By Na’im Madyun
“As the Nation’s population becomes more diverse, it is important that the educational and training needs of all Americans are met. Underrepresentation of minorities in science and technological fields diminishes our Nation’s competitiveness by impairing the quantity of well prepared scientists, engineers, and technical experts in these fields.”
The above passage comes from Part E, Section 350, paragraph 2 of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Fifty years after this statement, there is still unequal access to STEM for our country’s diverse and poor.
Other countries with sizeable diverse and poor populations are faring better in math and science while we remain in the middle of the pack. Even our wealthiest students are among the worst of the wealthiest.
Unequal STEM access and outcomes are not as central to my concern as our comfort with lagging behind. As we approach the 50 year anniversary of the Higher Education Act and “celebrate” the 50 year mark of Brown vs. the Board of Education, I am alarmed.
As part of the Brown vs. Board decision, Chief Justice Warren share the following:
“Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments. It is the very foundation of good citizenship. Today it is a principal instrument in awakening the child to cultural values, in preparing him for later professional training, and in helping him to adjust normally to his environment. In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education.”
My approach to discussing global education efforts shifted after recently attending a wedding in my hometown of Helena, AR. In this small, Mississippi Delta town, crime is alarmingly high, poverty is depressingly pervasive and educational outcomes are disappointingly unequal. Sadly, I cannot claim amazement at the state of my hometown.
My father was among the first African American students in Helena to be allowed to attend the all-White high school for his senior year due in part to having at least a B+ average (according to an unwritten policy). The year was 1968. This integration of the school system was 14 years after Brown vs. the Board of Education and 3 years after the passing of the Higher Education Act. My father’s classmates, who knew little of integration as students, became my teachers and mentors. Policies and practices that birthed, established and maintained my favorite town, walked us into our current existence with all deliberate speed.
Now, with the discourse shifting to the 58 million students world wide having no access to education, global gaps in study abroad experiences (gender , low in come, and ethnicity ) and the importance of being competitive global citizens, I am quite concerned about the thousands of large and small Helenas across this country who are still trying to secure the foundation for a Head Start. Failure to prepare students to become engaged citizens endorses their disengagement with healthy social navigation; it is critical that we do not lag 50 years behind in the development of our students as global citizens.
Na’im Madyun is associate dean for undergraduate, diversity, and international programs.
