Sec. 2. Findings and Purpose

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The Congress finds the following: Employment projections forecast a 17-percent growth in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics ( STEM) fields over the next decade. Ninety-two percent of STEM occupations will require at least some post-secondary education. While the number of degrees awarded in STEM fields has increased steadily since the 1960s, the overall share of STEM degrees awarded has actually shrunk in comparison to all degrees conferred. Internationally, a larger proportion of all degrees awarded are in the STEM fields.

While 16 percent of degrees awarded in the United States are in STEM fields, nearly 50 percent of degrees awarded in China, 38 percent in South Korea, and 28 percent in Germany are in STEM fields. Minorities are seriously underrepresented in the science and engineering workforce in the United States, with just under 6 percent of Blacks and over 5 percent of Hispanics participating in the STEM workforce. Twenty-one percent of Black college students enter college with STEM majors, but only 16 percent actually receive a bachelor’s degree in a STEM major.

Over ½ of Black students that enroll in a 4-year university are interested in STEM, but are not proficient in math. Since 1990, mathematic scores on the assessments conducted by the National Assessment of Education Progress have increased for all students, but White students have average scores 27 points higher than Black and Hispanic students. After school programs play an important role in addressing the achievement gap in underserved communities. Studies demonstrate that STEM learning during the school day is necessary but not sufficient for life-long STEM literacy.

As many as 8,400,000 students are enrolled in after school programs. Ethnic minority children are more likely than non-minority children to participate in after school programs. While 15 percent of all students are enrolled in after school programs, 24 percent of Black students and 21 percent of Hispanic students are enrolled in such programs. The purpose of this Act is to prepare middle school and secondary school students to be ready for opportunities in the STEM fields in college and in careers through strong after school, summer, and weekend programs that focus on STEM education.