Reversing the disproportionately low representation of Black and Latino students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics Choosing careers and courses is one of the biggest challenges in education. The problem begins long before college, because many students develop a fear of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) early in their educational journey.
Surprisingly, the Compton Unified School District appears to have identified a solution. Under the leadership of Darin Brawley, who became superintendent in 2012, the share of Compton students choosing STEM careers has skyrocketed from 24 percent to 51 percent over the past decade, according to district data.
This achievement is especially notable given the community's challenges. Not long ago, Compton suffered from excessive gang violence, the legacy of which still unfairly tarnishes the city's reputation. The school district had its problems, too: in 1993, it was taken by the state For financial and academic reasons, an intervention that is more common in districts with a large non-white populationCompton has a report 15% of students are black and 83% are Latino.
Several factors explain the district’s success in motivating students to take—and excel in—STEM courses.
First, the district begins exposing students to STEM activities while they are in preschool. Students in preschool programs begin learning basic coding concepts even while they are still playing with blocks. In kindergarten, they begin building robots out of Legos, and in first grade, some participate in First Lego League robotics competitions.
Additionally, STEM topics have been integrated into school curricula, including in social studies and English, so that students see that their STEM knowledge can be applied to a variety of fields.
“I make the content as creative and relevant as possible for my students,” Trina Brown, a veteran math teacher at Whaley Middle School, told us. “If I make it about them, how they learn, and who they are, then they will engage more with the content.”
These approaches are used with all students in the district, not just a select few who have had to overcome academic obstacles.
The district's strategy has also relied heavily on partnerships with businesses, including Verizon, Boeing and Apple —and with nonprofits like Heart of America—to show students how the concepts they learn in the classroom can be applied to the real world and future careers. Unlike some corporate partnerships, Compton is the driver and has been clear about the kind of support the district needs.
“We see our role as making sure that students of color coming out of Compton have all the skills they need to participate in the global economy,” Superintendent Brawley told us.
When we visited Compton in the spring, we saw genuine enthusiasm in classrooms and other learning spaces. In one classroom at Whaley Middle School, to spur interest in aviation careers, students sat at the cockpit controls of a set of flight simulators guiding virtual planes. Elsewhere in the noisy classroom, students flew drones through various obstacles, part of an effort to get them involved in the burgeoning drone industry.
Students work with 3D printers at Verizon's Innovative Learning Lab. At Compton Early College High School, seniors take college courses at Compton Community College and work with robots for a competition.
The district also offers esports in its schools, including at the elementary level. The activity has successfully engaged students and “has intense educational value,” Brawley said, noting that when students play as a team, “they have to communicate and collaborate with each other, as well as be creative in order to defeat the team they’re playing against.”
The enthusiasm of the students we met is the most compelling evidence of their success. We spoke with one senior who had plans to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design and major in game design. Another was headed to UC Santa Cruz, where she would like to major in marine biology and environmental science. A third was admitted to Cal State Long Beach, where she will study aerospace engineering. Like many of their peers in the Compton school district, they will be first-generation college students. Their example will pave the way for many others.
With supplemental funding and corporate partnerships, more districts with large Black and Latino populations can follow Compton’s lead by integrating STEM early and across all subjects, creating promising career opportunities.
Helping all types of students succeed in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is a critical issue across the country. Compton is demonstrating how every student can have access to some of the most challenging and valued careers in today's workforce.
Pedro Noguera is the dean of the USC Rossier School of Education. Louis Freedberg is the interim executive director of EdSource. They are the host and executive producer, respectively, of Generating equity podcast, where they produced two episodes about Compton.
