High school students participating in pipeline programs aimed at increasing diversity in STEM fields are more likely to enroll in—and graduate from—elite colleges with a related degree.
Further, such improvements raised their predicted earnings by anywhere from 3%-15%, according to a study co-authored by Sarah Cohodes, associate professor at U-M's Ford School of Public Policy.
The study, the first randomized evidence on the impact of STEM-focused summer programs on making it to and through college, points a way toward diversifying campuses through indirect avenues in light of the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision terminating the use of affirmative action in college admissions.
It also highlights an opportunity to intervene in students' lives before applying to college—a crucial point in time when they choose the schools that might ultimately boost their success.
Research finds underrepresented minority students, such as those who are Black, Hispanic, and Native American, plan to major in STEM fields at rates similar to those among their white peers but are more likely to switch away from the field or leave college. That suggests college experiences are important factors in earning a STEM degree.
"When we intervene matters," said Cohodes. "So many pipeline programs focus on students already in college or even graduate students or postdocs. If you want to change who is in the pipeline, you need to change where students apply to and attend college, so they are even there in the pool for potential later pipeline interventions."
The study was based on three groups of high achieving, STEM-interested students in related programs and a control group in the summer between their junior and senior years of high school in 2014-16. The programs were held at what researchers describe as "an elite technical university" in the northeastern United States.
All programs included some information on the college admissions process—with a six-week program offering personalized counseling, the one-week program providing information sessions, and the online program including a forum where the students could ask college admissions questions.
All three programs boosted the share of students who attained a bachelor's degree within six years by 2 to 9 percentage points. Degree attainment from elite institutions increased by 9 to 15 percentage points. The degree gains were primarily in STEM fields, reflecting both an overall increase in the number of degrees earned and a shift to STEM fields among graduates.
Ultimately, the research findings imply a student's being offered a spot in one of the summer STEM programs raised his or her potential earnings by 3%-15% via effects on quality of the degree-granting institution and choice of a STEM major.
Cohodes and colleagues note many campuses already have "summer bridge" programs that provide support for underrepresented students in the summer before starting their first year. However, such programs are for those accepted into that particular college, which may mean they arrive too late to reach other students who could be successful at the institution.
Additionally, federal investment in STEM fields is targeted at higher education rather than earlier segments of the pipeline.
"A big part of our findings are consistent with the idea that college quality matters and getting underrepresented students to high-quality colleges makes a difference," Cohodes said. "That is most definitely true, but it's not a zero-sum game. We can also think about what types of support postsecondary institutions need to provide enriching STEM environments even if they are not elite institutions, and what governments can do to invest in higher education."
Cohodes' co-authors on the study, published online in the Journal of Human Resources, are Helen Ho of the nonprofit Chinese for Affirmative Action and Silvia Robles of Brown University's Annenberg Institute.
Study: Diversifying the STEM pipeline
Written by Jeff Karoub, U-M News
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