This case study mapped patterns of disproportionality in Advanced Placement (AP) access, enrollment, and completion for systemically excluded students through secondary data analysis of the Civil Rights Data Collection (2015-6), and documents the degree of segregation within two diverse school districts. Although there was relatively robust…

In response to the national problem of overrepresentation of Hispanic students in general education classes, this study addressed Hispanic access and enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) coursework in Virginia, a growing destination state for many Hispanic families and students. Through a secondary data analysis of the Civil Rights Data…

Upper level high school math courses, those above Algebra 2, are associated with a host of benefits and positive outcomes for students who take them. Racial disparities in upper level math courses have persisted for decades despite nationwide efforts to improve them. Because of a lower prerequisite requirement, AP Statistics is the most accessible…

The Virginia Department of Education's Virtual Virginia (VVA) program delivers more than 90 supplemental online courses to more than 10,000 middle and high school students each year. The department partnered with Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Appalachia to examine the relationship between students' participation in a subset of 31 VVA…

Geospatial technologies, such as geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and GPS have been used in a variety of educational settings to help improve student learning. A sample of 53 high school seniors was recruited from the Geospatial Semester (GSS), a course that emphasizes the use of GIS for problem-solving and students in AP…

In response to the national problem of overrepresentation of Latinx students in general education classes, this study addresses Latinx access to Advanced Placement (AP) coursework, enrollment, and completion patterns in Virginia, a growing destination state for many Latinx families and students. Through a secondary data analysis of both the Civil…

This article discusses an online graduate education course at George Mason University in the United States. The course, part of a certificate program for International Baccalaureate (IB) educators, focuses on infusing human rights instruction in PK-12 classrooms and provides teachers with additional methods and strategies to teach various…

In Virginia, there has been a long-term effort to increase the number of graduates who earn career and technical education (CTE) credentials. These CTE credentials are intended to provide high school graduates with additional preparation for college and careers. In 2013, the Virginia Board of Education added a CTE credential requirement to the…

This Study Snapshot highlights findings from a larger study on Career and technical education (CTE) credentials in Virginia. In 2013, the Virginia legislature added a CTE credential requirement to the Standard diploma for students who entered grade 9 for the first time in 2013 or later. At Virginia CTE leaders' request, the Regional Educational…

The "Career and Technical Education Credentials in Virginia High Schools: Trends in Attainment and College Enrollment Outcomes" study examined attainment rates of career and technical education (CTE) credentials, completion rates of CTE programs of study, and college enrollment rates from 2011 to 2017 in Virginia. The findings suggest a…

Allowing high school students to fulfill a math or science high school graduation requirement via a computer science credit may encourage more student to pursue computer science coursework. This Education Trends report is an update to the original report released in April 2015 and explores state policies that allow or require districts to apply…

Business leaders in Virginia cannot find the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent they need to stay competitive. Students' lagging performance in K-12 is a critical reason why. The good news is that the nation's most effective STEM education programs can help turn the tide. Virginia students have already made progress in…

We have conducted an education project to communicate the wave energy concept to high school students. A virtual reality system that combines both hardware and software is developed in this project to simulate the buoy-wave interaction. This first-of-its-kind wave energy unit is portable and physics-based, allowing students to conduct a number of…

In December 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB), as the nation's major law governing public schools. ESSA retains the requirement that states test all students in reading and math in grades three through eight and once in high school, as well as the requirement that…

"Looking Closer" is the eighth biennial report to SREB states on their progress in meeting SREB's Challenge to Lead goals for education. Each customized state report documents progress on both measurable outcomes and state policies. Through effective policy implementation, the goals can help states drive improvements in student…