Meeting the Need for Scientists, Engineers, and an Educated Citizenry in a Technological Society can be downloaded for free from www.ets.org/research/. Copies are available for $15.00 (prepaid) from the Policy Information Center, Mail Stop 04-R, Educational Testing Service, Rosedale Road, Princeton, NJ 08541 (609/734-5694 or e-mail pic@ets.org).