closedgap

Closed Gap is a non‑profit organization founded in 2015 by Dr. A. Martinez with the aim of reducing disparities in STEM education across underserved U.S. communities. The group works primarily through a combination of data‑driven policy advocacy, teacher training workshops, and community outreach programs designed to increase student participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses from elementary through high school.

The organization launched its first major initiative, the Bridge Program, in 2016. The program pairs local high schools with nearby universities to provide mentorship, laboratory access, and scholarship guidance to students who would otherwise lack exposure to advanced STEM experiences. By 2020, over 3,000 students had completed modules that included robotics, coding, and physics labs. A peer‑reviewed study published in the Journal of Educational Equity noted a 12 % increase in course enrollment among participants during the program’s first year.

Closed Gap also publishes an annual report on STEM lag indicators, drawing from state education departments, census data, and survey research to pinpoint funding gaps and demographic disparities. These reports are used by policymakers in several states to reallocate educational resources. The organization’s policy arm filed a successful lobbying effort in 2018 that led to a $4 million budget increase for STEM teacher training in New Mexico.

Critics argue that Closed Gap’s reliance on university partnerships may inadvertently favor schools with existing affiliations, potentially overlooking the most isolated communities. In response, the organization expanded its outreach to include rural districts without nearby higher‑education institutions in 2021.

Overall, Closed Gap aims to create measurable, evidence‑based steps toward closing the educational disparity gap in STEM fields.

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