STEM Summer Programs for Underrepresented Youth Increase STEM Degrees

Sarah Cohodes, Helen Ho and Silvia C. Robles

No 30227, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic workers in STEM fields contributes to racial wage gaps and reduces innovation and economic growth. “Pipeline” programs intended to increase diversity are a common intervention to address these problems, but there is little rigorous evidence of their efficacy. We fielded a randomized controlled trial to study a suite of such programs targeted to underrepresented high-school students and hosted at an elite technical institution. Students offered seats in the STEM summer programs were more likely to enroll in, persist through, and graduate from elite colleges and to graduate with a degree in a STEM field. These improvements in college outcomes raised predicted earnings by 3 to 15 percentage points. Increased knowledge of the college application process and a more ambitious college application strategy appear to be a key mechanism.

JEL-codes: I21 I24 J15 J16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-07
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