As a mathematician who solves problems, Dr. Bourama Toni is looking to make sure young people from underserved backgrounds have access to careers in the data economy.

“Data analytics and data science are in demand. People who are left out in math will also be left out in anything related to math, which will be very unfortunate,” says Toni, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematics at Howard University. Data analysts and data scientists require different skills and the job outlook for both occupations is strong. 

Hiring for data analysts is expected to grow 23% in the decade between 2023 and 2033, with a median salary of $83,640. A bachelor’s degree is usually required. The demand for data scientists is even higher and is expected to grow 36% in the same time period with a median salary of $108,020, with at least a bachelor’s degree. 

Diversity in these fields is not. For example, it’s estimated only 4% of data scientists are Black.

That is why Howard University, the nonprofit National Education Equity Lab, and Google partnered to offer a year-long data analytics course to students from Title I high schools which have high rates of poverty. A large percentage of the population are students of color. 

The program is introducing more high school students to the potential career by allowing them to take college courses and earn an industry certificate at no cost. Training consists of teacher-led online courses at their high schools, with teaching fellows offering instruction and serving as mentors in the classroom at participating schools. 

Making Equity Part of the Data Economy Equation

With opportunities in the field growing, the National Education Equity Lab is working to ensure that students from historically underrepresented communities aren’t left out. The Data Analytics program that started in the fall of 2024 is part of the organization’s mission to advance economic and social mobility for the students it serves. 

“We were founded on the belief, and the reality, that talent is evenly distributed in our nation, but that opportunity is not. And, as an organization, we were created to help change that,” say Laura Moore, chief higher education officer at the organization.

“We see this as being a really powerful way to not only expose our scholars to that field, but give them the tools and resources they need to be active participants and leaders in that field, if they so choose,” adds Moore.

In the five years since the organization was started, it’s partnered with more than one dozen universities and others, and counts 33,000 high school students served with 80% of them passing college courses and getting credits for them, according to Moore. 

Gaining a Google Data Analytics Certificate

While it’s worked with Howard University on several programs offering college credits to high school students in subjects including college algebra, what is different about this data analytics program is that students can also earn a Google Data Analytics certificate along with six credits.

“We see the addition of this certified, industry-recognized career credential to be a really powerful tool that students have in their toolbox. It really just opens up additional opportunities for them whatever their path is after high school,” explains Moore. 

Easing Student Debt

Some 226 high school students from around the country are enrolled in the Data Analytics program. One of those schools is the Columbia Heights Education Campus, a public school in Washington D.C., serving roughly 1,600 students. 

“We pride ourselves on providing accessibility to all students who express interest in learning.  We provide a rigorous curriculum for those students,” says Wendy Pugh, assistant principal at the school and a co-teacher for the program.

Eighteen students in the school are enrolled. Pugh says she is pleased with the result from the first semester. “I would say 90% of those students have received an A, so it just proves that when given access and support our students can perform with that level of rigor,” stresses Pugh. 

She sees that the program is valuable in financially, too. “One of our biggest challenges overall is students being able to afford higher-level education.

“One of the biggest motivators for me, and my co-teacher, was just having the opportunity to provide these college-level courses for free for our students. Overall, it reduces the amount of debt one will have going to the next level,” adds Pugh. 

That next level offers a different option than a four-year degree with the Google Data Analytics degree. 

Providing an Additional Option

“Because they’re coming from low-income families, some of them may not be interested in pursuing any degree. That’s also okay. I understand perfectly the pressure of the family, saying, ‘look, you finished high school, why don’t you get a job?’ So if we can give them that option as well, it’s great,” explains Howard University’s Toni. 

Among the steps taken to prepare students to be more marketable, he says, was to change the syllabus from learning Python to RStudio. 

Should students choose to enter the workforce after graduating high school and the year-long data analytics program, he explains they can apply for entry level jobs to any company using data. 

The Google program also works with employers interested in hiring students who’ve earned the Google certificates.

The average base salary for an entry level data analyst, according to Indeed, is $22.49 an hour. 

Math = Motivation and Confidence

While the college credits and data industry certificate give these students an advantage leaving high school, the other thing the program seeks to do is far more personal. 

“What we’re trying to do in the program is to build confidence. They do not have that confidence because of their background,” Toni explains. “This is a major part of the work we try to do to tell them you can do it.”

That lack of confidence, he says, is due in large part to the way students were taught math. He came to that conclusion after witnessing students fail in college algebra courses offered to Title I high schools. 

“The frustrating side of it: It’s just motivation. They have the skill,” adds Toni. He firmly believes that if students are taught how math is applied to everyday life and jobs, they will succeed. “You just need to understand why you need it, why you’re doing it, why it’s useful.”

He aims to increase enrollment in the program next fall in hopes of reaching more underserved students to change the way they approach math and see how it’s tied to good-paying jobs that are in-demand.

“The key thing is: how do I motive anyone that math and the related fields of data science, artificial intelligence, data analytics and computer science, that if you feel comfortable in math, you don’t have to worry about performing in any of these fields.”