The study investigates a tension between affirmative action scholars who hypothesize that affirmative action bans would increase underrepresented minority students' STEM college completions and scholars who have empirically estimated declines. It also questions results that that find no existence of a STEM penalty (compared to non-STEM) caused by…

In the state of South Carolina, African American students make up 34% of the student population but 59% of students receive out-of-school suspension. It was assumed by prior research statistics that the disproportionality of discipline produces lower academic achievement for African American students. An examination of the disproportionality of…

Despite a burgeoning literature on first-generation college student success, little is known about how the presence of first-generation or continuing-generation peers may facilitate desired outcomes among first-generation students. Moreover, two theoretical traditions lead to contrasting predictions about the potential impact of the representation…

The STEM Scholars program at Bucknell University was originally supported with a five-year National Science Foundation STEP grant to begin recruitment for a summer program in 2014. The grant, with a one-year no-cost extension, supported six cohorts of students. The recruitment of participants was specifically designed to attract typically…

There is an underrepresentation of Filipino American and Asian American school administrators. The problem is that low Filipino American administrator-Filipino American student ethnicity match ratios and low Asian American administrator-Filipino American student race match ratios have negatively affected the graduation rates and chronic…

Taking advanced courses in high school predicts many positive outcomes, yet low-income students and students who identify as Black and Hispanic are underrepresented. Policies such as "algebra for all" that accelerate middle school students into advanced courses are well-studied, but little is known about newer academic acceleration…

Many students who enroll in a public U.S. 4-y college will not graduate. The odds of completing a college degree are even lower for students who have been marginalized in higher education, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. Can undergraduate research increase a student's likelihood of graduating college and…

First-generation college students (FGCS), nearly 50% of which identify as Hispanic, are an underserved population. The psychosociocultural theoretical framework posits that individual, environmental, and cultural factors contribute to the academic success of Hispanic students. This study examined the relationship between these factors (i.e.,…

Regional comprehensive universities with access-oriented missions provide critical pathways for increasing the number and diversity of STEM graduates. The BOND program at California State University, Fresno supports the transition to college for first-time, full-time freshmen in selected STEM majors. BOND incorporates a learning community, active…

This longitudinal study of 17,455 students, the majority from underrepresented groups, investigated leaks in the vertical transfer pipeline from associate's-degree program entry to bachelor's-degree receipt. Investigated were both the size of the leaks and some associated variables. Pipeline progress examinations included quantification of early…

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were large gaps in Maine's high school graduation rates, high school dropout rates, college persistence, and college completion across socio economic status, racial and ethnic groups, English learner status, and disability status. The pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated existing inequities and challenges,…

This report presents a broad overview of data on the education of Black students in the United States in early childhood, K-12, and postsecondary education. The data clearly show disparities in outcomes for Black students' graduation rates, test scores, course completion, and many other measures, when compared with national averages and other…

Computer science (CS) programs offered at 2-year institutions are important, as they could significantly impact disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes (i.e., equity gaps) for Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, and low-income students. These groups have been historically marginalized in 4-year CS programs and often face…

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall employment in computing-related occupations is projected to grow 15 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations. Moreover, computing-related fields make up almost half of all STEM jobs in Illinois and employment in computing-related fields is more…