Transforming Undergraduate STEM Education Supporting Equitable and Effective Teaching (2025) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:

2 Institutional Context of Post-Secondary STEM Education
Pages 29-44

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 29...
... The specific information chosen to be addressed in this chapter is intended to provide context for the reader navigating later chapters of the report, especially those on student pathways, professional learning and development, and the role of institutions in systemic change to support equitable and effective teaching. This context helps in understanding that as the student population has grown and changed over time, policies and structures have not kept pace with the shifts, and this contributes to many students still not having equitable access to STEM learning opportunities.
From page 30...
... Undergraduate Students Chapter 1 described the broad view the committee takes of who counts as an undergraduate STEM student student -- a view that includes those taking a single course, seeking a certificate, or working toward a degree in a STEM major. In the paragraphs below, we share selected statistics on the undergraduate population as a whole, highlighting specific details on undergraduate STEM students where those are available.
From page 31...
... , out of all the undergraduates enrolled during the 2015–2016 academic year, 28% of students declared a science or engineering major field of study, with close to 8% of those students in life sciences. In academic years 2023–2024, over half of the international students studied in the STEM fields, with math
From page 32...
... degrees earned by underserved minorities increased between 2011 and 2020, degree attainment saw uneven growth and representation between racial groups. For example, one study reported that 40% of Black and 37% of Latina/o students switch majors before earning a STEM degree, compared with 29% of White STEM students (Riegle-Crumb et al., 2019)
From page 33...
... . Broadening access to STEM education and removing barriers that make it difficult for underserved populations to attain STEM degrees ultimately leads to the diversification not only of the student population but of the STEM workforce.
From page 34...
... Community colleges enrolled 8.9 million students in 2020–2021 and educated a disproportionate share of underserved students, with 7% Asian, 12% Black, and 26% Latinx (Community College Research Center, 2022)
From page 35...
... . TCUs enrolled about 17,000 undergraduate students in 2022 (Postsecondary National Policy Institute, 2024)
From page 36...
... . THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL WORKFORCE According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2024a)
From page 37...
... The Impact of Funding on Higher Education Institutions Funding provides opportunities and constraints on decision making including decision making about teaching. While funding is not the focus of this report it does impact student learning experiences in ways that range from the increase in VITAL faculty mentioned above to class size and resources for laboratory and field work.
From page 38...
... . These studies show that funding is directly tied to the education and successful development of underserved students, particularly at HBCUs, and disparities in funding may be linked to lower outcomes in productivity and research capacity that impact students.
From page 39...
... This expulsion took many forms: settlers exposed Indigenous people to harmful illnesses that led to death; they disturbed the natural ecosystems and exploited natural food supplies; they used weaponry to murder Indigenous people; and they pushed Indigenous communities off their native land to build colonial communities, which frequently involved building colleges (Dunbar-Ortiz, 2023; Wolfe, 2006)
From page 40...
... The Atlantic slave trade, orchestrated by Europeans, forced enslaved Black people to live and work across all of the Americas, including in the British colonies and what would eventually become the early United States. Although Black people were most often enslaved by White people on privately owned estates, many were forced to labor on colonial college campuses.
From page 41...
... Additionally, the creation of these new components of the higher education landscape was influenced by the existing models as structures, policies, practices, and operating principles largely replicated those first established by the colleges founded in colonial America.1 In the early 20th century, the formation of junior or community colleges further expanded access, providing additional and often more affordable opportunities for a wider variety of students. These institutions replicated many of the policies and practices of existing institutions and helped maintain the status quo in the United States by diverting students (largely those who are part of underserved populations)
From page 42...
... . The 1965 Higher Education Act creating the federal designation of HBCUs and allocating them some dedicated funding also marked a change in overall federal support for higher education by providing grants and access to loans that increased access to higher education for students from a variety of family incomes and zip codes (Higher Education Act, 1965)
From page 43...
... . While these and other initiatives have dramatically increased the participation of previously underserved populations in higher education, they have not yet led to equitable opportunities and outcomes for students from all populations.
From page 44...
... Conclusion 2.1: Undergraduate STEM education occurs in many types of institutions with varying missions, goals, resources, and student populations; but all these types of institutions share a responsibility for providing high-quality STEM learning experiences for students. Conclusion 2.2: Many longstanding policies and practices in under graduate STEM education have produced, perpetuated, and exacer bated differences in opportunities, experiences, and outcomes among post-secondary STEM students from underserved population groups.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.