NewsTaco

By Brenda Álvarez, NEA Today

When it comes to innovations in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, the United States has had, over the past two centuries, the good fortune to be able to tap the brain power of its citizens—both native born and those who have immigrated here. Their invaluable contributions have sharpened America’s innovative edge to a fine point.

And although the United States is recognized as a global technological leader, there is heavy competition from other countries.

Every generation needs an infusion of fresh talent to take on those jobs that contribute to pushing the envelope of progress and innovation. The challenge for the United States is that there are more STEM jobs than there are qualified applicants.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates there will be 2.7 million new jobs expected in STEM sectors by 2018.  But the number of students graduating from related fields is nowhere near what it should be.

What will it take to meet America’s requirements for preparing students and professionals to enter the STEM pipeline?

The STEM potential of Latinos

The publishers of LATINO magazine, along with the National Education Association, believe the answer is two-fold: Encouraging Latino students to enter STEM fields and preparing more educators to teach STEM subjects.

Latinos in America represent one in four students in the public school system.  According to the latest statistics, meeting the country’s science and math needs for the next 10 years will require 100,000 more engineers per year. Some simple math reveals that America should see 25,000 more Latino engineers represented in that figure.

To explore the possibilities for inviting greater Latino participation in STEM fields, LATINO magazine convened a conference in Washington, D.C.

The “Nuestro Futuro, the 2012 Latino Education Conference on STEM,” spotlighted a panel called “It Starts in the Classroom.” The panel centered on ensuring great public schools for every student through social justice advocacy, and NEA was front and center of this conversation.

So what does social justice advocacy have in common with the largest labor union in the country? It has been at the Association’s core since it was founded.

Nearly 100 years before the Civil Rights movement, Robert Campbell, an African American teacher from Philadelphia, was one of 43 educators who established what is now the NEA. The Association also elected its first woman president, Ella Flagg Young, decades before American women were give the right to vote.

NEA’s position is that ill-devised policies that prevent students from learning and educators from teaching drive the Association to advocate for the rights of students and educators alike, whatever the challenges.

Today, Latinos are the fastest-growing segment of the American population, standing at 50 million people. That number is expected to double by 2050. With this kind of growth come challenges that directly affect the Latino student population, such as immigration.

“As we talk about the broader picture and the need for 100,000 more engineers a year, none of that is possible if our children are being pulled out of school because parents are afraid of being deported,” said Alfredo Estrada, editor of LATINO magazine.

To help keep all students in school, NEA has come out fervently against anti-immigration policies and laws, such as Alabama’s House Bill 56, the harshest anti-immigration measure in recent U.S history. Part of the original law required public school officials—from elementary to high school—to determine a student’s immigration status. The law also mandated school districts to submit to state education officials yearly tallies on suspected undocumented immigrants.

Many parents who feared deportation pulled their children out of school.

“Education is the human and civil rights issue of our time, and it’s not the human and civil rights issue for some students. It’s the human and civil rights issue for all students,” said Rocío Inclán, director of NEA’s Human and Civil Rights department. “When an uncle or a sister is being deported and families have to move—that has an impact on teaching and learning; it has an impact on achievement; and it has an impact on you and the United States.”

NEA has also partnered with outside organizations that promote solutions to immigration reform, such as the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals.

NEA is working with United We Dream, a youth-run advocacy group, to hold application clinics at schools and community colleges to help undocumented students fill out the required paperwork. NEA is also training its members on how to work with DREAMers, young immigrant students who were brought to the United States as children.

Said NEA President Lily Eskelsen recently in an interview, “We’re telling [teachers] to use words like ‘might’ and ‘you want to look into,’” she says. “The worst thing in the world for us to do is to somehow have a family believe that they have been promised something like a path to citizenship.”

America’s prosperity is tied to innovation. By protecting the social justice rights of Latino students, educators have the ability to encourage more students to take STEM courses.

However, as the Latino population continues to grow so will the need to train educators in specific professional development programs.

Changing American landscape

During the conference, Rita Haecker, president of the Texas State Teachers Association, said that preparing educators for the demographic shifts across the United States requires training that direct relates to Latino students.

“The majority of students entering [Texas] classrooms today are Hispanic,” said Haecker. “Two-thirds of the 1 million students that were added in the last 10 years were Hispanic students, and they will become the majority of people in the classrooms.”

Haecker explained that while Hispanic students are the majority, the teaching force is mostly non-Hispanic.

“The need for teacher preparation programs, mentor programs, and cultural diversity programs for all teachers is essential,” said Haecker.

Such teacher preparation programs include the NEA’s C.A.R.E. (Cultural, Abilities, Resilience, and Effort) Guide, which trains educators to connect to culturally and linguistically diverse students by connecting to students’ everyday experiences and integrating classroom learning with out-of-school experiences.

The guide also showcases ways to improve a teacher’s practice, such as designing lessons that require students to identify and describe another point of view, different factors, consequences, objectives, or priorities; and providing instruction that helps to increase the consciousness and valuing of differences and diversity through the study of historical, current, community, family, personal events, and literature.

NEA’s $500,000 commitment to STEM

President Obama has called for 100,000 STEM teachers to prepare students for the jobs of the future. NEA has responded with a $500,000 challenge grant that calls on leading business and technology companies and philanthropists to join the Association in working to expand a successful New Jersey Education Association program that helps increase the number of certified science and math teachers.

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, a math teacher with more than 20 years of classroom experience, recently made the call to action on a webcast with education leaders across the country.

“We’re committed to preparing students to succeed in the worldwide economy, that’s why we’re working together to get additional qualified, caring, and committed math and science teachers into classrooms. Right now, there’s a severe shortage, especially in low-income communities, and that needs to change. But we cannot do it alone,” said Van Roekel.

America’s success is directly related to the quality of the U.S. education system. As a union of educators, NEA is putting its professional and financial support to work to help advance programs and initiatives that are proven effective. If America wants to retain its innovative edge, it will need to invest wisely and look forward to reaping the rich potential of its Latino students.

This article was first published in NEA Today.

[Photo by Houston Museum of Natural Science ]

By Maria Cardona, Latinovations

Former Astronaut Jose Hernandez makes a strong case for expanding opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and computer science fields in a recent op-ed saying “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize we are trailing the rest of the world” in developing STEM talent. Hernandez goes on to praise the provision of the bi-partisan I-Squared Act that establishes a national STEM education fund.

While Congress is still considering I-Squared, it has taken another important step designed to attract more students to STEM fields.  Based on their highly successful Congressional Arts Competition, the House recently overwhelmingly approved the Academic Competition Resolution of 2013.  The resolution, which passed through the Committee on House Administration, Chaired by Rep. Candice Miller (Ranking Member is Rep. Robert A. Brady), establishes a competition for high school students to develop winning mobile and computer applications. Sponsors include:

Rep. Miller, Candice [MI-10] (Lead)
Rep. Brady, Robert A. [PA-1]
Rep. Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-13]
Rep. Delaney, John K. [MD-6]
Rep. Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-18]
Rep. Gingrey, Phil [GA-11]
Rep. Goodlatte, Bob [VA-6]
Rep. Harper, Gregg [MS-3]
Rep. Honda, Michael M. [CA-17]
Rep. Issa, Darrell E. [CA-49]
Rep. Kuster, Ann M. [NH-2]
Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [CA-19]
Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [CA-6]
Rep. Nugent, Richard B. [FL-11]
Rep. Rokita, Todd [IN-4]
Rep. Royce, Edward R. [CA-39]
Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1]
Rep. Schock, Aaron [IL-18]
Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [FL-24]

Efforts like these can make a difference for America’s students, especially among Latino children who are underrepresented in STEM and computer science fields.  Latinos, African Americans and American Indians represent 26 percent of the U.S. workforce, but just 11 percent of those graduating with degrees in science or engineering.  And Latinos, 16 percent of the U.S. population, represent just 6.2 percent of the engineering workforce and accounted for 8 percent of all certificates and degrees earned in STEM fields.

Clearly, the nation needs a game plan for attracting more students to STEM and computer science fields.  A competition in their home congressional districts is an important step and can offer students another outlet for their skill and talent.

The House’s competition is not yet completely defined, but the resolution states that it will evolve over time and challenge students in all the STEM disciplines.

Hernandez recounts being a high school student and hearing news reports about America’s first Latino astronaut, Dr. Franklin Chang-Díaz.  Those reports and Dr. Chang-Diaz inspired him to become an astronaut.  From role models -today Hernandez is one – to competitions to teachers who motivate, we can reach more students and encourage them to explore STEM fields.

The effort will pay off, not only for the students, but also for the country they will soon help to lead.

This article was first published in Latinovations.

Maria Cardona is a seasoned Democratic strategist, public affairs and communications professional with more than 18 years experience in the political, government, public relations, campaign, community and coalition building arenas.  She currently is a Principal at the Dewey Square Group (DSG)

[Photo by Houston Museum of Natural Science ]

By Cindy Long, NEA Today

Students in Pat Yongpradit’s computer science class at Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, work with robots and create mobile games and apps for real-world social causes – like How to Get A Date With an Environmentalist, or Just In Time, a game about maternal health.

“I spend my day inspiring students to dream and create technology to improve our world,” he says. At the same time, he’s broadening participation in computer science to underrepresented groups like girls and minority students. “We don’t learn about technology just for the sake of technology – we apply it to a cause, so it’s technology with a purpose, and that appeals to everyone.”

Yongpradit joined NEA Secretary-Treasurer Becky Pringle on a “Conversations on Education” panel at the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in D.C. last week. The panel’s focus was on widening the access to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to more students.

President Obama has called for the training of 100,000 new science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teachers to prepare students for the 2.7 million new jobs expected in those sectors by 2018. NEA responded in October 2012 with a $500,000 challenge grant that calls on leading business and technology companies and philanthropists to join the Association in working to expand successful teacher training programs.

Pringle explained the NEA STEM grant program at the panel last week, and announced that the first challenge grant will prepare more Colorado students for STEM careers. Last month, NEA awarded a $200,000 grant for progressive science and math training programs in that state.

“If we’re going to be successful as a country, we have to ensure equitable access to STEM education for all groups of students,” Pringle says. “We have to make sure that we close those gaps for ethnic minorities or children living in poverty or children living in rural areas, and ensure they have the kind of access…to the highly qualified teachers needed to help them be successful.”

In addition to seeding a grant of up to $500,000, NEA hopes to raise a total of $1.5 million by challenging technology firms and philanthropists to match their grant to help fund efforts like those of  New Jersey’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and bring it to schools across the country. CTL’s Progressive Science Initiative (PSI) and Progressive Math Initiative (PMI)cultivates highly qualified educators to fill science and math teacher shortages. The program has added more than 130 new physics and chemistry teachers since it began in 2009.

CTL’s program uses free digital materials to support the teaching of more than 20 courses in math and science, which some 500 existing STEM-subject teachers have used in New Jersey schools.

The idea is to train more teachers like Pat Yongpradit, a 2010 Microsoft Worldwide Innovative Educator who is showing his computer programming students that they can apply their game design skills to careers in everything from fashion design to medicine or any field they are interested in.

“The students then see that they can make a difference with what they’re learning,” he says. “That’s what gives me the most satisfaction.”

This article was first published in NEA Today.

[Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region]

By José Hernández, Fox News Latino

STEM has more than a funding problem – it also has a demographic problem. African-Americans, Latinos and American Indians are collectively 26 percent of the working population in the United States, collectively accounting for just nine percent of the workers in science and engineering fields and just 11 percent of graduates with science or engineering degrees.

The National Center for Technological Literacy sums up the challenge: “Without increasing the numbers of minorities in engineering and technology as the percentage of white males in the workforce decreases, the number of engineers will also decrease.” Our task is clear. We have to do a lot more to ensure more students are exposed to STEM instruction. It’s one of the reasons educators and education officials should be paying attention to the I-Squared Act.

Click on picture to read full story.

[Photo by West Point Public Affairs]

By Jose Gonzalez, NewsTaco

We highlight getting to the Outdoors for a wide range of benefits, especially relating to physical and cognitive health.

But a recent story by the National Wildlife Federation noted another key benefit in getting more Latino youth to the Outdoors. As the article notes:

“Perez Elementary School, a registered Eco-School in Austin, Texas and recent winner of a Children in Nature Collaborative of Austin award for environmental education, reminds us that green schools help close the achievement gap for low income and minority students as well as protect the planet and lower energy costs. The student body at Perez is 86 percent Hispanic and 93 percent low income, and the school has made steady academic progress by taking learning outside.”

We have had outdoor schools and environmental education for decades. But there is a difference in what all the different categories mean. Outdoor schools can mean many things, and though in general it can mean education taking place in the outdoors, they tend to be associated with physical skills and “adventure” related programming. Environmental Education is usually related to learning about the environment and conservation issues, with some schools even specifying as being outdoor science schools.  To that we have added nature education and “eco-schools”.

But a general take-away point to note is that the Outdoors can serve not just as a place to learn, but also as a subject to learn, and as a platform for integrated learning of all subjects.

It is not so much that this simply becomes a substitute for learning indoors at school, but that rather it can serve as a key alternative for students that struggle with the “standard classroom” environment.

This is crucial for Latinos and other students of color, which have high rates of dropping out and low academic achievement (though that may be changing recently).

Several years ago, a major study in California studied the effects of Outdoor School programs. The findings pointed to academic gains in the classroom, especially in Latino Students. Along with a host of other benefits like conflict resolution and environmental behaviors, students “who attended outdoor school programs significantly improved their science scores by 27 percent, as measured by a pre- and post-survey.”

As the NWF article also notes:

“Evaluations of environmental education programs in Florida and Texas confirm that economically disadvantaged, Hispanic, and African-American students see the biggest academic benefits from outdoor learning.”

“Perhaps the best news is that green schools make learning fun and engaging at the same time that they boost academic performance. Learning and exploring outdoors, students come into contact with natural things that elicit a deep emotional response.”

So results across the board seem very promising for Latino students. What would be next steps?

Some ideas are to make sure that these programs serve as examples for other education programs. At the same time, it should be relevant and worthy to ask how the programs are culturally relevant and connect with the familias. This can help inform programs that struggle to connect with the very communities that can benefit the most.

Part of this is to also think how the programs reflect the diversity of the communities they serve—specifically a question would be: what is the diversity of outdoor and environmental education teachers?

This would not be to indicate that Latino students cannot learn from non-Latino teachers, but it would be important to explore how cultural leadership and role models are available in this field.

Again, all of this matters, because using the Outdoors can be a powerful connection for Latinos in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields and other careers in conservation, a need that has already been established. You can see sample models such as the work being done the California Mini-Corps Program and Environment for the Americas.

So work is being done, there is an interest, and there are benefits. We just need to continue pushing forward, pa delante.

As a closing statement, we need to ensure we have a conserved Outdoors to serve as an education platform. But that will be a post for another day.

[Photo by Jose Gonzalez]

By Emily Deruy, ABCNews/Univision

Only a small percentage of the Hispanic students who qualify for AP classes actually take them. Of the 20 percent of public school graduates in the class of 2012 who scored a three or higher on at least one AP test in high school, only about 15 percent were Latino, according to a report.

The problem is particularly acute in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects, a set of industries currently clamoring for qualified American workers.

Click on picture to read full story.

[Photo by America Redefined]

By James Marshall Crotty, Forbes

As Americans seem to be eschewing key white-collar STEM jobs too, now comes the next and most important chapter of the Hispanic immigration experience in America: how to move en masse from low-paying but steady work as America’s default blue collar labor force to the leaders of the STEM education revolution that must happen if this nation is to maintain its top-tier economic status.

Consider this: the U.S. Hispanic population has now surpassed 50 million, and is projected to more than double by 2050. It’s the largest, youngest, fastest-growing minority group in America.

Click on picture to read full story.

[Photo by opensourceway]

By Michael Morella, U. S. News & World Report

Across the country, Hispanic and African-American high schoolers continue to lag their Caucasian and Asian peers in STEM engagement. Retaining and recruiting such underrepresented populations in STEM is vital, experts say.

Click on picture to read story.

[Photo by America Redefined]

6 Things You Didn’t Know About STEM Jobs and Students

By Jada A. Graves, U. S. News & World Report

There is still a movement to entice female students, minority students—heck, all students—to pursue an education followed by an occupation in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

Click on picture to read story.

[Photo by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center]

By Hope Gillette, Voxxi

Economists agree – science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education is critical to the future success of the United States.

Yet even at the K-12 level, these subjects are not being given the emphasis they deserve. According to a Huffington Post blog by Stephen M. Coan, president of the Sea Research Foundation, early education has focused primarily on reading and basic math, ignoring the importance of advanced STEM education.

“For those who stay in school, most flock to non-STEM tracks because these subjects turned them off at an early age. To prepare students for the workforce or higher education, schools must better advance STEM interest and mastery,” writes Coan.

Children with early evidence of skills in math or science courses are often ushered into advanced classes; however, students who may have talent but are not outwardly skilled in STEM areas are allowed to take lower-level courses.

“All American children deserve this opportunity [to take STEM education courses], not just those who demonstrate an early aptitude or who are fortunate to attend such forward-looking schools. Solutions are at hand, now we must act,” continues Coan. “For our nation to flourish in the world economy we must foster STEM interest and mastery in every school, every year, beginning today.”

According of experts, the lack of attention to early STEM education is not the only hurdle adding to growing lack of STEM college graduates.

Educational gaps, such as those observed with minority groups around the country do nothing to burden of some 3 million unfilled STEM jobs.

According to George Washington University’s Face the Facts initiative, professionals with STEM degrees earned an average of $77,880 a year in 2009, but only 10.7 percent of diplomas handed out during that year were for STEM courses. That translates to approximately only one in every 10 diplomas issued in the higher paying occupations of math, science, technology or engineering.

Demographics such as African-Americans, Latinos and American Indians currently make up approximately 34 percent of the population in the United States, but only account for 12 percent of undergraduate degrees in engineering.

Women are also severely lacking in the STEM workforce, making up approximately 10.8 percent of U.S. engineers yet representing 46 percent of the nation’s labor force.

Irving Pressley McPhail, president and chief executive officer of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering Inc., wrote in a U.S. News blog, the education system needs to evolve along with the United States’ demographic.

“For the United States to continue to prosper and compete in the flattening world, we must do more to recruit Latinos, the fastest growing demographic in the country, as well as other underrepresented minorities into the science, technology, engineering and math fields,” he wrote. “Diversity drives innovation, and its absence imperils our designs, our products, and our creativity. Therefore, the United States must recognize this hidden talent pool in our country and begin utilizing private-sector funds to dissolve America’s new dilemma.”

Despite the need to involve minority groups in STEM education and recruit them  into the workforce, obstacles still exist  preventing Latinos from accessing resources and STEM classes. Those barriers include language skills, cultural stigmas and socioeconomic status.

Western Michigan University indicates study data suggest the parents of Latino students often have low levels of formal education, and therefore have little understanding of the value of a college education. The lack of parental understanding translates into Latino students having an overall perception that teachers expect less of them as well as a difficulty understanding the specific steps needed to obtain a higher education.

Funding is also an issue for many Hispanic students, however, especially in the last few years, an effort to increase the number of scholarships in STEM education, for Latinos, has been made and is expected to increase the number of Hispanics enrolling in STEM classes.

Before the issue of STEM education and jobs can be addressed, experts agree the issue of minority education must be remedied. Aiding Latinos achieve more STEM degrees and secure STEM jobs, will translate into a stronger U.S. economy.

This article was first published in Voxxi.

Hope Gillette is an award winning author and novelist. She has been active in the veterinary industry for over 10 years, and her experience extends from exotic animal care to equinesports massage. She shares her home with four cats, a dog, a horse, and her tolerant husband.

[Photo by opensourceway]

By Hope Gillette, Voxxi

Economists agree – science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education is critical to the future success of the United States.

Yet even at the K-12 level, these subjects are not being given the emphasis they deserve. According to a Huffington Post blog by Stephen M. Coan, president of the Sea Research Foundation, early education has focused primarily on reading and basic math, ignoring the importance of advanced STEM education.

“For those who stay in school, most flock to non-STEM tracks because these subjects turned them off at an early age. To prepare students for the workforce or higher education, schools must better advance STEM interest and mastery,” writes Coan.

Children with early evidence of skills in math or science courses are often ushered into advanced classes; however, students who may have talent but are not outwardly skilled in STEM areas are allowed to take lower-level courses.

“All American children deserve this opportunity [to take STEM education courses], not just those who demonstrate an early aptitude or who are fortunate to attend such forward-looking schools. Solutions are at hand, now we must act,” continues Coan. “For our nation to flourish in the world economy we must foster STEM interest and mastery in every school, every year, beginning today.”

According of experts, the lack of attention to early STEM education is not the only hurdle adding to growing lack of STEM college graduates.

Educational gaps, such as those observed with minority groups around the country do nothing to burden of some 3 million unfilled STEM jobs.

According to George Washington University’s Face the Facts initiative, professionals with STEM degrees earned an average of $77,880 a year in 2009, but only 10.7 percent of diplomas handed out during that year were for STEM courses. That translates to approximately only one in every 10 diplomas issued in the higher paying occupations of math, science, technology or engineering.

Demographics such as African-Americans, Latinos and American Indians currently make up approximately 34 percent of the population in the United States, but only account for 12 percent of undergraduate degrees in engineering.

Women are also severely lacking in the STEM workforce, making up approximately 10.8 percent of U.S. engineers yet representing 46 percent of the nation’s labor force.

Irving Pressley McPhail, president and chief executive officer of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering Inc., wrote in a U.S. News blog, the education system needs to evolve along with the United States’ demographic.

“For the United States to continue to prosper and compete in the flattening world, we must do more to recruit Latinos, the fastest growing demographic in the country, as well as other underrepresented minorities into the science, technology, engineering and math fields,” he wrote. “Diversity drives innovation, and its absence imperils our designs, our products, and our creativity. Therefore, the United States must recognize this hidden talent pool in our country and begin utilizing private-sector funds to dissolve America’s new dilemma.”

Despite the need to involve minority groups in STEM education and recruit them  into the workforce, obstacles still exist  preventing Latinos from accessing resources and STEM classes. Those barriers include language skills, cultural stigmas and socioeconomic status.

Western Michigan University indicates study data suggest the parents of Latino students often have low levels of formal education, and therefore have little understanding of the value of a college education. The lack of parental understanding translates into Latino students having an overall perception that teachers expect less of them as well as a difficulty understanding the specific steps needed to obtain a higher education.

Funding is also an issue for many Hispanic students, however, especially in the last few years, an effort to increase the number of scholarships in STEM education, for Latinos, has been made and is expected to increase the number of Hispanics enrolling in STEM classes.

Before the issue of STEM education and jobs can be addressed, experts agree the issue of minority education must be remedied. Aiding Latinos achieve more STEM degrees and secure STEM jobs, will translate into a stronger U.S. economy.

This article was first published in Voxxi.

Hope Gillette is an award winning author and novelist. She has been active in the veterinary industry for over 10 years, and her experience extends from exotic animal care to equine sports massage. She shares her home with four cats, a dog, a horse, and her tolerant husband.

[Photo by  opensourceway]

By Latinovations

Last Friday, the House of Representatives approved the STEM Jobs Act, an immigration bill that would make 55,000 additional immigration visas available to foreigners.

However, in order to expand these kinds of skilled foreign worker visas, the House members votedto eliminate the diversity visa program, which grants visas to immigrants from different countries through a lottery system.

The newly voted STEM Jobs Act would provide more visas to foreign graduates of American universities who hold advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. It would also ensure that the spouses and children of these graduates can get green cards after one year.

“We are glad to see that both parties recognize the importance of immigrants and immigration to our country, but we need a more comprehensive approach that also addresses the 11 million undocumented residents currently here,” says Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “Our economy needs the skilled immigrant farmworker as well as the skilled engineer. Both parties must recognize following the election that they need to appeal to a more diverse electorate — and this bill would eliminate a legal-immigration program that promotes diversity.”

The decision to pass the STEM Jobs Act has divided many immigration reform groups around the country, and many Latino Democrats strongly oppose the bill.

“It is so disappointing [that] the majority decided to undermine an area of bipartisan agreement on STEM visas by loading up the measure with provisions that are a slap in the face to the core values of the United States,” says Rep. Luis Gutierrez. “If you support this bill, you are saying that one group of immigrants is better than another and one type of educated, degree-holding person and their work is more important than another’s.”

Don Lyster, Director of the National Immigration Law Center, also disagrees with passage of the STEM Jobs Act.

“Diversity is one of the few mechanisms from which people from low-immigration countries can come here legally,” says Lyster. “This is just a handout for businesses, and that’s not what voters mandated on Election Day; voters want real reform.”

This article was first published in Latinovations.

[Photo by vierdrie]

In 1975 less than 1% of doctoral degrees in science were awarded to Latinos and Native Americans combined in the U.S.  Today that number has crept up to around 7%, and the organization SACNAS, Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, has made a mission out of increasing the number of minorities in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics).

SACNAS was founded in 1973 by a group of minority scientists who, according to the organization’s history met at a conference in New Mexico and:

After attending a networking event, they all got into the elevator together. One looked around and joked, “If this elevator crashes, it will wipe out the entire population of Chicano and Native American scientists!”

Since then, SACNAS has grown and currently serves over 25,000 students and professionals each year, through networking, funding, and hosting conferences that attract budding and established scientists.  Although the organization strives to increase the number of all minorities in the STEM fields, its work remains focused on Latinos and Native Americans, making it unique.

Last weekend, SACNAS hosted a minorities in science conference that, aside from workshops and presentations, included a pow-wow and speeches from John Bennett Herrington, the first American-Indian astronaut and SACNAS founder and mathemetician Richard Tapia.

Spread the word! Our weekly Bien Hecho segment, highlights the good deeds and achievements of Latinos across the U.S. If you feel that someone you know is deserving of recognition, let us know at tips@newstaco.com. Thanks to Charles for the tip!

[Photo By sacnas.org]

References:

Mercury News

By Jean Rockford Aguilar-Valdez

One in five children in the U.S. today is Latino. If we are to survive in this increasingly globalized world, we’ll need all the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) whizzes we can get.

There is a perfect storm of Latino demographic shift and opportunities for economic and technological change in the works, and it all starts with making the choice, and encouraging our youth, to consider a career in STEM. Luck is the intersection of opportunity and preparation. The opportunity is upon us. It is up to us to prepare.

There are numerous reasons why I feel that we, as Latinos, should revolutionize STEM by taking it on:

• Our interconnected, transnational and bicultural outlook lends itself to a unique ability to connect globally with the scientific community, something which the often monolingual, monocultural folks currently dominating STEM in the U.S. cannot do as readily.
• Barriers to minorities entering STEM are often upheld by stereotypes and reinforced by racist narratives that program us to believe that Latinos aren’t “smart enough” to be good at science, engineering, or math. Latinos can break this stereotype by showing just how capable we are in these fields.
• The coming challenges in science and technology will in part prove to be environmental (an influx of “green jobs” is predicted). Latinos bring perspectives through historic, cultural, and indigenous roots to lend themselves to deeper understandings and appreciation for the need to push STEM toward environmental sensitivity, beyond the profit motive.
•  A 2011 report shows that the average Latina earns 48% less than the average white male. Here is a way to change our economic position and our political clout in deeply impactful ways. Those that hold the purse strings are usually those that are at the forefront of technology and industry.

Recommendations for opening up pathways for Latinos into STEM:

Making a formidable Latino presence in STEM won’t occur by just wishing it so, or waiting around for someone else to do it. The time is now to take positive action for ourselves and our families and communities. Here are some ideas:

• Introduce children (and yourself) to Latino role models in STEM, and emphasize that it isn’t just old white males (usually with crazy hair and a lab coat) who are making a difference in STEM. Some examples are Ellen Ochoa, France Cordova, Luis Leloir, Carlos Finlay, Luis Alvarez, Lydia Villa-Komaroff, Luis Caffarelli and Baruj Benacerraf, as well as all these wonderful NASA Latinas

• Connect the knowledge shared in the family in cooking, farming, home repair, car repair, health, nutrition, etc. to the “bigger picture” of science, technology, and medicine. The richness of the things we know is not and should not be separate from the “official” knowledge of some “scientists out there.”

• You (and your kids) are smart enough. You cannot repeat this enough. In fact, in some ways we are smarter. We have been through so much, have navigated several cultures and languages, and have had to work harder just to have half the things others have effortlessly. There is nothing special that white, male scientists command that we Latinas and Latinos don’t also possess, and then much more. Diverse experiences lead to diverse ideas, and this is key to scientific innovation.

• Science museums, science camps, and after-school science programs are overwhelmingly populated by middle or upper class white kids. There is no reason why our children should not also have access to these programs.

• Combat deficit thinking when you hear it. “Math is too hard,” “Only geeks do that,” “That stuff’s only for boys,” “Stop asking so many questions,” are things I heard growing up, and things children even now contend with that steers them away from science and math.

• English does not own science and math. Science and math are universal and go beyond one particular language. The mindset that science, math, and technology are “complicated” fields that only those with a full command of English can even begin to navigate, is something that permeates education. Do not let this absurd falsehood infiltrate and bar your or your children’s potential brilliance from shining through. Language and ethnicity, together are how the “gatekeepers” of science ensure that only those who look, speak, and act like them, get access.

• Realize that those who hold the power in STEM (usually white males) would be all too happy to keep that power to themselves. The power is economic, social, and political. Getting into STEM becomes not just a path for those that have a “knack” for it: it’s is a political act. Remember this in your life’s path, and let your children know also, how important this is not just to themselves or their income (although there are great benefits there), but to all Latinos.

It’s time for a change in the way the world is run, and make no mistake that STEM runs the modern world. But unlike the way STEM has been kept from us, making us think we’re not worthy of it: now we can bring our souls, our cultures, and our perspectives into something that will lift all tides, if we remember who we are and why the revolution is necessary.

Jean Rockford Aguilar-Valdez is a doctoral student studying equity in science education and a former science teacher.

[Photo By N8tr0n]