Employment in STEM Occupations

Employment in STEM Occupations, 2018 & Projected 2028

(Numbers in Thousands)

Note 1: Data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Wage data cover non-farm wage and salary workers, and don’t cover the self-employed, owners, and partners in unincorporated firms, or household workers.

Note 2: Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) occupations include computer and mathematical, architecture and engineering, and life and physical science occupations, as well as managerial and post-secondary teaching occupations related to these functional areas and sales occupations requiring scientific or technical knowledge at the post-secondary level. For more information, see bls.gov/oes/topics.htm#stem.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Employment Projections program, bls.gov/emp/tables/stem-employment.htm

https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/advancing-diversity-inclusion.pdf, https://www.hanoverresearch.com/reports-and-briefs/trends-in-higher-education-2019/, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2019/01/10/top-6-trends-in-higher-education/, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/05/16/coming-soon-sat-an-adversity-score-offering-snapshot-challenges-students-face

Closing the Gaps

Higher education is a key pathway for social mobility in the U.S. That’s why colleges and universities have implemented practices designed to meet the needs of their campuses to provide equitable, valuable experiences to students of color and low-income students.

In fact, to close the gaps in higher education between Caucasians and people of color and members of minority groups and diverse cultures, the Obama Administration encouraged institutions not only to attract and admit students from various backgrounds and experiences, but to also support and retain these students once on campus.

“The Obama Administration has worked to improve access to higher education, as well as to help more students complete their college educations and obtain quality degrees and credentials,” notes the 2016 report entitled Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education by the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, Office of the Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education (ED) for the Obama Administration.

“Since the beginning of the administration, the Department of Education has focused on making college more affordable and accessible to more students, including low-income students and students of color. However, the path forward will require a thoughtful discourse and a range of strategies.”

To that end, the Obama Administration also supported efforts by institutions of higher education to use legally permissible strategies to promote student body diversity and inclusion (D&I) on their campuses, including by issuing guidance and technical assistance to help institutions do so.

Strategies detailed in the report include the following:

·         Institutional Commitment to Promoting Student Body Diversity and Inclusion on Campus: Research indicates colleges and universities seeking to encourage campus diversity and inclusion identify how D&I relates to their core institutional mission and the unique circumstances of the institution. For example, mission statements and strategic plans that promote student body D&I on campus establish priorities that can, in turn, lead institutions to earmark the necessary funds and resources for those purposes. Institutions are advised to consider building their capacity to collect and analyze the data required to set and track their D&I goals.

·         Diversity at All Levels of an Institution: Research finds campus leadership, including a diverse and inclusive faculty, plays a key role in achieving overall inclusive institutions. For instance, faculty members’ curricular decisions and pedagogy, including their individual interactions with students, can foster inclusive climates. Plus, students report that it’s important for them to see themselves reflected in the faculty and curriculum to which they’re exposed in order to create a sense of belonging and inclusion.

·         Outreach and Recruitment of Prospective Students: Institutions committed to student body diversity can take steps to improve outreach and recruitment to a diverse array of students. For example, institutions often work to proactively develop relationships and provide support to the elementary and secondary schools situated within communities surrounding the institution. Some data-supported ideas include comprehensive and on-going support from administrators and peers, peer-advising provided by similarly aged students, targeted support for critical steps such as completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and test prep, and exposure for students to college-level work while they’re in high school.

·         Support Services for Students: Student support services in general are associated with improved academic outcomes, including after students’ first years in college. Well-designed course-placement strategies mitigate the time students spend in remedial education without making progress toward a credential. Individualized mentoring and coaching can increase the odds that students remain enrolled in school. First-year experience programs, such as summer bridge programs that support incoming students, can improve academic achievement and credit-earning.

·         Inclusive Campus Climate: Students report less discrimination and bias at institutions where they perceive a stronger institutional commitment to D&I, and where they feel they can bring their unique ideas and authentic selves. Institutions are encouraged to develop and facilitate programming to increase the cultural competency of leadership, faculty, staff and students. Institutions are also urged to perform an assessment of their campus climate related to diversity in order to identify areas for improvement. Many institutions include cultural competency training in new-student orientation and require students take coursework in diversity in their first year. Cultural and socio-emotional support systems such as personal mentoring and counseling can help all students thrive on campus, and are crucial for students who don’t comprise a racial or ethnic majority. Successful institutional leaders create support systems individualized to students’ needs that are highly visible and accessible, and engage students in the decision-making process regarding campus climate. Successful institutions also make financial support available to close the need gap for economically disadvantaged students.

“Through all of these strategies we can achieve the goal of preparing all of the nation’s students to be great citizens of the world and to compete in a global environment,” states the report.

More recently, chief diversity officers are meeting the demand for inclusivity at universities, colleges, and graduate schools while higher-education institutions have implemented recruitment strategies that transform the prospective student experience, and are creating online programs, job-critical programs, pathway programs, and competency-based education (CBE) programs that bridge the college-career gap to attract a broader student base, especially in STEM.

Furthermore, the College Board, a non-profit organization that owns the SAT, is developing an “overall disadvantage level,” known in admission circles as the “adversity score,” which will be a single number from 1 to 100. With 50 set as the average, under a formula established by the College Board, higher scores will indicate higher adversity. Colleges that use it will see the number on a template called an “environmental context dashboard,” which also includes data on Advanced Placement (AP) participation and SAT scores at the applicant’s high school.

The adversity score, which officials announced in Spring 2019, will focus on social and economic factors associated with a student’s school and neighborhood, such as median family income, crime reports, housing circumstances, college attendance rates and parental education, according to the College Board. The formula doesn’t consider race, the College Board says, or individual data about a student’s family or financial circumstances.

The idea, according to the College Board, is to give admissions officers a deeper framework for considering SAT scores than the information high schools typically provide. So, for instance, according to the College Board, a score of 1,400, out of a maximum 1,600, might look more impressive coming from a student with a higher adversity score compared with a peer who comes from relative privilege.

“The insight is in the judgment of the admissions office: ‘Wow, this score, given this context, that’s something I want to see,’” says David Coleman, chief executive of the College Board.

Sources: Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, Office of the Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education 2016 report, Hanover Research, The Brookings Institution and The Washington Post