Can New Jersey seize the future?

NJ will enjoy robust STEM growth STEM jobs in New Jersey will enjoy robust growth. Computing is projected to grow the fastest.

NJ boasts a strong STEM wage premium In other words, the advantage of having a STEM job in NJ is very strong: median earnings for STEM jobs are almost double those for non-STEM jobs.

Two diverging paths for NJ college students Of high school graduates who enter a 4-year degree program, what percentage graduate? (2012-2013) Of high school graduates who enter a 2-year degree program, what percentage graduate? (2012-2013) In New Jersey: 4-year colleges, which tend to attract more affluent students, graduate relatively high percentages of their students within six years—at least, higher than the national average. New Jersey is in the top ten states on this measure; 2-year colleges, which tend to attract less affluent students, graduate very low percentages of their students within three years. New Jersey is in the bottom ten states on this measure. This bifurcation reinforces the sense that there are two education pathways in New Jersey: the pathway followed by relatively high performers, who are mostly middle or upper middle class and help the state maintain its strong ranking in comparison with other U.S. states. The pathway followed by lower performers, many of whom come from lower-income families and are much less likely to earn any sort of credential and therefore unlikely to have prospects for a STEM career. The chasm between high and lower performers—often defined by race and income—is wider in New Jersey than in most other states. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education NJ rank: 10 (4-year); 44 (2-year)

Steep decline in computing degrees/certificates Men Women The largest majority of states saw computing degrees/certificates increase among men and stay stagnant among women between 2001 and 2013. Overall, computing degrees and certificates declined by roughly 59% Steepest decline in computing degrees/certificates in the nation

Women very scarce in engineering In New Jersey, women earned only 22% of engineering degrees and certificates in 2013, a slight decline from the 23% they earned in 2001. Men captured 79% of the growth in engineering degrees and certificates between 2001 and 2013 Women earn only 22% of degrees/certificates

Minorities also scarce in computing 40% of Population… …but only 25% of degrees New jersey Underrepresented minorities: Black, Latino, and American Indian/Alaska native. These populations are less well represented among New Jersey’s computing graduates than among computing graduates in the nation as a whole New Jersey rank: 30

NJ lacks racial diversity in engineering Population… 40% of …but only 11% of degrees New Jersey Underrepresented minorities: Black, Latino, and American Indian/Alaska native. New Jersey People of color are even more underrepresented among engineering grads than people of color in the nation as a whole New Jersey rank: 31

The challenge begins in K-12

After years of gains in math, a decline New Jersey widened its lead over the nation as a whole between 2003 and 2013, but it has seen a leveling-off or decline since 2013. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education

A sharp decline in math for urban students New Jersey …urban student scores In fact, the decline in urban scores seems to be the main cause of the overall decline. While New Jersey students overall are among the nation’s top-performing students, urban students in New Jersey perform worse than their urban peers in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, which are among the lowest-performing states in the nation. In other words, if you’re an urban student in New Jersey, you might as well be in a low-performing state. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education

NJ is merely average in K-12 science 8th-grade average scale scores in science, by race, 2011 Proficient 170 Basic 141 New Jersey While NJ students, on average, perform better on math assessments than students nationally, the same does not hold for science. NOTE: 2011 data are the most recent available. No trend data are available before 2009 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, 2011 NJ 8th-grade scores are not substantially different from national scores

Again, urban students lag behind 8th-grade average scale scores in science, by community type, 2011 Proficient 170 Basic 141 New Jersey The disturbing pattern continues… SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, 2011 Urban students score far lower than their peers nationally

NJ lags in time for science Only 2.3 hours per week! New Jersey elementary students don’t spend much time on science—less than half an hour per day, on average New Jersey lags behind the Nation as a whole on this measure

NJ has better prepared math teachers than other states… 8th-graders whose math teachers have an undergraduate major in math, 2015 Yet, even though New Jersey performs so much better on this measure than the nation as a whole, the absolute numbers aren’t great. Less than half of eighth-graders have math teachers with an undergraduate major in math. Teachers without a major need support—professional development and materials. NJ 8th-graders have better access to such teachers that their peers nationwide

…yet access to such teachers varies by race 8th-graders whose math teachers have an undergraduate major in math, by race/ethnicity, 2015 If you’re Latino or attend a school that’s majority black and Latino, your chances are having access to a math teacher in 8th grade with an undergraduate major in the subject drop considerably. Note: “Qualified teachers” is shorthand for teachers with an undergraduate major in mathematics or a math-related subject. It does not include teachers with an undergraduate degree in math education only. Black and Latino 8th-graders have less access to qualified math teachers

Urban students have least access to qualified teachers 8th-graders whose math teachers have an undergraduate major in math, by race/ethnicity, 2015 A critical challenge for urban students in New Jersey Again, New Jersey’s urban students might as well be in a completely different state. New Jersey 8th-graders are about as likely to have access to qualified teachers as their urban peers in Mississippi and Louisiana. (Both of those states suffer from low access to qualifies teachers overall.) New Jersey’s urban students have less access than their peers nationwide

Better access to science teachers, but inequities persist 8th graders whose science teachers have an undergraduate major in science, by community type, 2011 Overall, New Jersey performs on par with the nation as a whole on this measure, though Latino students and students in schools that are majority black and Latino, have less access to qualified science teachers on this measure. Students of color in New Jersey may fare worse than their peers nationwide

Urban and rural students both lack access to science teachers 8th graders whose science teachers have an undergraduate major in science, by community type, 2011 Overall, New Jersey performs on par with the nation as a whole on this measure, but urban students—again fare worse in New Jersey than in the nation as a whole. Rural students, however have the least access to science teachers with an undergraduate major in the field. This is a common challenge in states around the nation, but it seems pronounced in New Jersey. Take suburban students out of the mix, and New Jersey performs poorly

Unequal access to teachers with teaching resources 8th graders whose science teachers say they have all or Most of the resources they need, by race/ethnicity, 2011 8th-graders whose math teachers say they have all or Most of the resources they need, by race/ethnicity, 2015 New Jersey resembles the nation as a whole in 8th-graders’ access to math teachers who report having the resources they need. In New Jersey as in the nation as a whole, students of color get the short end of the stick. As teachers continue to implement Common Core—or any set of higher standards—they will need much more support and professional development. These numbers aren’t high enough! Note: unfortunately, I was unable to get the urban data for this question, because sample sizes were too small for New Jersey. Latino 8th-graders and students in majority minority schools have the least access

Unequal access to teachers with teaching resources 8th graders whose science teachers say they have all or Most of the resources they need, by race/ethnicity, 2011 Note: unfortunately, I was unable to get the urban data for this question, ue to Black students and students in majority-minority school fare the worst

Unequal access to science labs 8th graders whose schools report that supplies or equipment for science labs are available “to a large extent,” 2011 Note that schools with the highest concentrations of Black and Latino students seem to have very low access. Many of these schools are in urban areas, which are a consistent area of weakness in the New Jersey data. Big gaps in access to science labs for students of color

Unequal access to science labs More evidence of the urban problem Poor performance and limited access for urban students in STEM is one important thread that runs through the New Jersey data. Again, urban students in New Jersey have the least access

Anemic afterschool participation New Jersey U.S. Nationally, participation in afterschool has grown steadily from roughly 11% in 2004 to 18% in 2014. In New Jersey, by contrast, it has grown more slowly, to roughly 16%. That leaves a huge percentage of young people who are not involved in afterschool. In New Jersey, 69% of parents who have children in afterschool report that those children are in STEM afterschool. (This is comparable to the national average, which is also 69%. IMAGE AND DATA SOURCE: Afterschool Alliance, America After 3pm, 2015 New Jersey rank: 24th

Contact Information