NYC Gazette

Research has long pointed to early academic disparities as a major barrier to STEM representation among non-white students. Efforts to improve racial and ethnic diversity in STEM fields have often focused on enhancing math and science performance in middle and high schools. However, a recent study challenges these assumptions, revealing that only White English-speaking students show a positive correlation between early STEM aptitude and subsequent enrollment in STEM programs at higher education institutions.

Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng, the study's lead author and associate professor of international education at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, commented on the findings: “Decades of funding to diversify STEM by investing more in early academic preparation may be built on a premise that not only is empirically shaky but disproportionately favors White students.”

The research team analyzed data from the New York City Department of Education covering public-school students who entered 9th grade between 2002 and 2011. They assessed records such as math test scores, high school diploma types, school characteristics, and race/ethnicity from 7th grade through the first semester at the City University of New York (CUNY). The analysis included ten racial/ethnic groups: Asian English speakers, Black English speakers, Latine English speakers, White English speakers, Spanish speakers, Cantonese speakers, Mandarin speakers, Korean speakers, South Asian language speakers (Bengali/Hindi/Punjabi/Urdu), and Black French speakers.

The results published in the American Journal of Education indicated that disparities in early test scores were linked only to White English-speaking students' enrollment rates in STEM majors at CUNY institutions. Additional insights revealed that Korean-, Mandarin-, Cantonese-, and South Asian-language-speaking students are more likely to declare STEM majors even if they do not rank in the top 25 percent for math scores. Conversely, Black English speakers, Black French speakers, Latine English speakers, and Latine Spanish speakers often demonstrate potential in STEM subjects but do not necessarily pursue four-year degrees in these fields.

Cherng emphasized the importance of fostering STEM ideation—where young people can envision themselves within the field—as crucial for underrepresented groups. He noted: “To foster these identities... teachers, families, and community [are important]... I would be remiss if I did not mention the role of discrimination... Our findings fit into a larger portrait of racial inequality... And the answer to addressing it is not just to think better of others but to interrogate our fundamental understanding of meritocracy.”

This research was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (2017856).