Journal of Science Education and Technology, VoL Z No. 3, 1993

Achieving Quality Education for Minorities in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Shirley M. McBay 1,3 and Laura-Lee Davidson 2

The QEM Network was established to serve as a focal point for the implementation of strategies designed to achieve the six goals and 58 recommendations of the QEM Project report, Education That Works: An Action Plan for the Education of Minorities. In Education That Works, we lay out a vision of a restructured education system that would ensure quality education for, and sustained educational achievement by, minority Americans. We discuss what some of the obstacles are that stand in the way of educational equity in our nation and why it is crucial from both moral and practical perspectives to overcome these obstacles. In a second publication, Together We Can Make It Work: A National Agenda to Provide Quality Education for Minorities in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, issued in April 1992 by QEM's MSE Network, we lay out a plan for achieving specific goals for minorities in mathematics, science, and engineering. Achieving the goals of Education That Works and of Together We Can Make It Work requires that the current K-12 education system be totally restructured. The system we have in place produces only an educational elite that does not include significant numbers of minority students. KEY WORDS: Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network; minorities; educational equity.

INTRODUCTION

to serve as a focal point for the implementation of strategies designed to achieve the six goals and 58 recommendations of the Q E M Project report, Education That Works: A n Action Plan for the Education o f Minorities. The six goals for the Year 2000 are:

The Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network is the successor to the Quality Education for Minorities Project, a three-year project based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The Q E M Network officially opened its offices in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 1990, as a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of education received by five minority groups historically underserved by our educational system: African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Ricans. T h e Network was established with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York

Goal 1. Ensure that minority students start school prepared to learn. Goal 2. Ensure that the academic achievement of minority youth is at a level that will enable them, upon graduation from high school, to enter the work force or college fully prepared to be successful and not in need of remedial education. Goal 3. Significantly increase the participation of minority students in higher education, with a special emphasis on the study of mathematics, science, and engineering. Goal 4. S t r e n g t h e n and increase the n u m b e r of teachers of minority students. Goal 5. Strengthen the school-to-work transition so that minority students who do not choose

1President, Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network, Washington, D.C. 2Assistant Director, Communications, QEM Network, Washington, D.C. 3Correspondence should be directed to Shirley McBay, QEM Network, 1818 N St. N.W., Suite 350, Washington, D.C. 20036.

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college leave high school prepared with the skills necessary to participate productively in the world of work and with the foundation required to upgrade their skills and advance their careers. Goal 6. Provide quality out-of-school educational experiences and opportunities to supplement the schooling of minority youth and adults. In Education That Works, we lay out a vision of a restructured education system, discuss some of the obstacles that stand in the way of educational equity in this country as well as why it is crucial for both moral and practical reasons to overcome these obstacles, and highlight a number of successful intervention strategies and programs that are in place around the country. Based upon these successes, we make recommendations to improve education for minority students from preschool to the postgraduate level. We discuss the specific needs of five minority groups as well as the roles and responsibilities of families, communities, educators, the federal government, policymakers, and the private sector. Finally, we provide an estimate of what we could do to improve education for minorities if the federal government returned to its 1980 level of education spending (in constant dollars, about $6 billion more than the 1989 level), and what could be done if additional funds were available from states, the private sector, and other sources. More than 30,000 copies of the report and 18,000 copies of the report's summary have been distributed thus far. Faculty at several institutions are using this report as a seminar text and a number of school districts have requested multiple copies for staff development purposes. In a second publication, Together We Can Make It Work: A National Agenda to Provide Quality Education for Minorities in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, issued in April 1992 by QEM's MSE Network, we lay out a plan for achieving goals 2, 3, 4, and 6 in the areas of mathematics, science, and engineering. The report adopts the following numerical goals from Education That Works and outlines a series of strategies for achieving them: 1. to quadruple the number of minority students receiving baccalaureate degrees annually in the physical and life sciences and engineering, from 17,000 in 1987 to 68,000 in the year 2000;

. to triple the number of minorities receiving doctorates annually in science and engineering, from 389 in 1987 to 1200 in the year 2000; and . to quintuple the number of minority college students newly qualified to teach who enter teaching each year, from about 6000 in 1986 to 30,000 by the year 2000, with at least 30% of this group being mathematics and science precollege teachers. The proposed strategy for implementing this national agenda is the development of state and regional partnerships in geographic areas around the country with large minority populations.

QEM NETWORK'S MISSION To improve education for minorities throughout the nation by implementing strategies to realize the vision and goals set forth in the QEM report Education That Works

The QEM Network employs an extensive networking and coalition-building approach, with one level of effort focused on the national education scene and another directed towards helping local groups, organizations, and institutions to develop the capacity to mobilize their communities around needed educational improvements. Figure 1 provides an overview of QEM's mission, goals, and strategies. In order to facilitate the implementation of its strategies, the Network is organized into six major components: a national communications network; community outreach; public policy and legislation; research and evaluation; mathematics, science, and engineering; and special programs (leadership development). Achieving the goals of Education That Works and of Together We Can Make It Work requires that the current K-12 education system be totally restructured. In both reports, we argue that strong action and leadership are needed if we are to secure America's future for all of our children. A first step is to make educational achievement by all students the highest priority of our schools-- the benchmark against which all of the system's participants are judged and rewarded, not just a privileged few. In preparing Education That Works, we found numerous individual success stories, but no exemplary school systems. Restructuring would make it possible to have successful systems.

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QUALITY EDUCATION FOR MINORITIES

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Network

Vision ° FULL FUNDING OF HEAD START • RESTR UCTBRED SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN WHICH: - EVERY SCHOOL IS A SCHOOL OF CHOICE; - DECISION-MAKING IS SHARED; - S'nJ DENT ACHIEVEMENT IS MAIN CRITERION OF SUCCESS; - SCHOOL-LINKED SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE; - THE CULTURE OF EVERY CHILD IS RESPECTED AND VALUED - A "SUCCESS FOR ALL" ENVIRONMENT EXISTS; - STRONG BONDS BE'PNEEN SCHOOL AND THE CCMMUNITY ARE IN PLACE. • SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT AT COLLEGE LEVEL AND BEYOND.

QEM MISSION

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"TO IMPROVE EDUCA"lION FOR II MINORITIES THROUGHOUTTHE NATION" m

By

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IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES TO REALIZE m THE VISION AND GOALS SET FORTH IN THE QEM REPORT "EDUCATION THAT WORKS"

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Goals

for the Year 2000 -

• MINORITY STUDENTS START SCHOOL READY TO LEARN • ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IS AT LEVEL TO ENSURE SUCCESS,FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, IN COLLEGE OR IN WORKFORCE • SIGNIFICANT PARTICIPATION IN MSE RELDS • INCREASED QUALITY AND NUMBER OF TEACHERS OF MINORITY STUDENTS • STRONG SCHOOL-TO-WORK TRANSITION/SKILLS FOR MFE-LONG LEARNING • QUALITY OUT-OF-SCHOOL EXPERIENCES FOR MINORITY YOUTH AND ADULTS

Strategies Include

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I SERVING AS A NATIONAL RESOURCE AND CATALYST (Local and National Level)

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communications network - Monitoring and evaluating legislation, policies, and practices - Stimulating and assisting in the development ol programs to increase MSE participation - Promoting and disseminating inlormatlon on promising research findings and effective educational strategies

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- Building a national information and

COLLABORATING WITH i MINORITY AND NON-MINORITY INDIVIDUALS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND GOVERNMENT

- Developing and disseminating QEM newsletlers and issues papers - Designing and implementing a student Internship program - Establishing MSE organization with minority institutions in leadership role - Establishing minority teachers leadership corps in math and science - Identifying and promoting model K-12 programs, especially in math and science - Preparing education strategy for low-income housing developments

- Creating "January 15Ih" Group - Placing Interns within federal agencies [ NSF, NASA, EPA, & Smithsonian] - Working with community-based organizations lo: establish local alliances, focus on housing developments, create teacher leadership corps, create parents leadership corps, & build youth leadership corps - Helping to shape and create new federal programs

Fig. 1

Why We Need to Restructure

Restructuring is needed for a very basic reason: our traditional hierarchical "factory model" is obsolete and unsustainable. It is obsolete because it was designed to meet the standardized basic skills requirements of an agricultural-industrial world. The system still does an adequate job of turning out students who are literate, but it does not turn out very many graduates with the higher-order thinking skills required in a world-class e c o n o m y - - t h e scientific and technical as well as the communication and interpersonal skills necessary to solve complex problems, analyze abstract knowledge, communicate with precision, deal with change and ambiguity, or work well with other people• Structural changes are needed at the preschool, elementary, and secondary levels. The current status of education for minorities at these levels is briefly outlined in the following sections• Inadequate Preschool Opportunities Low socioeconomic status, with its attendant myriad problems, has continued to erode the wellbeing of many preschool-aged minority children, as evidenced by the increasing percentage of these chil-

dren who live in poverty (of the 5.1 million poor children under six in 1989, 59% were minorities) (National Center for Children in Poverty, 1991)• As a consequence, one out of every two minority children may not be prepared to learn when they enter school. In 1989, at least 3 million minority children were in need of postnatal and preschool intervention to ensure that they entered school healthy, emotionally secure, and sufficiently developed socially to succeed in school. However, only 600,000 minority children between the ages of 3 and 5 were served by Head Start, a federal program that began in 1965 to provide comprehensive services including health, education, and social services to preschool children of low-income families• Obstacles in Elementary and Secondary School In 1986, minorities represented almost 30% of the 39,753,172 students enrolled in the nation's public elementary and secondary schools (National Center for Education Statistics, 1991)• This percentage is projected to increase to 34% by 1994-1995 (WICHE, 1991). The majority of these children will likely attend schools that are predominantly minority. Table I identifies the states and urban areas that

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are projected to have members of minority groups constituting more than 25% of their public high school graduates.

Table I. Projectionof MinorityPublic High SchoolGraduates, 1995a Alabama Alaska Arizona California Delaware DC Florida Georgia Hawaii Illinois

34.8% 28.6% 35.1% 52.1% 25.3% 97.6% 37.3% 35.6% 79.7% 27.4%

Louisiana Maryland Mississippi New Jersey New Mexico New York N. Carolina S. Carolina Texas Virginia

44.0% 32.3% 50.0% 30.7% 52.6% 29:8% 31.6% 40.8% 46.6% 28.0%

aNineteen states and the District of Columbia are projected to have members of minority grouPs (American Indian, Asian, Black, and Hispanic) constitute more than 25% of their public high school graduates. Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 18, 1991, p. A40.

Without intervention, these students will also, disproportionately, attend schools that lack academic rigor; experienced, well-prepared, and caring teachers; meaningful parental involvement; and a supportive environment characterized by high expectations. Under the current factory-model approach, and without intervention, these children will be tracked into low-level reading, English, mathematics, and science courses. In most cases, they will not be given, or provided, the opportunity or preparation to complete the "gatekeeper" courses of algebra and geometry by ninth grade and to subsequently enroll in more advanced courses in mathematics while in high school.

Preparation and Access to Mathematics and Science at the Precollege Level As noted, Q E M has a special interest in the preparation and participation of minority students in mathematics, science and engineering. Success in college in these fields requires strong academic preparation at the precollege level in mathematics and science. Although the interest in mathematics, science, and e n g i n e e r i n g majors existed among m o r e than 20% of c o l l e g e - b o u n d minority high school sophomores in 1980 (OTA, 1988), their low e n r o l l m e n t in h o n o r s science and m a t h e m a t i c s courses in high school and their performance on a c h i e v e m e n t tests raise serious c o n c e r n s a b o u t their ability to persist in these fields in college,

and, if they do persist, about their ability to graduate in the traditional four years. Minority children and youth, especially those from low-income families, are disproportionately represented among those students underserved by the current system. Figure 2 summarizes the status and the concerns regarding minority students' preparation for and access to m a t h e m a t i c s and science courses at the precollege level. Increasing the n u m b e r of minority scientists and engineers requires expanding opportunities in mathematics, science, and engineering (MSE) fields for minority students, and improving mathematics and science education for minorities at all levels. In Education That Works, several of the 58 recommendations to help achieve the six goals outlined in the report mathematics- and science-related were: • Implement the science curriculum reform recommended by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), and the Human Biology Project, beginning in grade 7, as well as the recommendations of Project 2061 and the curriculum standards in mathematics recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) for grades K-12. All of these involve a new approach to the teaching of science. • R e p l a c e the general track curriculum in high school with a core academic curriculum that will prepare students for college or the workplace. • Offer a six-week summer science residential program for at least 50 minority high school juniors on each college and university campus. • Increase support for predominantly minority institutions that p r o d u c e mathematics and science graduates. • Encourage participation in advanced placement examinations in mathematics and science at the high school level. • Fund residential summer science academies through the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy for students in grades 7-12. • Encourage higher education institutions to form partnerships with local school districts to involve students and faculty in the teaching and tutoring of minority students, in precollege counseling, and as staff in preservice and in-service teacher preparation, especially in the sciences.

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RESEARCH FINDINGS REGARDING MINORITY STUDENTS' PREPARATION FOR AND ACCESS TO QUALITY MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE AT THE PRE-COLLEGE LEVEL ACCESS TO COURSES Mathematics and reading in the elementary years, and mathematics and science, in the middle years are the critical filters that separate children into tracks, with low-income and minority youth disproportionately placed in low-level classes. The practice of tracking has a fundamental impact on what students study and thus what skills they have an opportunity to master, particularly in mathematics. Several recent research findings underscore this point (National Science Board, 1991). Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, and low socioeconomic status (SES) eighth grade students are twice as likely as high SES, white, suburban students to be in remedial mathematics classes. Minority access to high-track science and mathematics classes diminishes as the minority enrollment at their school increases. The proportion of high-ability classes increases significantly as the proportion of white students increases. Even when minority students attend racially mixed schools they are more likely than their white peers to be placed in low-track classes. (Oakes, J., 1990) Minorities tend to have less access to "gatekeeping" courses at their schools, that is, courses that are especially important in qualifying students for college-level work in science and mathematics. Eighth grade algebra, ninth grade geometry, and high school calculus courses are considered "gatekeepers" because of their importance in the science and mathematics curriculum. Students attending predominantly white schools have far greater oppommities to take these gatekeeping courses.

This access is critical as found in a study by Pelavin and Kane (Pelavin, S. and Kane, M., 1990) -they found that the best determinant of future college attendance was enrollment in high school geometry. Among students who took geometry, Pelavin and Kane found that gaps in college attendance rates all but disappeared: 80 percent of black students in this group attended college, along with 82 percent of Hispanic students and 83 percent of whites. Even for students at the poverty level, taking geometry halved the gap in college attendance. ACCESS TO QUALIFIED TEACHERS •

Low-income and minority students have less access than other students to the best qualified science and mathematics teachers. In 1987, only 39 percent of the teachers who taught low-ability classes in low SES (socioeconomic status), minority, inner-city schools were certified to teach science and mathematics at the secondary level, compared with 84 percent of the teachers at high-wealth, predominantly white, suburban schools. Low-track students in the most advantaged schools (high SES, white, suburban) were more likely to have better qualified teachers of science and mathematics than high-track students in the least advantaged schools (low SES, high-minority, inner-city). Low-track students from middle school most often enroll in academically thin general and vocational tracks in high school into which they are counseled. Not surprisingly then, many minority and poor students do not perform well on standardized tests and are only marginally prepared when and if they complete high school. If they continue in higher education, the majority will attend community colleges from which they will not likely transfer. [In 1986, only 28.7% of all 2-year college students had transferred to a 4-year college by October, 1983. For Blacks, only 18.35% had transferred, the lowest for all groups.] Fig. 2

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QEM NETWORK STRATEGIES FOR MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND ENGINEERING (MSE)

A major QEM Network objective is the development of a national strategy for improving the mathematics, science, and engineering education of minorities which, in turn, results in a significant increase in the number of minorities entering mathematics, science, and engineering teaching and research careers. Components of this strategy include: 1. Serving as a national resource and catalyst: stimulating and assisting in the development of programs to increase MSE participation; identifying and promoting model K-12 programs, especially in mathematics and science (e.g., Saturday Science Academies); and encouraging replication of secondary- and college-level summer programs. 2. Advancing minority participation and leadership: designing and implementing a science student internship program; establishing an MSE organization with minority institutions in leadership roles; establishing a minority teacher leadership corps in mathematics and science; establishing a minority parents family leadership corps; conceptualizing a minority youth leadership corps; preparing an MSE action plan; and preparing an education strategy for low-income public housing, with a special focus on mathematics and science. 3. Developing a "wide-area network": using various methods and mechanisms for collaboration and information dissemination on key educational issues related to MSE; and networking at several levels: (a) across entities--educational institutions and organizations, community groups, business and industry, and government--in different settings (local, state, regional, and national); and (b) along all segments of the educational pipeline. To assist in achieving its major MSE objectives, activities undertaken by the QEM Network thus far have included: • the preparation of concept papers on each major element of the national MSE strategy; papers to date include the following:

Faculty Career Centers with comprehensive student development and training programs designed to increase the number of minorities receiving PhDs in MSE fields and entering tenure track academic positions;

Teacher Training Institutes to encourage more minorities to enter teaching careers; and Summer Residential Science Academies for students in grades 7-12 to supplement and reinforce the secondary school curriculum in mathematics and science at each grade level. • the conduct of a working conference on issues and priorities related to the mathematics, science, and engineering education of minorities sponsored by four federal agencies (National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy); and • the establishment of a formal national networking organization, the QEM Mathematics, Science, and Engineering (MSE) Network, to facilitate collaborative efforts between minority and nonminority institutions, school systems with large minority populations, business and industry, and government as one vehicle for implementing the national strategy. Over 80 institutions, organizations, and school districts have already joined. In April 1992, the QEM MSE Network issued the report, Together We Can Make It Work: A National Agenda to Provide Quality Education for Minorities in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, which provides a plan for achieving QEM's numerical goals in the areas of mathematics, science, and engineering.

OTHER STRATEGIES FOR ADVANCING MINORITY PARTICIPATION AND LEADERSHIP IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION Teacher Leadership

Teacher Leadership Corps The QEM Network is developing a Mathematics and Science Education Teacher Leadership Corps (TLC) of K-12 teachers through an educational consortium of universities and schools. QEM is forming this consortium in groups of five, targeting the 19 states and the District of Columbia (outlined earlier

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in Table I), as well as Puerto Rico and the following seven cities, each with a predominantly minority school district that is one of the 25 largest school districts in the country: Boston; Cleveland; Denver; Detroit; Memphis; Milwaukee; and Philadelphia. Participating teachers from school districts near each university will be linked to each other by localarea computer networks (LANS), and they will also be linked to the teams clustered around the other universities via national computer networks. The teachers will receive the broad-based education and development necessary to serve as credible spokespersons at the national, state, and local levels for the reform of mathematics and science education. Special focus will be placed on ensuring that those involved in reform efforts are aware of, and responsive to, the implications of such efforts for the education of low-income and minority children and youth. In July 1992, QEM received a three-year grant from the Annenberg/CPB Math and Science Project to begin the TLC in five states: Arizona, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Virginia. Partners with QEM in this initiative are Fayetteville State University, Hampton University, Morgan State University, New Mexico Highlands University, Norfolk State University, Northern Arizona University, and 50 schools in school districts near the participating universities. Student Leadership

QEM Network Internship Program The Science Student Internship Program (SSIP), a ten-week Washington-based summer experience linked with a follow-up academic year project based at the student's home institution, is designed to further develop the potential of minority and nonminority undergraduate and graduate students to become leaders in their fields and at the same time to become proponents for quality education for minorities in their future professional careers and in communities where they will live and work. Through this program, QEM recruits, identifies, and places academically talented students majoring in mathematics, science, or engineering with mentors in various science-oriented federal agencies. Interns must have an expressed interest in: (1) pursuing an advanced degree in an MSE field; (2) increasing and affecting the public's understanding of MSE issues; and (3) influencing science-oriented

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policies at the national, state, and/or local levels. The SSIP provides the interns the opportunity to interact with mentors in the agencies and organizations involved in making science policy; become directly involved in technical and programmatic projects; and receive a comprehensive orientation to their placement organization and its activities. They also gain an understanding of how science policy is formulated, including how funding priorities are set; how federal agencies receive and use external advice regarding policy; and how the peer review process is conducted. A total of 45 students have completed internships over the past two summers including 12 at the QEM Network. During the summer of 1991, the SSIP was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Smithsonian Institution (SI), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined NSF, SI, and NASA in supporting the SSIP. In addition to their site assignments, interns had the opportunity to visit the sponsoring agencies, attend lectures and seminars, and participate regularly in staff meetings at their sites, thus offering valuable input into the decision-making process. They meet with congressional and federal staff members, education project directors, and staff at national organizations involved in educational programs for diverse populations. They produce oral and written reports on their experiences that included recommendations on ways to further enhance the internship experience. In addition to completing the summer internship experience, interns are expected to become involved in an academic-year project at their home institutions. Each intern works with a faculty advisor to define a specific project that will provide quality educational experiences for low-income and minority students. Each intern prepares a written description of the project, an interim progress report, and a final report on the outcome of the project.

Summer Residential Science Academies The QEM Network proposed to Congress that science-oriented federal agencies support a program to develop a network of Summer Residential Science Academies (SRSAs) for students in grades 7-12, who would begin participation in year one as 7th or 8th graders and would participate each summer until graduation. SRSAs would help to achieve QEM goal

494 2, the increased achievement and better preparation of minority youth for college or work, while at the same time providing them with increased knowledge of and exposure to science, mathematics, and/or engineering as careers. "Graduates" of the academies will have a better understanding of fundamental concepts in algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus as well as in earth sciences, biology, chemistry, and physics. Understanding concepts across the various scientific disciplines will be emphasized. This proposal led to the Summer Science Camps Program at the National Science Foundation.

Community Leadership Local Alliances The QEM Network is assisting communities across the country to develop plans to restructure their local education system to better meet the needs of minority students in their communities, using as a backdrop the QEM report, Education That Works. Meetings designed to initiate local alliances have taken place in ten cities. Over the next several years, the Network will seek to create alliances in the 22 cities with the largest minority school populations, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and at least two rural areas. Alliances will identify major issues and problems related to the education of minorities in their communities and develop and implement plans of action that address local needs. Activities to date have included the preparation of concept papers to plan and implement an education information network that would consist of a computer information exchange, a public information program, and a telecommunications plan to disseminate information on mathematics and science initiatives. The computer information exchange and the telecommunications plan would include (1) collecting information on local mathematics- and science-focused projects and programs; (2) creating a computer data base of these programs; (3) connecting this system to the QEM Network Programs database to access information on programs and strategies being implemented across the country; and (4) disseminating this information to parents, students, teachers, school administrators, college faculty and others directly by computer linkages (through modems in schools and colleges), via telephone (800 number), by mail, and through a newsletter. The public information program (PIP) focuses on community outreach and includes

McBay and Davidson the use of newsletters, discussion groups, and workshops to provide "people information exchange." The PIP would assist in the dissemination of education research materials as well as the enhancement of teacher training activities in science and mathematics.

Housing Developments In August 1992, the QEM Network held a working c o n f e r e n c e , " D e v e l o p i n g a National Agenda for Enhancing Educational Opportunities for Children and Youth in Housing Developments and Low-income Residential Communities." The overall purpose of this university-led effort, patterned after the MSE Network approach, is to develop a national initiative to improve the education of children and youth from low-income families residing in low-income public housing and geographically defined low-income residential communities (LRCs). An increasing number of minority children and youth are poor and live in public housing or in LRCs. The strategy/program proposed by QEM provides for extensive involvement and coordination of services by educational, health, and social service agencies and organizations. The conference led to the development of a national plan that includes programs to strengthen educational experiences by initiating or expanding out-of-school academic enrichment activities, with an emphasis on mathematics and science activities (e.g., preschool education programs, Saturday science academies, and tutoring and mentoring programs). Other proposed activities include ones that: (1) provide assistance to schools attended by students from low-income public housing to help these schools improve their instructional programs, and (2) provide teaching enhancement activities, with an emphasis on the use of technology in teaching mathematics and science. An additional feature is a general design for recruitment and professional development programs for mathematics and science teachers. The plan is outlined in the May 1993 QEM report Opening Unlocked Doors: A National Agenda for Ensuring Quality Education for Children and Youth in Low-income Public Housing and Other Low-income Residential Communities.

MSE STRATEGIES UNDER DEVELOPMENT QEM is currently working on additional concepts to increase the participation and enhance the

Quality Education for Minorities preparation of minority groups in mathematics, science, and engineering fields. These include: • A career tracking and information center for precollege and undergraduate students with an interest or demonstrated potential in mathematics, science, and engineering fields. This center will place a major emphasis on the involvement of MSE professionals as role models. It will also provide students, parents, and teachers with information and guidance on important college preparatory courses, effective MSE programs and projects, financial aid opportunities, career preparation requirements, and available internships in MSE fields. (This has been initiated through an April 1993 award from NASA to support high school research apprenticeships and the proposed center.) • An MSE technical assistance center to provide predominantly minority institutions with assistance, information, and training in proposal development, writing, and submission. A major goal is to increase the number of successful proposals submitted by these institutions as well as the participation rate of these institutions in federal grant programs. (This has been initiated through a January 1993 grant from NSF.) • A working conference on the recruitment and retention of minority mathematics and science teachers to develop an action plan/ national agenda for increasing their numbers and the quality of preparation and development that they receive (preservice and in-service). (Conference planned for September 1993.)

MORE ABOUT THE QEM NETWORK The QEM Network is in a unique position to provide leadership in efforts to improve the education of minorities. It is the only national organization that focuses on improving education for the five minority groups that have been historically most underserved by America's educational system (African Americans, Alaska Natives, Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and Puerto Ricans). Through its extensive national contacts developed during the QEM Project as well as during its initial years as a nonprofit organization, the QEM

495 Network has access to leading educational experts in a variety of disciplines. Its Board of Directors and Technical Advisors Group (TAG) include some of the nation's most respected educators. Q E M ' s Board and TAG convene biannually in Washington, D.C., to discuss in-depth selected issues related to the education of minorities and to coordinate the Network's activities. QEM's "January 15th Group", named after its first meeting date in 1988, is comprised of representatives of more than 150 primarily Washingtonbased education organizations and professional societies and offers an additional source of advice and expertise. The Network's regulate contact with these organizations allows QEM to stay current on educational issues and strategies to address them as well as provide QEM with the capability to disseminate information to a large and diverse audience. Using a "brown-bag" discussion series format, the QEM Network and members of the January 15th Group have been able to discuss current educational issues and trends and to develop informed perspectives on these issues. The Brownbag Discussion Series, supported by the Aetna Foundation, consists of twice monthly lunch-time meetings of members of the January 15th Group on major current education reform issues that have significant implications for the education of low-income and minority children, youth, and adults. Such issues include educational choice, national testing, educational tracking, administration strategies for achieving the national education goals, the national service plan, welfare reform, and the racial climate on college campuses. The January 15th Group also meets biannually in Washington, D.C., to discuss issues related to the education of minorities, exchange information on education initiatives, and to coordinate activities within and among its members. It is important that the Network, and other organizations such as the January 15th Group members, be well-informed about current events and their implications for the education of minorities so that appropriate strategies can be developed to achieve quality education for minorities. Leadership on these efforts has been provided by the QEM Network's core staff, which has been supplemented from time to time by staff on assignments up to two years from the National Science Foundation, the Public Health Service, the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and the Smithsonian Institution. As a consequence, we have a staff with extensive experience working with agencies, groups, organiza-

496 tions, and individuals at both the national and local levels. This includes a majority of the predominantly minority institutions and several major research universities. In addition, QEM's National Communications Network component is already collecting and disseminating information on successful, promising educational programs for minority students. It has a data base of the names of over 15,000 individuals across the country who are in colleges and universities, schools and school systems, private organizations, businesses, foundations, and government, all of whom have received the Q E M report, E d u c a t i o n T h a t W o r k s : A n A c t i o n P l a n f o r the E d u c a t i o n o f Minorities.

The Network also produces a series of background, issues, and action papers on current issues related to the education of minorities that are disseminated broadly. The Q E M Network will build on these efforts to further develop and expand its dissemination capability and opportunities to inform educational policies and practices at the national and local levels. The heavy emphasis on education reform and the resulting implications for minority and low-income children and youth demonstrate the clear need for communication between and among

McBay and Davidson the members of the education community, the public, and the government. The Q E M Network has established relationships with a wide range of individuals and organizations and looks forward to additional opportunities to do so. We welcome the involvement of other groups and organizations for Together, we can m a k e it work/

REFERENCES National Center for Children in Poverty. (1991). Five Million ChUdren, 1991 Update, p. 2.

National Center for Education Statistics. (1991). Digest of Education Statistics 1990, U.S. Department of Education, p. 60. National Science Board. (1991). Science and Engineering Indicators-1991, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. Oakes, J. (1990). Multiplying hlequalities: The Effects of Race, Social Class, and Trackh~g on Opportunities to Learn Mathematics and Science, The Rand Corporation, Santa Monica,

California. OTA (Office of TechnologyAssessment). (1988). Elementary and Secondary Education for Science and Engineering, OTA, p. 18. Pelavin, S. and Kane, M. (1990). Changing the Odds: Factors Increasing Access to College. CEEB, New York. WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) and the College Board. (1991). The Road to College: Educalional Progress by Race and Ethnicity, WICHE, p. 3.