; and (3) to equip dramatically more students, especially students from historically underrepresented groups, with twenty-first century skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (referred to in this Act as STEM ) needed to succeed in college and a competitive global workforce. 3. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Black, Latino, and Native American students, students with disabilities, English learners, and students from low-income families are underrepresented in advanced programs and courses. (2) While 1 in 10 students in schools in the United States participate in the Advanced Placement (AP) program, just over 1 in 20 low-income, Black, and Native American students participate in Advanced Placement, 1 in 50 English learners participate, and fewer than 1 in 50 students with disabilities participate. One in 10 White students, 1 in 15 Latino students, and 1 in 20 Black students participate in dual enrollment programs. (3) Taking the mathematics course Algebra 1 in grade 8 is necessary for most students to be on track for enrolling in advanced math courses in high school. If Black and Latino students had a fair opportunity to participate in eighth grade Algebra I across the country, schools would enroll an additional 43,019 Black students and 59,452 Latino students in eighth grade Algebra I courses. The Department of Education reported that in the 2015–2016 school year, only 48 percent of schools with high concentrations of English learners offered Algebra I compared with 70 percent of schools with low concentrations of English learner students. In the same year, just 2 percent of English learner students nationwide were enrolled in Algebra I in grade 8. (4) A low-income student with reading and math achievement levels equal to those of a high-income student is half as likely to receive gifted services as the high-income student. Black students are approximately half as likely as White peers with the same mathematics and reading achievement levels to be referred to gifted