ETS: How to Increase the Number of Persons of Color in Science and Engineering Professions.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 23, 2002

Addressing the increasing need for scientists and engineers and reversing the low participation rates within those fields by persons of color will require a concerted and collaborative effort by corporate, governmental

Meeting the Need for Scientists, Engineers, and an Educated Citizenry in a Technological Society, was written by Paul Barton of the ETS Policy Information Center. ETS President and CEO Kurt Landgraf highlighted the report during his remarks at a conference of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc. (GEM), held in Chicago this week.

"This report serves as a reaffirmation of my values and the values of ETS," said Landgraf, "especially with respect to our desire to work with corporate, educational and other partners to meet the shared goal of increased access."

Barton points out the interconnectedness of the issues surrounding the problem. To illustrate, Landgraf wrote in the foreword, "From the demographers, we learn that we are facing an increasingly diverse population. From the labor economists, we understand that the number of jobs in the technical areas will continue to rise at a rapid rate, though we also learn that the number of individuals pursuing advanced degrees in these fields is falling. And from the educational research community, we find that the achievement level in mathematics and science at all ages, together with more general literacy skills, is woefully inadequate to repopulate and sustain a well-qualified and diverse science and engineering workforce."

Barton presents several clear pathways to reach the goal of increasing access:

-- Starting early. The best chances for increasing achievement in mathematics
and science will come from greatly expanded early childhood development and
education.

-- Improving mathematics and science instruction and curriculum. Suggestions
range from making the teaching profession more attractive for K-12 mathematics
and science teachers, to a middle school technology curriculum, and training
for school counselors.

-- Increasing high minority achievement. It will be virtually impossible to
integrate America's institutions completely, especially at the leadership
levels, until many more underrepresented minority students from disadvantaged,
middle class and upper class circumstances are very successful educationally.

-- Providing assistance and support. A lack of proper counseling, guidance, and
support, along with limited financial aid, remain hurdles, particularly for
students from lower-income families. As to the question of why certain
individuals persist in attaining their educational goals, the rigor of high
school courses that they take seems to be a better predictor of completion of
degree than either test scores or their GPA/class rank.

In the report's foreword, Landgraf acknowledges that this is more than just an issue for persons of color or even graduate education, for that matter. "The larger story is that we must focus our efforts on improving the success of [all] students from the beginning of their academic careers," he writes.

Barton concurs. "It isn't just tomorrow's innovative engineers and scientists who will drive our economy, but a larger cadre of well-educated workers in an array of fields that require quantitative and scientific knowledge," he writes. "And beyond both a sufficient supply of scientists and engineers, and a large cadre of skilled workers, is the need to have a generally educated citizenry in a vibrant and democratic society. The task ahead is as daunting as it is necessary," he concludes.

Copies of Meeting the Need for Scientists, Engineers, and an Educated Citizenry in a Technological Society can be downloaded for free from www.ets.org/research/. Copies are available for $15.00 (prepaid) from the Policy Information Center, Mail Stop 04-R, Educational Testing Service, Rosedale Road, Princeton, NJ 08541 (609/734-5694 or e-mail pic@ets.org).

Educational Testing Service is the world's largest private educational testing and measurement organization and a leader in educational research.

A nonprofit company dedicated to serving the needs of individuals, educational institutions and agencies, and governmental bodies in 181 countries, ETS develops and annually administers more than 11 million tests worldwide on behalf of clients in education, government, and business. For more information, access the ETS Website at www.ets.org.