Breaking the Code: Increasing the Number of African American and Latino Students in Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Careers

The lack of American STEM talent is especially problematic for African American and Latino students who are pursuing math-science degrees at far lower rates than their White counterparts (Osei-Kofin & Torres, 2015). Yet, employers often cite the scarcity of American students, especially minority students, pursuing math-science degrees as a reason for the limited pool in which to recruit and retain high-quality employees for the science and technology industry. While at the same time, increased public awareness of the inequity of STEM curriculum access and college and career readiness prompted California legislators to acknowledge that the state will face a fiscal crisis if steps are not taken to reform public education. California Partnership Academy (CPA) and Linked Learning attempt to address the disparity of minorities entering the STEM college and career pipeline by allowing students to increase their self-efficacy by experiencing the work-culture through career internships. The aim of this study was to understand how the educational initiatives, California Partnership Academy and Linked Learning???s curriculum, influence African American and Latino students??? self-efficacy and desires to pursue future STEM occupations. Four adult participants who work with students participating in career academies, CPA and Linked Learning were identified and participated in semi-structured interviews. The data revealed that experiential learning opportunities helped minority students refute distorted ethnic images that are pervasive in the dominant society, as well as developed a positive self-image and increased self-regulation. Furthermore, the findings suggest that through work internships students increased their social capital by became cognizant of the communal etiquette necessary to successfully navigate the work culture. Moreover, experiential learning opportunities may benefit employers by creating an alternative career pipeline to help diversity the STEM workforce.