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BHEF Launches State Supplement to STEM Research and Policy Brief Series
Briefs provide new insights and explore unique solutions into the state level STEM challenge
Contact: Alex Sittig 202-367-2393
Washington, DC (February 9, 2012) —Today the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) launched a state supplement to the BHEF STEM Research and Policy Brief Series which focuses on important dimensions of the education and workforce misalignment challenge facing the United States. Over the coming months BHEF staff will further analyze 10th and 12th grade student STEM interest and math proficiency at the state level, as well as postsecondary enrollment using a longitudinal data set provided by BHEF member organization ACT. These analyses will provide fresh insights into the nature of the STEM challenge and explore unique solutions to these challenges, especially at the regional level. Today BHEF is releasing the first research brief of the state series, Addressing the STEM Workforce Challenge: Missouri, and a Kentucky-focused brief will be released in the coming weeks.
Key findings from the Missouri brief include:
- Too few 12th grade students are both STEM-interested and math proficient: Only 17 percent of 12th grade students in Missouri are both proficient in math and interested in majoring in a STEM field in college, mirroring the national pattern.
- Minorities are more likely to be STEM-interested but not math proficient: Nearly a quarter of African American students are interested in STEM but not proficient in math, compared to only 12 percent of all Missouri high school seniors.
- STEM-interested, but not math proficient students represent some of the low-hanging fruit of the STEM education pipeline. Many STEM-interested, but not math proficient students are within reach of the benchmark and are already enrolled in postsecondary education: Over half of STEM-interested but not proficient students are within four points of the math proficiency benchmark score and are already enrolled in two and four year postsecondary education.
These briefs are part of the BHEF STEM Higher Education and Workforce Project, which seeks to develop new forms of collaboration among business and industry, higher education, and government to transform STEM higher education and to boost the number of scientists, mathematicians, and engineers graduating from U.S. colleges and universities.
About the Business-Higher Education Forum
BHEF is the nation’s oldest organization of senior business and higher education executives dedicated to advancing innovative solutions to U.S. education and workforce challenges. Composed of Fortune 500 CEOs, prominent college and university presidents, and other leaders, BHEF addresses issues fundamental to our global competitiveness. It does so through two initiatives: the College Readiness, Access, and Success Initiative (CRI); and the Securing America’s Leadership in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Initiative. BHEF and its members drive change locally, work to influence public policy at the national and state levels, and inspire other leaders to act. Learn more at www.bhef.com.
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