Minorities in Science and Mathematics: A Challenge for Change
Julia V. Clark
While the United States is concerned about the current shortage of K-12 teachers, especially in
science and math, it is equally concerned about the challenge of attracting more students to these
subjects and related careers. Looking to the year 2000 and beyond, the country faces a serious
shortage of scientists and mathematicians. To remain economically competitive, the United
States must educate and advance minority students in science and math.
Why Minorities?
Minority children represent the most rapidly growing part of the school-age population. Differing
fertility rates, immigration patterns, and age distributions among population subgroups suggest
that by 2030, the elementary school population could be divided equally between white children
and children of all other racial and ethnic groups combined. This minority subgroup is expected
to outnumber the white subgroup by 2050 (Hodgkinson, 1992).
The projected composition of the resultant workforce causes great concern in the science and
math communities, because minorities--with the exception of Asian Americans--are
underrepresented in these occupations. In 1990, for example, African Americans, Hispanics, and
Native Americans constituted 19 percent of the total labor force, but only 8 percent of the
science, math, engineering, and technology (SMET) labor force (National Science Foundation,
1994). In addition, women made up 46 percent of the total labor force, but only 22 percent of the
SMET labor force. Projections for the year 2000 indicate that 85 percent of new entrants to the
U.S. workforce will be women and members of minority groups (for a discussion of women as a
minority group in math and science, see the article
"Encouraging Girls in Science and Math".
The presence of women and minorities in the science and technology professions should
reflect their presence in the population as a whole.
As the nation's economic base shifts increasingly toward technology, the participation and
achievement of minorities and women in the SMET labor force become increasingly important.
The United States can meet the projected shortage of scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and
technology professionals only by attracting underrepresented minorities to these occupations.
Unfortunately, underrepresented minorities, on average, are the children most left behind in
science and math education.
Minority Achievement
Although science and math achievement test scores have increased for all ethnic/racial groups
between 1978 and 1996, gaps in proficiency between white children and minority children
remain. Among 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade students who participated in the National Assessment
of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 1996, more than 20 percent of white children--but less than
10 percent of black, Hispanic, and Native American children--scored at or above the proficient
level in math; half of black and Hispanic children--but only about one-fourth of white children--scored
below the basic proficiency level in mathematics (National Science Foundation, 1998). In
science, 1996 NAEP results showed that white children scored substantially higher than
black and Hispanic children at all three grade levels (National Science Foundation, 1998).
Barriers to Success
Many factors contribute to unequal participation of minorities in science and mathematics
education. These include understaffed and underequipped schools, which are usually found in
minority communities, judgments about ability, tracking, number and quality of science and
mathematics courses offered, access to qualified teachers, access to resources, and curriculum
emphasis (National Science Foundation, 1996).
Inequities in school funding can also highlight the social context of schooling. Urban schools
with a high proportion of economically disadvantaged or minority children typically offer less
access to science and math education (Oakes, 1990).
Ability grouping also affects achievement: science and math classes with a higher proportion of
minority children are more likely to be labeled "low-ability" than those with a low proportion of
minority children (National Science Foundation, 1996). For example, in grades 9 through 12, 29
percent of the classes with a low proportion of minority children are labeled "low-ability," but
42 percent of the classes with at least 40 percent minority children are so labeled (National
Science Foundation, 1996).
Being labeled by ability is very important to student achievement because teachers tend to have
different expectations of students in the various groups (National Science Foundation, 1996).
Teachers in "high-ability" classes are more likely than those in "low-ability" classes to
emphasize the development of reasoning and inquiry skills. As a result, children in high-ability
classes are more likely to participate in hands-on science activities and more likely to be asked to
explain their reasoning processes. Children in low-ability classes are more likely to read from a
textbook and spend time doing worksheet problems.
Minority children typically have less access to qualified teachers. For example, math classes with
a high proportion of minorities are less likely than those with a low proportion of minorities to
have teachers who majored in mathematics (National Science Foundation, 1996).
The instructional emphasis in minority-predominant classes is likely to differ as well. The
teachers in science and math classes having a high minority enrollment are more likely to
emphasize preparing children for standardized tests. In contrast, teachers in classes having fewer
minority children are more likely to emphasize the preparation of students for further study in
science or math (National Science Foundation, 1996).
Finally, many children--especially minority children--learn to dislike or fear science and math
classes by the time they reach middle school. As a result, many of them take only the minimum
number of math and science courses required for graduation from high school. The damage done
is incalculable: minorities emerge from elementary and secondary schools often without an
adequate grounding in science and math. Even if they become interested in the subjects in later
grades, it is often too late to take the college courses necessary to pursue related careers. Attitude
also acts as a barrier for girls (see the article
"Encouraging Girls in Science and Math").
Transforming Teaching and Learning
To ensure that all children receive an appropriate, high-quality science and math education,
educators should provide underrepresented minorities with better opportunities and greater
encouragement to participate fully in science and math education. Educators need to reform
curricula and implement innovative teaching methods that incorporate cooperative learning and
alternative learning styles. High-quality programs should foster student interest and competence
in science and math and enthusiasm for pursuing related careers.
Teachers and parents can do several things to attract and retain more minority students in science
and math.
Suggestions for Teachers
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Set and maintain high expectations in science and math for minority children. |
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Encourage minority children to develop an interest in science and math by providing
them with challenging intellectual experiences. |
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Involve minority children in classroom activities and discussions. Present science as a
subject they can learn. This will help them develop the positive attitudes and self-confidence
necessary to become high achievers in science and math. |
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Create classroom activities that allow minority children to apply classroom learning
experiences to practical situations. Also, permit them to bring their life experiences into the
classroom. This helps them see that science and math are applicable to daily living and valuable
to future education and employment. |
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Provide minority children with access to minority role models and mentors. Involve role
models in career exploration activities. |
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Employ a variety of teaching styles and strategies. Modify and adapt materials so that
minority children can participate fully in science and math education. |
Suggestions for Parents
The family is the country's most important social unit, and parental influence on children should
be the most profound. Given parental support and encouragement, minority children can perform
well in science and math. Parents of minority children can do several things to guide their
children toward excellence in these subjects.
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Help your child develop positive attitudes toward science and math, and help him or her
see that early involvement with these subjects can open career doors in the future. |
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Involve your child in "hands-on" science and math activities. Many books and Internet
resources include math activities or easy-to-do science projects that parents can help with at
home (see "Books" and
"Internet Resources"). |
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Find out if local colleges and universities offer summer science and math enrichment
programs for school-age children. |
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Make sure your child takes science and math courses throughout high school. |
For more parent and teacher tips, see the articles "How Can I Help My Child Become More
Interested in Science?", "How Can I Help My Child Become More Interested in
Math?", and "Putting It All Together: An Action Plan".
The Challenge
Education is facing new challenges. Teachers are called on to provide quality education to all
children and to prepare them to live and work in a world transformed not only by increasingly
common demographic changes but also by rapid growth in new technologies, international
competitiveness, and economic globalization. Raising the science and math achievement of all
groups is important in meeting the challenges of the next century. Future shortfalls of scientists,
mathematicians, engineers, and other technology professionals can be met only by bringing
minorities into the pool of science and mathematics majors. As a new century approaches, the
promise made by America and articulated by Franklin D. Roosevelt more than a half century ago
must be reclaimed: "We seek to build an America where no one is left out." America must ensure
that all children receive a quality education and have access to economic opportunities (Quality
Education for Minorities Project, 1990).
References
Hodgkinson, H. L. 1992. A Demographic Look at Tomorrow. Washington, DC: Institute for
Educational Leadership, Center for Demographic Policy.
National Science Foundation. 1994. Women, Minorities, and Persons With Disabilities in
Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: Author. (Available online at
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/wmpdse94/start.htm)
National Science Foundation. 1996. Women, Minorities, and Persons With Disabilities in
Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: Author. (Available online at
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/nsf96311/htmpdf.htm)
National Science Foundation. 1998. Women, Minorities, and Persons With Disabilities in
Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: Author. (Available online at
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/nsf99338/start.htm)
Oakes, J. 1990. Multiplying Inequalities: The Effects of Race, Social Class, and Tracking on
Opportunities To Learn Mathematics and Science. Santa Monica, CA: The RAND Corporation.
Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Project. 1990. Education That Works: An Action Plan
for the Education of Minorities. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, QEM
Project.
| Julia V. Clark is a Program Director in the Teacher and Student Research Development Program
of the National Science Foundation.
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 Promising Practices in Mathematics Education
 Table of Contents
 Science and Mathematics Classes for Children With Special Needs
This page was updated on Fri Nov 2 19:14:46 GMT 2001
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