The National Scholars Program - SUMMARY Excellence with Diversity for the Future (1996) / Chapter Skim
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NEED FOR A NATIONAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM
NEED FOR A NATIONAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM
Pages 3-10
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From page 3... ...
Hispanics, and American Indians in the doctoral scientific and eng~neenng work force is unequivocal. In 1991 Blacks, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and American Indians comprised 2.3 percent of doctoral scientists and engineers (NRC 1994~.
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76162362 0.81.72.6 White8,4788,2919,953 90.089.071.0 (a) Includes mathematics, computer sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and life sciences.
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Since 1976 their combined verbal and mathematics SAT scores increased 55 points, closing about one-quarter of the total gap between White and Black total mean scores (College Entrance Examination Board 1993~. This is especially significant since the proportion of Black students taking the SAT doubled over that time period.
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found that African American, Hispanic, and Native American children generally have lower achievement scores and have completed fewer advanced science and mathematics courses by the time they graduate from high school than have Asian American or White students. They concluded that "without additional assistance these students would be nano~cappeo In taking rigorous science and mathematics classes at the college level; it is much harder for them to be scientists and engineers." In 1994 the College Entrance Examination Board reported that among high school seniors who took the SAT tests, ~ ~ percent of Blacks had completed calculus, compared to 22 percent of Whites and 40 percent of Asians.
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concluded that the divergence of Black and Hispanic students from the science pipeline occurs as early as elementary school, when these students are more likely to be placed in low-ability classes and are less likely to participate in accelerated or enrichment programs. Stewart (1993)
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have been particularly successful in producing science graduates. In 1993 they awarded 48 percent of bachelor's degrees earned by Blacks in computer science and mathematics, 47 percent in the physical sciences, and 42 percent in the life sciences (NSF 1995, 82)
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In 1992 AAAS issued a report on the status of minorities in science and engineering. Drawn from dozens of interviews with government officials, educators, and industry personnel, the report highlighted several reasons for the lack of progress in increasing the number of minorities earning a Ph.D., including poor program oversight; little commitment from faculty; vague or unrealistic goals; inadequate or erratic funding; emphasis on recruitment and not retention; a focus on higher education that ignored problems at the precollege level; and lack of tracking of student progress.
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From page 10... ...
The existence of add-on or set-aside programs may have the unintended but serious eject of limiting or directing minorities to those designated programs, rather than including them in the much larger pool of mainstream resources and opportunities. However, reform will not be accomplished immediately, and until such fundamental change is realized, carefully designed targeted programs such as the National Scholars Program will serve two necessary purposes: first, to facilitate the success of current minority high school and college students, and second, to act as a catalyst for lasting change.
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