A K-20 Examination of the Minority Pipeline in

Math Intensive Fields

Doing the Math:

Holly J. BrownFlorida State University Department of Physics

An Overview

• There is a known achievement gap at the PhD level between African American students and Caucasian students.

• Knowing this, I traced the problem back through the collegiate system, linked college achievement with high school course taking practices, and then traced the problem back to the 4th grade level.

• The project consisted of two approaches, a literature review and a data analysis.

• Literature specifically on this topic is difficult to find and sporadic in its scope.

• Data used in our analysis is all publicly available without research permissions and is easily accessible to the general public.

Literature Review I• 2006 PISA Report [1]Published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

(OECD)

Analyzes the self-reported interests and opinions of 15 year olds across participating nations

Ranks the United States below 23 of the 29 participating nations in mathematics achievement.

• 2008 American Institute of Physics [3]Titled Untapped Talent: the African American Presence in Physics and the

Geosciences”

Claims that the problem of low minority enrollment in collegiate STEM courses is due to a lack of recruitment effort by the colleges themselves.

Literature Review II• 2009 Rutgers Report [4]Titled “Steady as She Goes? Three Generations of Students through the

Science and Engineering Pipeline”

States “US produces large numbers of top performing science and math students”, and “Universities in the United States actually graduate many more STEM students than are hired each year.”

Contends that “a sizeable portion of STEM jobholders do not have college degrees and/or degrees in STEM fields.”

• 1995 RAND [5]Titled “Examining Gaps in Mathematics Achievement Among Racial-Ethnic

Groups, 1972-1992”

An overview of the achievement gap in high schools from 1972-1992, reported using longitudinal data studies.

Observe that the achievement gaps between Whites, African Americans, and Latinos had not converged, and that it had in fact increased with the increase of the minority composition of high schools.

Literature Review III• 2007 University of South Florida Report [6]Titled “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Pathways:

High School Science and Math Coursework and Postsecondary Degree Attainment”

Espouses quality and rigor of science and mathematics over the amount of science and mathematics courses taken.

African Americans and Hispanics who did complete high-level courses were as likely as Caucasians to pursue STEM degrees.

• 2004 Maton Paper [7]Titled “Increasing the Number of African American PhDs in the Sciences and

Engineering”

Primarily focuses on Collegiate level achievement.

Outlines a current program designed to decrease the African American/ Caucasian Achievement gap.

Literature Review IV• 2010 Michigan State University Report [8]Titled “Pathways to a STEMM Career”

Two main findings regarding STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine)

1) Home and parental factors play an important role in encouraging interest in STEMM among students.

2) Mathematics play a “central role” in graduating with a STEMM degree and continuing with a STEMM employment path.

• 2010 Price StudyWorking Paper Titled “The Effect of Instructor Race and Gender on Student

Persistence in STEM Fields”

Reports that at a college level students who had teachers of the same race were more likely to continue in STEM majors.

Having teachers of the same gender as students had no effect on the continuation of those students in STEM majors.

Physics Mathematics Engineering

Geosciences (Earth,

Atmospheric, and Ocean Sciences)

All US Citizens / Permanent Residents 559 510 2182 426

Caucasians 453 398 1542 367

African Americans 13 10 94 7

Hispanics 13 26 88 11

Asians/Pacific Islanders 44 54 354 11

Other 36 22 104 30

Number of Students Graduating with a PhD in 2004

U.S. Citizens and African Americans Earning PhDs in Physics

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Year

Num

ber

of S

tude

nts

All U.S. Students African American Students

U.S. Citizens and African Americans Earning PhDs in Engineering

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Year

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

All U. S. Students African American Students

NAEP 2009 8th Grade African American Results

NAEP 2009 8th Grade Caucasian Results

NAEP 2009 4th Grade African American Results

NAEP 2009 4th Grade Caucasian Results

References• [1] Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (2006) Programme for International Student

Assessment

• [2] National Science Foundation Division of Science Resources and Statistics (2004) http://www.oecd.org/document/2/0,3343,en_32252351_32236191_39718850_1_1_1_1,00.html

• [3] Czujko, Roman, Rachel Ivie, James H. Smith. American Institute of Physics, September 2008. Untapped Talent: the African American Presence in Physics and the Geosciences

• [4] Lowell, B. Lindsay, Harold Salzman, Hamutal Bernstein, Everett Henderson October 2009. Steady as She Goes? Three Generations of Students through the Science and Engineering Pipeline

• [5] Berends, Mark, Samuel R. Lucas, Thomas Sullivan, R. J. Briggs. (2005) Examining Gaps in Mathematics Achievement Among Racial-Ethnic Groups 1972-1992

• [6] Tyson, Will, Reginald Lee, Kathryn M. Borman, Mary Ann Hanson. October 2007. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Pathways: High School Science and Postsecondary Degree Attainment

• [7] Maton, Kenneth I., Freeman A. Hrabowski III. September 2004. Increasing the Number of African American PhDs in the Sciences and Engineering

• [8] Miller, Jon D., Linda G. Kimmel. (2010) Pathways to a STEMM Career

• [9] Institute of Educational Services National Assessment of Educational Progress 2009 Mathematics Exam http://nationsreportcard.gov/math_2009/

• [10] Price, Joshua. (2010) Working Paper. The Effect of Instructor Race and Gender on Student Persistence in STEM Fields