STEM Defection Seen to Occur After High School

Despite popular opinion, the flow of qualified math and science students through the American education pipeline is strong—except among high-achievers, who appear to be defecting to other college majors and fields.

That is the provocative conclusion of a study , released today , which disputes the idea that students are leaving the mathematics and science fields because they lack preparation or ability.

A chorus of elected officials and policymakers have suggested that U.S. schools are not producing students with the talent necessary to make it academically or professionally in the “STEM” fields of science,...