Scale-Up of Selective STEM Specialty Schools: Effi

扩大选择性 STEM 专业学校的规模：Effi

• 批准号: 1221459
• 负责人: Steven Schneider
• 金额: $ 357.02万
• 依托单位: WestEd
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-01 至 2018-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1221459&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Scale; Up; Selective; STEM; Specialty

The desire to better empower high-ability STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students has contributed in the last two decades to a jump in the creation of selective STEM specialty high schools. These schools devote all of their attention to a student body comprised only of the most talented students, ones who are most likely to be able to learn the most demanding STEM content, reach their STEM learning potential, and pursue postsecondary STEM study and careers. However, there are mixed views on the role that selective STEM specialty schools play in achieving their mission. While commenting on what is known regarding education in the STEM disciplines, a recent National Research Council report entitled "Successful K-12 STEM Education" notes that "there are no systematic data that show whether the highly capable students who attend those schools would have been just as likely to pursue a STEM major or related career or make significant contributions to technology or science if they had attended another type of school." To address the research gap, this impact study addresses the question: Does gaining admission to a selective STEM specialty school improve students' academic success on the SAT, SAT II (Math Level 2), and Advanced Placement exams (Calculus AB, Chemistry, and Physics B)? Other portions of the investigation follow additional student outcomes, including: participation and success in STEM competitions; STEM publications; National Merit scholarships; intentions for postsecondary STEM education and STEM careers; and initial postsecondary STEM education.This study is based on the most rigorous possible design for the focal topic: a true experimental investigation of outcomes for students from many selective STEM specialty schools. The study is being accomplished through random assignment of equivalent treatment and control groups, and based on enough students to yield statistical power that can produce the most clear causal result possible. Researchers are recruiting all qualified students who apply for admission to 20 selective STEM specialty schools among the approximately 100 such schools currently in the United States. For the class entering in fall 2013, study schools are revising their routine selection process to one of assigning students for acceptance (treatment condition) or not (control condition) through random assignment of qualified applicants. Researchers, then, are following treatment students via their STEM schools and also intensively tracking all control students wherever they continue their secondary education. The study also investigates relative cost-effectiveness for educating high-achieving students in selective STEM schools versus educating them at other schools. Since there is an acute and growing U.S. shortage of STEM professionals and technicians, it is imperative for the nation's education system to ensure that talented STEM students are reaching their maximum potential and pursuing postsecondary STEM degree programs and careers. As one strategy increasingly being used to address this need is to educate talented STEM students in selective STEM specialty schools, this study is informing considerations of the cost/benefit of directing resources to support such schools.

在过去的二十年中，学生渴望更好地授权高能力STEM（科学，技术，工程和数学）学生为创建选择性STEM专科高中的创造而做出了贡献。 这些学校将所有注意力都投入到只有最有才华的学生组成的学生，这些学生最有可能学习最苛刻的STEM内容，发挥其STEM学习潜力，并从事大专STEM研究和职业。 但是，关于选择性STEM专科学校在实现任务中扮演的角色的看法不同。 在评论有关STEM学科教育的知识的同时，最近的一份国家研究委员会的报告题为“成功的K-12 STEM教育”指出：“没有系统的数据表明，就读这些学校的高度有能力的学生是否会同样有可能从事STEM专业或相关职业，或者如果他们已经参加了另一种学校，对技术或科学做出了重大贡献。” 为了解决研究差距，这项影响研究解决了一个问题：在选择性STEM专科学校的录取中是否可以改善学生在SAT，SAT II（数学级别2）和高级安排考试（计算AB，化学和物理B）上的学术成就？ 调查的其他部分遵循其他学生的成绩，包括：参与和在STEM竞争中的成功； STEM出版物；国家功绩奖学金；中学后茎教育和STEM职业的意图；最初的中学STEM教育。这项研究是基于焦点主题的最严格的设计：对来自许多选择性STEM专科学校的学生的结果进行真正的实验研究。 这项研究是通过随机分配等效治疗和对照组来完成的，并基于足够的学生产生统计能力，可以产生最明显的因果结果。 研究人员正在招募所有合格的学生，他们在美国目前大约100所此类学校中申请20所选择性STEM专科学校。 对于2013年秋季参加的班级，学习学校正在通过合格申请人的随机分配来修改他们的常规选择过程（治疗条件）（治疗条件）（治疗条件）（控制条件）。 因此，研究人员正在通过他们的STEM学校跟踪治疗学生，并在继续中学教育的任何地方都深入跟踪所有控制学生。 该研究还调查了在选择性STEM学校中教育高成就的学生与其他学校教育的相对成本效益。由于美国缺乏STEM专业人员和技术人员的急剧且日益严重，因此该国的教育系统必须确保有才华的STEM学生发挥其最大潜力并追求高等STEM学位课程和职业。 由于越来越多地用于满足这一需求的一种策略是在选择性STEM专科学校中教育有才华的STEM学生，因此本研究正在考虑指导资源来支持此类学校的成本/收益。