Underserved students interested in STEM are often overlooked

Fast Company

6 hours ago

The STEM talent shortage in the U.S. isn't caused by lack of student interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. It is caused by us overlooking and under-supporting the students who are most capable of driving the innovation economy forward.
For years, policymakers have rung alarm bells about the shrinking American STEM pipeline. The data is sobering: While Japan, China, and Korea award over 40% of their college degrees in STEM fields, the U.S. lags behind at under 20%, according to the Center for Security and Emerging Technology. As the global economy becomes more knowledge-based, America's ability to compete depends on whether we can widen and diversify the pool of STEM talent.
Much of the public narrative around STEM has mainly focused on students who are behind grade level and need additional supports to catch up. But an equally urgent and far less discussed issue is the vast population of students who are ready to accelerate but remain invisible in our systems.
Schools need to actively recruit students
According to a report by The Education Trust and Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS), more than 640,000 Black, Latino, and low-income students who are academically capable are missing from Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate courses each year. These students often attend schools that offer advanced coursework, but they are not actively enrolled in those programs. The problem isn't one of supply. The courses exist. The opportunity gap lives inside the enrollment lists.
Even more telling, College Board data shows that many Black and Latino students have already demonstrated their potential to succeed in AP-level math and science through PSAT performance. Yet they are never invited to take the leap. The result? A leaky pipeline that loses capable students who might have become engineers, data scientists, or biotech innovators.
At EOS, we've partnered with hundreds of districts across the country to identify and enroll these 'missing students.' Our work proves that when schools take an intentional, data-driven approach to proactively recruit underrepresented students into rigorous courses the results are transformative.
Students are ready for advanced coursework
This isn't about fixing students; it's about fixing opportunity and adult mindsets. A rigorous independent evaluation by George Smith and researchers at Mathematica found EOS significantly increased AP course enrollment—particularly among underserved students. Practically, this means enrolling an average of 52 additional students per school—two full classrooms of previously overlooked young people.
Furthermore, there was no difference in the schools' average AP exam performance, which underscores an important truth: These students were always ready for advanced coursework. Without proactively identifying and enrolling them, they would have continued to fall through the cracks.
Targeted supports yield substantial returns
Identifying and enrolling students is only the beginning. To ensure students and teachers thrive, capacity-building must follow enrollment. The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) College Readiness Program has shown that, in participating schools, students enrolled in more AP science courses and increased the number of earned college credits. Female students and Black students, in particular, saw significant gains. Within six years, 28% of Black NMSI students earned STEM degrees—compared to 12% of the general national student population. Among female students, 27% of NMSI students earned STEM degrees within six years—versus 12% nationally.
What made the difference? A multi-tiered support system: ongoing teacher training, student prep sessions, curriculum resources, reduced exam fees, and targeted incentives.
This type of capacity-building suggests that small, targeted investments can yield substantial returns. Unlike intensive interventions designed to help students reach grade-level proficiency, many high-potential students hovering just below AP readiness may benefit from lighter-touch supports such as adaptive learning tools to fine-tune gaps, short-term tutoring to reinforce core concepts, and professional development that equips teachers to deliver rigorous, culturally affirming instruction.
The good news is this approach may be more scalable than we think. The marginal cost of providing these additional supports for students who are already academically proximate to advanced coursework is relatively low compared to the long-term payoff in postsecondary success and workforce readiness. Strategic touchpoints with adaptive learning, targeted tutoring, and additional resources can significantly propel students forward.
Unleashing the full potential of those ready to soar—especially when so many of them have been overlooked for far too long, yields meaningful dividends for students. EOS-identified students have passed over 290,000 AP exams since 2011-2012, which would amount to roughly $345 million in college tuition and fee savings for EOS-partner students and their families based on trends in pricing.
Final thoughts
The STEM pipeline isn't just leaking at the bottom—it's leaking at the top too.
Policymakers, educators, and business leaders must center opportunity as the foundation for improving outcomes. Bold action is required, such as establishing competitive grant programs for states and districts to increase enrollment and success of underrepresented students in advanced coursework.
Investing in students ready to accelerate, leveraging adaptive learning and targeted tutoring, and scaling proven initiatives like EOS and NMSI are essential next steps. Our economic future and national competitiveness depend on fully tapping all of America's talent.