Six Month Check-In: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

By Dr. Shirley Malcom  

It has been six months since the announcement of the STEMM Opportunity Alliance (SOA) at the White House Summit on Equity and Excellence in STEMM. At last December’s summit, leaders within and beyond government acknowledged the need for a public-private, cross sector partnership to co-create a national strategy to achieve a critical goal: bolstering the 21st century workforce in an unprecedented way. Accomplishing this goal hinges on enacting systemic change to expand access and opportunity for every individual to participate in and contribute to the STEMM ecosystem.  

Our economic development, national security and future prosperity depend on a highly-educated and skilled workforce along every axis of the jobs and careers continuum. To this end, SOA has been able to convene more than 115 partners. Already, partners have collectively committed more than $1.6 billion to building a STEMM ecosystem rooted in equity, inclusion and scientific excellence to power progress, innovation and prosperity for all by 2050. 

Since SOA’s inception, it has organized six public events across the U.S.—from Queens to Boise to Los Angeles – to gather insights about the National Strategy for STEMM Equity and Excellence and to expand the Alliance. And more convenings will soon take place as committed organizations, institutions and companies explore how they might be part of this movement toward an inclusive and equitable STEMM ecosystem. 

I have always believed that it matters who does science and who creates technology solutions. The people in STEMM fields bring their own experiences to bear, and these become part of the design parameters that are incorporated into their work. If there is not diversity among those who set the agendas and among the doers and creators, the landscape of options and the defined STEMM needs are limited.  

We must ask ourselves: What products are created and on whom are they tested and normed? What problems are being posed, and are the plans for tackling them sufficiently inclusive so that they will have broad and inclusive reach, acceptance and impact?  

That depth and breadth of participation in the STEMM ecosystem is critical if we want to build a powerful workforce and a strong scientific enterprise. And we can only achieve that through a massive, nationwide movement for equity and excellence in STEMM. SOA’s work drives toward that goal and has thus far included: 

• Developing a draft of what might be included in a such a national strategy based on current research and future trends in STEMM; 

• Soliciting comment and revision of that draft in a co-creation process undertaken at convenings across the country; 

• Recruitment of more than 115 cross-sector partners, with more joining every week;  

• Connecting to the work within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to align overall STEMM strategic plans in ways that are mutually supportive and reinforcing;  

• Drawing in state-level representatives to comment on how SOA connects to local, state and regional development plans, and much more. 

Children born today into families and communities marginalized by poverty, discrimination and lack of opportunity face immense barriers to STEMM education and careers—from kindergarten to higher education and beyond. We are well aware that only system-level changes can break down these barriers. But we also know that present workforce and opportunity needs are urgent and require that we begin expanding access now. So, while we target 2050 as the goalpost for our work, we understand the need to set and reach milestones along the way. And that is why planning and movement building are important.  

I do not expect to live to see what SOA’s audacious 2023 vision has wrought. But I know that we need to develop a strategic plan now that will move all of us toward our goal, passing the baton seamlessly to the next generation in what SOA Advisory Council Member Dame Oona King has described as “cathedral building.” It takes a plan and commitment, it takes a long time, and it takes a village. 

While we co-construct the national strategy and assemble the greater movement, we must also look over the horizon to the end goal and ask: How do we implement the finished strategy? Implementation will take coordination, dedication, and specific goals to ensure we meet the magnitude of this moment.  

These goals include:  

• Cohesion. While there will be many targets for change, this work must be done with a clear, connected big picture driving the initiative. In recent conversations I have used the example of “pointillism” in art, where dots of paint are applied separately but where they render a big picture. Just as the dots serve their own purpose, they are simultaneously crucial to creating and achieving the vision. Individual interventions abound and need not lose their intent or importance, but coherence leads to agreement on the larger picture being co-created. 

• Champions. We need to have voices for change coming from every sector and every part of the country. This can and should be an effort that unites us around the democratic ideal of providing true opportunity for all. This will require identifying and removing or mitigating the barriers to success for each and every person whose interests draw them to STEMM.  

• Effective scaling. Implementation requires that we learn from our mistakes, unanswered questions, and unquestioned answers. In the past, good work was often siloed and engaged too few players. SOA is facilitating multi-lateral, cross-sector connections between industry, government, philanthropy, academia, K-12 education, and the scientific community. This scale, coordination, and opportunity for multi-sector shared learning must continue into the implementation stage.    

• Accountability. Before and during implementation, we must take stock of the outcomes of our efforts and make corrections as needed to stay on course or to accelerate our progress. Accountability and landscaping are cornerstones of our first year. By identifying specific, attainable goals such as parity in post-secondary faculty, a STEMM workforce that is representative of the American public, and access to science curricula and courses for all Pre-K- 12 students, we will have clear markers of our success once we reach the implementation stage.  

With SOA halfway through the first part of our journey to co-create a nationwide plan for equity and excellence in STEMM, we should take pride in the accomplishments to date, which are non-trivial. But we must also prepare for the hard work of implementation that lies ahead. It takes good planning as well as good plans, good materials, builders, funding, patience and urgency to build a diverse, equitable and inclusive STEMM community and workforce. For our nation and our future, it is both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do.