In the ensuing half-century, attitudes (if not practice) have changed with regard to science and mathematics education at the precollegiate level. Today, reformers call for the popularization of high-level mathematics and science coursework; this reform movement is fueled by concerns over our Nation's economic competitiveness, the quality of our workforce, society's ability to cope with advanced technology, and the pipeline that produces the country's scientists and engineers. The calls for more instruction and higher achievement in mathematics and science for all students are also part of a larger trend of expansion and inclusion in U.S. education. Since World War II, access to public education has dramatically expanded, and the curriculum has diversified along with the student population.

Minority students are underrepresented among students doing well in mathematics and science and among those who go on to pursue math- and science-related careers. Yet the minority student population is growing dramatically. As of 1992, minorities made up over 30 percent of school-age youth (5 through 17 years). By 2010, the school-age population is expected to be more than 40 percent minority. After 2005, more blacks than non-Hispanic whites are projected to be added to the population each year. And, after 1995, the Hispanic population is projected to add more people to the United States every year than any other group (Day 1992).

Some states have already undergone the kind of rapid transformation into a diverse society expected for the rest of the country. In California, Louisiana, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas, whites currently represent less than 50 percent of the school-age population.

It is difficult to predict whether other recent social trends that have an effect on academic achievement will continue. However, increases in the number of children who speak a language other than English at home have already challenged the capacity of many schools to meet students' educational needs. Between 1980 and 1990 the number of children who spoke a language other than English at home grew from 10 to 14 percent of the 5- to 17-year-old population.

Increases in the number of children living in poverty also present schools with difficult challenges. Children living in poverty--particularly for an extended number of years--have generally performed less well on achievement tests and other measures of achievement than have children from more affluent families. Today, every sixth family with a child under 18 is poor (DOC 1992). There are more poor children in the United States today (14,341,000) than in any year since 1965 (Children's Defense Fund 1992). Many of those poor children are concentrated in big cities and rural states. For example, Detroit, Laredo (Texas), and New Orleans have child poverty rates above 46 percent. About one-third of all children in Mississippi and Louisiana live in poverty. Every other black preschooler in the country is poor, and two out of three preschoolers from any background are poor if they live in a female-headed family.

Raising the mathematics and science achievement of all groups is an important ingredient in meeting the challenges of the next century. This chapter on precollegiate mathematics and science education examines indicators of progress--or lack of progress. Unlike most previous Science & Engineering Indicators chapters on this topic (and, indeed, unlike other reports on education indicators), the present chapter focuses on the full distribution of achievement of all groups. Thus, the chapter explores trends among low-achieving and high-achieving students, not just mean scores.

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