– Mathematics continues to be a primary gateway for STEMM professions, beginning with algebra track placement in grade eight and continuing through high school and college calculus courses.
– The completion of a calculus course in high school and the number of college calculus courses taken by students were two of the strongest predictors of STEMM employment in young adulthood.
– Home and family factors such as parent education and parent encouragement of science and mathematics during secondary school also enhanced the likelihood of entering a STEMM profession.
– Parents with higher levels of educational attainment were more likely to encourage their child to do well in science and mathematics in high school than parents with lower levels of education.
– High school boys were more likely to report that they liked math than were girls.
– High school boys reported slightly more parental encouragement in science and mathematics than girls, but high school girls scored higher on reading tests than male students. In the postsecondary model, female students were more likely to earn a baccalaureate than male students, but male college students were slightly more likely to earn a baccalaureate, graduate, or professional degree in a STEMM field than female students.
* Factors that impact attraction to STEM.