Postsecondary STEM Milestones Among Immigrant and English Learner Students of Color in New York City

• In Event: STEM Pathways for English Learners and Immigrants: Evidence From Three States

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to analyze patterns in a) selection of a STEM major and b) completion of a STEM BA among students who graduate from a New York City public school and enroll in the CUNY system. Using linked K12-postsecondary data, we examine how these outcomes vary by student characteristics including race, immigrant origin, and prior English Learner status.

Perspectives: STEM careers have been the focus of substantial policy and media attention due to the benefits they can offer on an individual level (e.g. potential economic security) and on a societal level (e.g. their importance to the 21st century economy). Yet these opportunities are not equally accessible to students of color (National Academy of Sciences, 2019), and the diversity of STEM opportunities has not matched the diversity of the US student population and workforce, including immigrant communities of color. This issue is particularly salient in New York City, the focus of this analysis, which is home to more immigrants than any other US metropolitan area--a racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse population representing all regions of the world (Budiman, 2020).

Methods:
a) Major selection: Among NYC public school graduates who enroll in the CUNY system, we will use logistic regression to analyze the probability of declaring a 4-year CUNY STEM major within 2 years of high school (vs. a non-STEM major).
b) BA completion: Among CUNY STEM majors (as identified above), we will use multinomial logistic regression to analyze the probability of graduating from CUNY within six years of high school with a BA in a STEM field (vs. a CUNY BA in a non-STEM field, a non-CUNY BA in any field, or no BA within six years).

Data: We analyze the 2002-2004 NYC public school 9th grade cohorts. The Research Alliance for New York City Schools (RANYCS) provided access to longitudinal student data including individual demographic/academic characteristics as well as institutional characteristics, postsecondary enrollment/graduation status by semester, and major by semester if enrolled in CUNY.

Results: Preliminary results indicate that racial disparities exist in selection of a STEM major (vs. non-STEM major), with greater probability of STEM major selection for Black students compared to Asian students and lower probability for Latinx and white students. There is some evidence that immigrant origin and prior English Learner status are generally associated with greater probability of STEM major selection. Disparities in STEM BA completion exist primarily with regard to the probability of not completing any BA (relative to completing a CUNY STEM BA) for Black and Latinx STEM majors as opposed to Asian and white STEM majors, with no strong evidence of racial disparities in the probability of diversion from a CUNY STEM BA path to a non-STEM BA or a non-CUNY BA and mixed evidence on disparities by immigrant origin or prior EL status.

Significance: This study seeks to expand our understanding of the diversity of immigrant and English Learner students in relation to STEM opportunities along the path from secondary school to college completion.

Authors

• Stella M. Flores, The University of Texas at Austin

• Tim Carroll, New York University