Answering the call: An evaluation of the Educate to Innovate campaign's efforts to increase and diversify science, technology, engineering, and mathematics college graduates.

This article evaluates the impact of the Educate to Innovate campaign, a federal initiative launched in 2009 under President Barack Obama to increase and diversify the number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) college graduates in the United States. Using publicly available data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and interrupted time series analyses, the study found that the campaign significantly increased the overall trend of STEM associate and bachelor's degree graduates. However, no statistically significant changes were observed in closing the gender or minority gaps among STEM graduates, indicating that the campaign’s efforts to broaden participation among women and minority students were less effective. These findings provide insight for policymakers and educators aiming to refine future STEM education interventions, highlighting successes in overall growth but ongoing challenges in achieving equity.