Front-loading STEM enrichment to prepare learners for STEM pathways

In this article, we describe a collaboration between a university and school district aimed at preparing more students who are typically underidentified and underserved in gifted programs for advanced STEM coursework in high school. Features of the collaboration included early intervention, significant outside-of-school programming and coursework in STEM through elementary and middle school (over 400 h), tutoring, and support for families. Data included scores on two standardized achievement tests for 14 cohorts of students who self-identified as African American and/or Hispanic (361 total students) as they progressed from Grade 3 to Grade 8, placement in accelerated mathematics courses in Grade 9, and college matriculation. Comparisons were made to data for comparable demographic groups within the school district. Results showed greater growth in reading and mathematics compared to demographic peers in the district reaching achievement levels comparable to the highest-scoring students in the district. There were significant increases in the percentage of students entering high school with advanced placement in mathematics as well as improvement over multiple cohorts in matriculation at more selective institutions of higher education. Results are discussed with respect to best practices for the identification of students with potential STEM talent, effective university-school partnerships, and STEM-talent development pathways.