Seeds to STEMs
Addressing the inequity in STEM education
Diversity in tech
Over the past fifteen years, the number of tech sector jobs and college graduates in STEM fields has steadily risen. Despite this trend, the percentage of minorities in tech positions has stagnated.
Building communities
In 2012-2013, Caucasian or Asian employees filled roughly 85% of positions across leading tech companies. Among leadership roles, the numbers are even more skewed towards Caucasian and Asian employees. One glaring example, which we will not name (but allows users to share messages under 140 characters), has no Latinos represented in its leadership positions.
In recent years, there has been increased public pressure to address this issue. Companies have responded by publishing their demographic data and seeking ways to increase diversity among their employees. Many have called for a top-down approach: in order to address this issue, there must be a significant change in company cultures and hiring practices. Through changing the culture, minorities will ideally feel more comfortable pursuing tech careers. While this will certainly be a component of increasing diversity in the future, others have noticed that bottom-up solutions may also a significant piece of the puzzle.
A different approach is to empower historically underrepresented communities by delivering quality education and opportunities to pursue STEM at an early age. Low-income and first-generation communities do not always have access to quality STEM education. As a result, many students do not feel confident or motivated to continue with STEM.
A look at East Palo Alto
Our program is designed for students at the East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy
Staying local
Any successful bottom-up solution to a problem must be localized to whatever context it is being applied. At the outset of this project, we were approached by the East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy, a charter school located in East Palo Alto, California. The program discussed below is specifically tailored for EPAPA.
East Palo Alto
East Palo Alto is a vibrant, ethnically diverse community of predominantly Latino, African-American, and Pacific Islander populations situated in San Mateo County. East Palo Alto is a world apart culturally and economically from its neighbors of Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Unemployment is high and residents often commute to low-paying jobs outside of the community, trying to make ends meet.
Despite being located in the heart of Silicon Valley, East Palo Alto is a community that largely missed the prosperity and benefits from the dot-com boom of the 1990s and the growth of the tech sector since that time. The median household income in East Palo Alto is around $50,000, as opposed to $122,000 in the neighboring city of Palo Alto. Only 16% of residents of East Palo Alto over the age of 25 hold bachelor’s degrees or higher, as opposed to 80% in Palo Alto (and 30% across California). Latinos compose roughly 65% of the population in East Palo Alto.
East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy
The East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy (EPAPA) is a charter school located in East Palo Alto dedicated to preparing its students for success in college and beyond. EPAPA now serves over 300 students and boasts a 100% college acceptance rate for its graduates. In a community where 20% of high school students of color graduate college eligible and there exists a 60% college dropout rate, EPAPA offers a unique opportunity for students in East Palo Alto to access quality education and to be prepared for secondary education.
Making limited dollars go farther
Per pupil funding and math proficiency versus nearby schools
Despite receiving significantly less funding than nearby schools, students of EPAPA able to succeed
Knowledge gaps lead to lack of interest
One of the most common themes throughout the surveys was the lack of knowledge of what STEM, in particular technology and computer science, really is. Over 82 percent of the students surveyed reporting knowing little to nothing about computer science. The remaining 18 percent expressed a very minimal, if incorrect, understanding of the discipline. When asked what career they would choose, 10 percent of students mentioned medical professions (such as nurse, doctor, or veterinarian), and only one student mentioned pursuing a career in tech. Nearly 90 percent of students expressed no interest in pursuing a STEM related career. A very common trend was that students that expressed little to no knowledge about computer science and technology also expressed, understandably, little to no interest in pursuing a STEM related career.
Several students noted that they were open to learning about tech and computer science because “it’s nice to learn new things.” This suggests that many students possess an appreciation for learning that should be capitalized on when designing a solution to this problem.
Use of technology does not translate to interest in technology
Another insight from these surveys was the fact that even though many students were immersed in technology in their daily lives, they were still uninterested in learning more about technology or STEM. Around 70 percent of students noted they used technology extensively and had a generally positive view towards technology. The fraction of students interested in pursuing a career in STEM was nowhere this number, and there did not appear to be a trend that students that used technology extensively were more interested in pursuing tech careers.
Lack of confidence in one’s own STEM abilities or general distaste towards STEM
When asked to describe their general feelings towards Math and Science, many students reported feeling frustration and disappointment. Students that reported that they struggled in these areas generally held less positive views on the subjects. Many believed that computer science is very math-oriented, and thus feel that they are unlikely to pursue it further because they are doubtful of their own math ability. That said, a sizeable portion of students reported positive views towards science because “we get to try new things” and experiment. This suggests that the excitement of experimentation and invention is something that must also be captured in order for these students to truly enjoy and value their STEM education.
Lack of Role Models in the STEM community
Another area of interest was the lack of STEM-related role models. Around one third of students named a celebrity (singer, actor, athlete, etc.) as their role model. Around 40 percent of students named a family member (mother, father, or aunt/uncle) as their role model. This provides an interesting connection back to the original question posed by the EPAPA staff: since so many students look towards their family members for advice and guidance in their lives, if these people express positive views towards STEM it is more likely that the students will also see the value of STEM. Shockingly, around 30 percent of students said that they had no role model. This data suggests that building relatable role models in STEM fields could have a big impact on these students’ interest and motivation to pursue STEM.
Seeds to STEMs
