This chapter describes the system office for community college institutional research in California. As the system IR office for the largest community college system in the nation, it is often looked to as a leader for other states and community college IR systems. The author notes the office's administrative environment, its staffing and…

This chapter discusses Washington State's Student Achievement Initiative, a new performance funding system for community and technical colleges. Its purposes are to improve public accountability by more accurately describing what students achieve from enrolling in state colleges each year and provide incentives through financial rewards to…

This chapter describes the system office for community college institutional research (SOCCIR) for the State of Florida. The Division of Florida Colleges has a long history of providing reports that contain information on issues of interest to both the individual members of the system and the public. Fact books have been produced by the office for…

This chapter describes the system office for community college institutional research for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. What makes this System Offices for Community College Institutional Research (SOCCIR) somewhat different from the others reviewed in this volume is that the Minnesota system IR office has responsibilities for both…

In this article, the authors report on research that aims to understand diversity in STEM and the principles of good practice in undergraduate science education that will improve rates of degree attainment and advancement into graduate studies in related fields among underrepresented racial minorities (URMs). Although students' precollege…

Underrepresented racial minorities (URMs) earn college degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at lower rates than do their majority peers. The term "underrepresented minority" refers to Black, Latina/o, Native American, and Southeast Asian American (Cambodian, Hmong, Lao, and Vietnamese) students. Statistics…

The underrepresentation of Latinos (as well as African Americans and Native Americans) in the sciences is not a new problem. There have been longstanding calls to increase participation among students of color in higher education in general, and in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in particular. Indeed, the…

To compete in the global marketplace, numerous reports point to the need for the United States to increase its production of highly educated workers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Although estimates suggest that the number of STEM-related jobs will grow faster than other jobs, the rate of bachelor's degree production…

The ratio of minority students earning baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) continues to decline. In the past three decades, research on students of color in the mathematics/science pipeline has rapidly expanded. Many government agencies and nonprofit organizations have supported research and…

In this chapter, the author offers the National Black Male College Achievement Study (NBMCAS) as an example of how to explore and better understand the enablers of minority student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Methods employed in the national study are described, followed by the presentation of an…

Despite changing demographics in the United States, students of color have remained woefully underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. While African American, Native Americans, and Latinos make up over 30 percent of the undergraduate student population in this country, less than 12 percent of…

Increasing the number of students who complete advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is a compelling national interest. Although college science and engineering degree completion rates have improved considerably over the past few decades, significant gaps persist among women and students of color. Gaps…

Underrepresented racial minority students often seek a high level of contact with professors of color, viewing them as role models and proof that success in higher education is possible. These faculty members are often able to connect with students of color in deep and meaningful ways based on shared experiences in higher education. That is, many…

In this chapter, the author looks back at his undergraduate experiences and ahead to his own future as an education researcher. He also offers recommendations for future research on students of color in STEM. His suggested topics of research include: (1) the factors that compel racial minorities to choose STEM majors; (2) the learning and…

In this chapter, the authors discuss the issue of research design in conducting inquiry on college impact and demonstrate the importance of longitudinal pretest-posttest designs in maximizing the internal validity of findings. They begin by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of different types of research design in the college impact…