Men significantly outnumber women in physics, engineering, and computer science (PECS) majors, with a recent male-to-female ratio of approximately 4:1, a stark contrast to the near parity in other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines (1). This gender disparity in PECS carries wide-reaching implications for equity,…

The COVID-19 pandemic affected education, causing schools in the United States to switch from face-to-face to remote learning modalities. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of educational modalities on academic achievement in K-12 education to contribute to evidence-based decision-making in science education by practitioners and…

This study examines relationships between dual enrollment and high school graduation, college enrollment, college choice (2-year or 4-year), and persistence in college among Nebraska's 2018 high school graduating class. Unlike previous studies that focus on states where dual enrollment is standardized and subsidized by state policy, the Nebraska…

The racial/ethnic disparities and average declines in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) motivation during adolescence are worrisome. Although STEM motivational beliefs are theorized to function in conjunction with one another, the unique patterns and how they change over time for different racial/ethnic groups remain…

Trends in past research note parental involvement in education tends to decline as students get older. This targeted review draws on the bioecological model of human development and parental role construction to understand how parent involvement changes across developmental periods. Three distinct issues were identified from research on the…

This study investigated the impact of a Grow-Your-Own (GYO) program on high school students' interests in teaching. Participants included 173 GYO students in a concurrent enrollment introductory education course. To explore the GYO's impact, survey results were compared to a sample of 297 traditional college students in a parallel curriculum. A…

As many schools and school districts across the nation consider replacing traditional behavioral management strategies with restorative practices, this case asks the readers to consider the challenges a school leader may face when attempting to implement school-wide procedural change. In this case, a school leader faced with race-based discipline…

Objective/Research Question: Community college "Promise" programs have proliferated recently, particularly in areas with many low-income, academically struggling students. Many Promise programs restrict eligibility by high school performance but set eligibility thresholds quite low. As such they function as "low-bar" merit…

Researchers developing questionnaire measures of personality, motivation, and self-regulation constructs related to students' achievement and persistence in STEM or other fields rarely have examined whether the items on the measures used are functioning differently across groups, which is necessary for accurate group comparison. The present study…

This report focuses on the teaching of Critical Race Theory and radical gender theory in American classrooms. Taken together, those concepts comprise radical cultural left ideologies known as Critical Social Justice (CSJ). The findings of this report suggest that the teaching of applied versions of Critical Race Theory and radical gender theory is…

This annual report looks closely at how Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students are progressing on the path to and through high school and college. In particular, the report examines three key milestones--high school graduation, college enrollment, and college completion--and tracks how rates on these milestones have changed across time. These rates…

This dissertation is intended to add to what practitioners and researchers know about factors that affect a high school's postsecondary enrollment rates. It uses several regression models on a data set of all New Jersey High Schools from the 2012-2018 school years to answer three research questions. These questions were designed to gain an…

There are widespread concerns about disparities in educational attainment in the United States. Unfortunately African American, Hispanic, Native American, and low-income Broward County Public Schools high school students participate in College Bound Type Programs at lower rates than students of other races and ethnicities. Many of these students…

Given math's importance, states are adopting a range of K12 policies to improve math outcomes. As these and other policies unfold, policymakers need to monitor intended outcomes and ultimately gauge impact. They need answers to basic questions: Are more students taking and passing algebra and advanced math? Are performance gaps changing between…

Previous research has consistently shown that positive school climate perceptions have been associated with positive behavioral, academic, and social outcomes. However, much less attention has been given to factors that may influence school climate perceptions, particularly among high school students. The present study examined perceptions of…