The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program grant in the amount of $637,354 to the University of Texas at Austin. The grant, which will run from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2029, is funded through NSF's Education Core Research (ECR) program and aims to understand and reduce inequality in the returns to K-12 STEM education for college and early career outcomes.
The key products and services to be delivered under this grant include: 1) analyzing state-level administrative data from Texas to assess potential racial and gender disparities in the probability of obtaining a STEM college degree, STEM industry employment, and wages among students with equivalent K-12 STEM preparation; 2) developing a decomposition model to explain differences in STEM degree choice and returns; and 3) implementing and evaluating an online course plug-in to help college students emphasize their STEM skills and connect coursework to careers. The research is intended to provide crucial insights into the mechanisms underlying disparities in the economic returns to K-12 STEM investments, particularly for historically marginalized groups.
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