Introducing the STEM Toolkit

Photo: Jubilee Academies GEAR UP (TX)

The STEM Toolkit was created by a group of GEAR UP professionals to address a persistent challenge: underserved students are less likely to major in or have a career in the STEM fields.

Why STEM matters

STEM career opportunities are growing, but students from underserved communities are less likely to earn a degree in a STEM field

  • Employment in STEM occupations in the United States is growing at nearly double the rate of other non-STEM occupational areas and is projected to grow another 10 percent by 2030 (UBL, 2021).

  • An estimated one million STEM graduates will be needed in the next decade to fill forecasted positions (PCAST, 2012).

  • However, it is estimated only 20% of students graduating US high schools are prepared to pursue careers in STEM (ACT, 2017). 

  • Further, few of those students who are prepared for STEM positions are students from underserved communities or students identifying as women or with minority populations (Pew Research Center, 2018). This may be in part due to implicit bias in the classroom or lack of representation (you can’t be what you can’t see).

  • According to the National Science Foundation (2013), Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Native Alaskan undergraduate students earn only 19.7% of STEM degrees.

Where we are, most of the job market is in STEM. If we want our students to live in the community they grew up in, they need to be able to access the job market and get high enough paying jobs to stay in their community.

Kristen Yip, University of Washington GEAR UP Achievers

Engaging students early with relevant, hands-on activities can increase their interest in STEM majors and careers

  • Strategies such as introducing students to STEM professionals representing diverse groups (Syed et al., 2011), using project-based approaches to make real-world connections (Van Sickle et al., 2020), and improving students’ sense of belonging in STEM (Dewsbury et al., 2019) have proven successful in K-12 STEM programs. 

  • Implementing STEM programming (especially with middle school students) gives students an introduction to careers and interests that they do not have access to otherwise. 

  • Hands-on STEM activities can help students use critical thinking skills and better understand math and science concepts while participating in real-world activities.

About the STEM Toolkit

OUR GOAL FOR THIS TOOLKIT

We want more GEAR UP programs to implement hands-on STEM activities and career exploration so that students from underserved communities can be exposed to and prepared for STEM majors and careers.

Who this toolkit is for

This toolkit is designed for college access professionals and educators who work with 7th - 12th grade students, who may have a range of experience with STEM.

WHAT THE TOOLKIT CONTAINS

In addition to easy to implement, hands-on STEM activities, the toolkit includes recommendations and lessons learned for common challenges faced by GEAR UP schools.

HOW THIS TOOLKIT WAS CREATED

This resource was created by GEAR UP, for GEAR UP. A group of GEAR UP professionals from 17 states participated in our first-ever Discovery Lab, a process focused on coming up with solutions to big challenges using design thinking. Funding from the Cognizant Foundation allowed us to include the expertise of several national partners. The toolkit and activities were also tested with students by 50+ GEAR UP professionals and subsequently updated with their input.

Why is the GEAR UP STEM Toolkit even a thing?

we need more students interested in technology and how it's made. We need more students from all walks of life and all backgrounds and experiences to bring their perspectives to solving some of our biggest problems. An app may not solve global warming. But the minds behind it will.

Alefiya Master, Founder & CEO, MAD-learn