Toward equity and excellence in math and science education

Two studies examined the effectiveness of an innovative program, Mathematics, Engineering Science Achievement (MESA), designed to prepare high school minority students for math-based fields. The program is noteworthy because it incorporates recommendations of educators and policymakers for improving the quality of math/science education and decreasing the underrepresentation of minorities in these fields. Study 1 showed that MESA seniors completed more math/science courses and showed higher academic performance than similar minority students. However, their verbal and mathematics performance was below seniors nationwide planning math-based college majors. Study 2 revealed that the majority of former MESA students were pursuing a math-based major at the university level and showed satisfactory postsecondary progress. Features contributing to program effectiveness and areas requiring additional action are explored.