Breaking Boundaries

What Are STEM Desert Areas?

These are areas in which lack Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs generally in low income areas.

Affects of Desert STEM Areas statistics

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A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans conducted an study on lower income families and more affluent families. The study exclaims that students who qualified for free or reduced-price lunch scored an average of 28 points lower than students from more affluent families on STEM related academic performance. This has a direct relation to the lack of STEM programs in low income areas. Also, just 18 percent of African-American students scored at or above proficient, whereas 56 percent of white students fell into that category.

Map of STEM Deserts in Chicago

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The map above shows neighborhods in Chicago. The South, West, Southwest are the area's which have very little to none STEM programs these are known as low income neighborhoods.