Even though young children have a natural instinct for math, poor learning experiences are hindering their aptitude development and hurting their opportunities to pursue STEM-oriented careers.

The problem begins in elementary school, with mathematical content that does not enable children to see mathematical connections and coherence. And those early experiences become a severe barrier, preventing students from learning more advanced mathematics in higher grades. Another factor is the dearth of opportunities for elementary school math teachers to deepen their understanding of the content they teach.

The problem is not a lack of programs and policy initiatives aimed at increasing the number of Black, Latino and Indigenous talents in the STEM workforce; it’s that few of the programs recognize that the problem starts in elementary schools with those fragmented mathematical ideas.

When these children move on to learn more advanced math in higher grades, this poor mathematical foundation in elementary school often triggers a vicious cycle, in which poor preparation leads to poor performance, which, in turn, negatively impacts self-confidence and self-esteem and creates self-doubt that can eventually lead to a complete loss of interest in math.

If we want to develop Black, Latino and Indigenous talent for the STEM workforce, we need to start early. The mathematical content fed to young children needs to be rigorous and create a scaffolding for mathematical ideas from arithmetic to algebra.

First, teacher preparation and training programs should have a systematic focus on elementary school mathematical content instead of counting college-level math courses as content training.

Second, professional development should deepen that content understanding, and enable teachers to work with real students in real classrooms.

Third, mathematical content must be both rigorous and teachable to school-age children. Key elementary school mathematical ideas must connect with and build on each other as children progress through each grade, something author Hung-Hsi Wu points out in his new book, “Understanding Numbers in Elementary School Mathematics.”

Read the full article about STEM talent by Xiaoxia Newton at The Hechinger Report.