School Resources and Investments and the Production of STEM Majors

• In Event: High School and Beyond: Social, Institutional, and Financial Contexts

Abstract

The social position of women and underrepresented minorities has advanced in numerous ways recently, but inequalities in education and the workforce are still a prevalent feature of American life. Despite growing demands for a scientifically literate labor force, the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) labor force remains primarily male and White. We investigate the roots of this inequality, highlighting the role that high schools' resources and investments play in all students' declaring majors in STEM fields, and then focusing on the influences on female students and African-American students declaring STEM majors. Our findings highlight the important role that fully licensed teachers and academically demanding AP curricula play in producing these outcomes, especially for women and for African-American students.

Authors

• Elizabeth Stearns, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Jason Giersch, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Roslyn Arlin Mickelson, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Stephanie Moller, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Melissa Dancy