1. Will Oregon seize the future?

2. OR will enjoy robust STEM job growth
STEM jobs in Oregon will enjoy robust growth.
It looks like much of that growth with be in areas like advanced manufacturing and computing
Engineering looks like it will grow less quickly in comparative terms, but they will grow well in absolute terms.

3. OR leads in STEM wage premium
STEM employees earn more than double their non-STEM peers
OR has the third largest wage premium for STEM workers of any state in the nation
In other words, the advantage of having a STEM job is higher than in most other states—a sign of strong demand.
Oregon rank: 3

4. OR STEM unemployment much lower than in non-STEM fields
Meanwhile, the STEM unemployment rate is considerably lower than that of Oregon’s rate for non-STEM fields. The difference between the two is greater than that seen on a national scale.

5. Will Oregon’s youth have access to the benefits of STEM jobs?

6. OR lags in STEM credentials
Investment in STEM education can glean get returns for the state economy
Though Oregon 2- and 4- year degrees are close to national average regarding completion rates, it ranks second lowest amongst percentages of students who complete studies in STEM fields
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education
Oregon rank: 23 (4-year); 28 (2-year); 50 (STEM)

7. Women sparse in computing
More than 4X higher for men
Oregon
Only 22%
for women
Oregon ranks 21st in the percentage of computing degrees/certificates awarded to women from OR post-secondary institutions. .

8. Women badly underrepresented in engineering
More than 4x
higher for
men
Oregon
19%
Oregon ranks 33rd in the percentage of engineering degrees/certificates awarded to women from OR post-secondary institutions.

9. Minorities very scarce in computing
20% of
Population…
Underrepresented minorities in computing
…but only
7% of degrees
Oregon
Underrepresented minorities: Black, Latino, and American Indian/Alaska native.
On this metric, Oregon rates second to last—50th out of 51 states (including the District of Columbia)

10. Racial diversity in engineering is worse
Population…
20% of
Underrepresented minorities in engineering
…but only
5% of degrees
Oregon
In absolute terms, racial and ethnic minorities are badly underrepresented among those who get degrees and certificates from Oregon engineering programs.
Oregon ranks 43rd on this measure.

11. The challenge begins in K-12

12. OR has not seen much improvement in 4th-grade math
OR trails behind the national average and other states in Grade 4 math scores
OR has seen decreases in African-American student performance
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, 2015

13. Too many OR students lack access to advanced math and science classes
Almost a third of black students in the state attend schools that do not offer calculus every year.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, 2015

14. OR 4th grade math performance remains flat
Oregon’s performance has stayed relatively flat since 2003, while the nation as a whole saw growth Or

15. OR 8th grade math performance also stayed flat
Oregon saw some respectable gains between 2003 and 2009, but has been essentially flat since 2009. Or

16. OR’s 8th-grade math income gap has widened
The gap was 20 points in 2003 and has since widened to 26 points. Or

17. Too many Oregon youth lack access to STEM education resources and opportunities

18. OR lags in time for science in elementary school
OR historically trails the national average and most other states in number of hours spent per week teaching science
Though OR has improved from 2008 levels, it still trails the national average by approximately 30 minutes per week and more than 90 minutes behind other states.
Meanwhile, over the same 20-year period, TX has added an hour per week of science teaching and went from below the national average to ranking in the top three of all states.
2012 rank: Oregon (37th), Texas (3rd)
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), Public School and Public School Teacher Data Files

19. OR lags in teaching resources
8th graders whose math teachers say they have all or most of the resources they need, by race/ethnicity, 2015
Oregon lags behind national average in every racial/ethnic category, and ranks in the lower quartile of all states
For students overall, Oregon ranks 41st on this measure.

20. OR lags in resources for science teachers
8th graders whose science teachers say they have all or most of the resources they need, 2015
As with access to math resources, OR ranks 35th on this measure, trailing the nation as a whole.

21. OR students lack access to teachers with math majors
8th graders whose math teachers have an undergraduate
major in math, by race/ethnicity, 2015
Students from racial/cultural minority groups, or schools with the majority of students are from these groups, are much less likely to have math teachers who majored in math. These teachers need additional support.
N/A: Data not available or reporting requirements not met
Oregon overall rank: 25

22. OR students lack access to teachers with science majors
8th graders whose science teachers have an undergraduate
major in science, by race/ethnicity, 2015
While the state performs better than the nation overall on this measure, low-income students have significantly less access to science teachers with science majors.

23. To seize the future in STEM…
Oregon should expand access to:
Proven STEM education opportunities for students of color
Teachers with strong STEM backgrounds and robust instructional support
Better STEM materials and facilities
Challenging STEM courses, including AP courses
Proven out-of-school STEM opportunities that complement in-school opportunities

24. Contact Information
Claus von Zastrow Facebook.com/changetheequation Twitter.com/changeequation