Coalition Joins Microsoft in Bridging the Latino Student STEM Gap

The STEM Education Coalition joined Microsoft, Excelencia in Education, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and the Washington DC Public Schools to discuss issues Latino students in STEM education face in the United States.

Access to educational resources is a continuing concern among educators trying to encourage minority students to go into STEM fields. A recent College Board study found that more than 20,000 minority high school students with the potential to succeed on an Advanced Placement STEM exam never took the test. Numbers also show that there is still a large gap between the number of Latinos and other minority students in STEM fields as compared to their Caucasian and Asian peers. The Coalition believes Congress should be implementing policy that includes comprehensive efforts to expand the capacity and diversity of the STEM workforce pipeline, including targeted initiatives to promote the inclusion of underrepresented minorities, women and other high-need populations in STEM fields. One way to do so is through robust and sustained investments in preparing and retaining new teachers, at both the elementary and secondary levels, to be skilled in STEM-specific pedagogical knowledge. This would enable them to generate strong student learning and excite students, especially minority and female students, about pursuing STEM careers.