STEM Global Action Launches To Advance K-12 Stem Education Across The U.S. And The World

SGA cites data showing Blacks, Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Hispanics are 27% of U.S. population, but account for only 11% of the country’s science and engineering workers

NEW ORLEANS - Dr. Calvin Mackie today launched STEM Global Action (SGA), a campaign and network of affiliates that will pursue the advancement of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education for children, parents and communities. SGA prioritizes raising awareness of the benefits of STEM education and providing STEM learning opportunities to K-12 students in low-income and communities of color to address societal inequities by creating pathways to quality jobs and careers.

In 2013, Dr. Mackie founded STEM NOLA, a New Orleans-based, non-profit committed to bringing STEM education to area neighborhoods and communities at churches, community centers and schools. STEM NOLA has impacted more than 70,000 students, 17,000 families and 2,150 schools across the United States and in five other countries.

“We have achieved successful results, but I believe more must be done,” said Dr. Mackie, who holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Mathematics (Morehouse College) and Mechanical Engineering, as well as a Master’s and Ph.D. (Georgia Tech). “We are creating STEM Global Action as a vehicle to expand our work. Corporate, community, education and government leaders have witnessed the success of our community-based programming and are asking that we expand to other parts of the country, and even other nations around the world.”

His innovative approach to STEM learning has attracted support from some of America’s biggest corporations and philanthropic foundations, including the Entergy Corporation, Boeing Company, Ochsner Health System, Chevron Corporation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “We thank our supporters who have made our work possible and look forward to their continued contributions to this vital cause,” said Dr. Mackie, who is also a former tenured professor of engineering at Tulane University.

“Our SGA website at www.stemglobalaction.com is a hub for our own activities and also a resource for every individual, organization, government agency and others seeking to expand STEM education,” Dr. Mackie said. “It’s where you come to learn more about the benefits of STEM and how these skills can change your life, and the lives of those in your community.”

The STEM Global Action website includes:

Let’s Talk STEM with Dr. Calvin Mackie, a podcast series that features interviews with guests from all aspects of STEM – entrepreneurs, educators, corporate leaders, students – who will talk about the importance of STEM in their lives today. They are the mentors for the next generation of STEM leaders, models of success for others to follow.

STEM Global Action Today, a newsletter with comprehensive articles on some of the most important issues related to STEM, and takes readers into the lives of STEM educators and their extraordinary students, who will be the STEM leaders of tomorrow.

STEM Global Action Data Center, a one-stop resource library for studies, reports, video presentations and news coverage about STEM.

STEM Global Action Public Square, an open forum where everyone can share their ideas and thoughts on STEM and where we need to go from here. The forum will present exchanges on education strategies, programs, job openings and whatever is top of mind about STEM.

STEM Global Action Newsroom, an archive of press releases, media coverage, videos and online stories about SGA’s work and our affiliate organizations, such as STEM Baton Rouge (LA), STEM Grambling (LA), STEM NOLA (LA), STEM Illinois (IL) and STEM Lafayette (LA) as well as our associate organizations - STEM Little Rock (AR), STEM Houston (TX), STEM Charlotte (NC), STEM Ghana (Africa) and STEM Tanzania (Africa).

“The data and statistics explain why STEM education and skills must be prioritized to lift communities, but also to help keep the U.S. competitive with other nations in the global marketplace,” said Dr. Mackie.

The good news is that STEM workers in the U.S. enjoy higher median earnings than those in other, non-STEM occupations. In 2019, for instance, median earnings for STEM full-time, year-round workers ages 25 and older were about $77,400. The comparable amount for workers in non-STEM occupations was $46,900. Further, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also predicts there will be close to one million more STEM jobs in 2029 than in 2019.

Yet, the picture in communities of color is not as bright. African American workers make up 9% of the STEM workforce, smaller than the 11% share of all employed U.S. adults. And, Blacks are only 5% of those in engineering and architecture and 6% in life and physical science jobs. Hispanic workers represent 8% of the STEM workforce, substantially lower than their 17% share of all employed. Hispanics are only 8% to 9% across STEM job clusters.

Data shows that roughly 20% of whites and students of color declare STEM subjects as their majors entering college, but nearly 40% of minority students change their majors and more than 20% left school without earning a degree. As a result, while Blacks, Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Hispanics collectively form 27% of the population, but they account for only 11% of America’s science and engineering workers.

“This is our challenge,” Dr. Mackie said. “This data is what fuels STEM Global Action. It is imperative that we raise awareness of the benefits of STEM if we want America to be a just and equal society. I’m calling for a Reckoning on STEM to help fuel transformational change in our society. People of color must be positioned for careers that support families, stabilize communities and contribute to a society no longer diminished by inequities. That’s what we are fighting for. That’s why we are committed to STEM Global Action. “

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