Suchergebnisse

Policy makers' attempts to improve low-achieving schools through reform measures are not new to the 21st century. Research asserts that this policy churn has done little, if anything, to change student achievement levels. Based on the research, I assert that policy reforms such as teacher evaluations and test-based assessment, and school improvement cannot occur without an integration of organizational components. Furthermore, through a theory of action analysis of the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program, I suggest that the link between what we know about school improvement and what is put forth in policy is tenuous at best. Continuing to pass reform simply for political reasons is not a viable option if our schools are to produce sustainable, positive change in student outcomes.

In recent years, policy makers, researchers, and educators have focused on the preparation of individuals in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. One popular policy lever is STEM-focused high schools. The purpose of this study is to identify which student populations have access to STEM secondary schools. By comparing STEM high schools to neighborhood schools and districts, this study finds access to STEM high schools to be unevenly distributed. Among the key findings is that STEM high schools tend to have fewer students from disadvantaged groups than their district averages. Furthermore, I find that African Americans are disproportionately represented in admissions-only STEM high schools. As funding for more STEM high schools is allocated and infused into the system, it is important to identify locations and groups that may benefit and currently lack access to STEM high schools. Decision makers would be wise to place future STEM high schools in areas with high percentages of Latino students who may benefit from these unique programs.