Clemson University’s Charles H. Houston Center for the Study of the Black Experience in Education recently published an infographic highlighting graduation and enrollment rates among underrepresented males in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
The infographic, “STEM Degree Enrollment and Graduation Rates among African American and Hispanic Males,” used data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
The Charles H. Houston Center focuses on conducting research as well as analyzing programs and policies that aim to support educational equity.
“The [center’s] scholarly goals complement the work of other units in Clemson’s Inclusion and Equity division, “said Dr. Lamont A. Flowers, Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership at Clemson and executive director of the Charles H. Houston Center. The units support students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni in a way that advances all of the constituents in the Clemson University community while attempting to create replicable and transformative models to enhance P-12 educational environments as well as college and university campuses throughout the nation, he said.
According to the research, from 2008 to 2016, STEM enrollment for African American males decreased by 7%. In contrast, STEM enrollment for Hispanic males during the same time period increased by 38%.
The research also said that the number of Hispanic males graduating with a STEM degree increased by 56% from 2008 to 2016, compared with a 2% decrease for African American males, the research found.
In order to increase the rates for STEM degree enrollment and graduation, Flowers recommended that colleges and universities implement educational programs for high school students in order to prepare students for college success.
