– Economically disadvantaged and underrepresented minority students in STEM schools are more likely to take and pass these classes than their peers in non-STEM schools.
– Compared with non-STEM schools, the STEM schools have smaller gaps in advanced science and mathematics course taking and passing between disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged students.
– STEM schools in this study served a slightly higher percentage of students who are underrepresented in STEM in college and career.
– For economically advantaged students who were not members of underrepresented minority groups, results were mixed. In some cases, we found no difference between students in STEM and traditional schools, whereas in other cases, students in traditional schools took or passed more courses.
– Given that these students are more likely to take advanced science classes, it is surprising that fewer students in STEM schools would take advanced mathematics classes than their peers in traditional schools.
– These findings suggest that STEM schools are more equitable than the non-STEM schools. In almost all comparisons, gaps in advanced course taking and passing were smaller in the STEM schools than the non-STEM schools.
– Compared with neighboring nonSTEM schools, the STEM schools served a higher percentage of students who were underrepresented minorities and who qualified for free or reduced-price lunch.
– Students in STEM schools had lower SAT scores than those in matched schools in the district or the neighboring district and had lower end-of-eighth-grade test scores, indicating that these schools are not targeting high-achieving STEM-gifted students. Thus, although many results are substantively small and some favor those in non-STEM schools, on the whole, the results are encouraging.
2016 - The Role of STEM High Schools in Reducing Gaps in Science and Mathematics Coursetaking: Evidence from North Carolina
The schools in this study were all supported by the North Carolina New Schools (NCNS) nonprofit organization, Schools affiliated with NCNS share consistent design principles and goals and are designed to be small, with a maximum of 100 students per grade. In 2011- 2012, North Carolina had 21 NCNS STEM schools designed to function as laboratories for students to solve real-world problems, emphasize connections in the fields of mathematics and science, integrate technology into classrooms, support teachers, and promote out-of-school learning in cocurricular activities. By fostering a schoolwide focus on STEM, NCNS hopes to bolster student motivation in and understanding of complex STEM content.
Study participants are 11,419 students enrolled in 21 NCNS STEM high schools and 58,949 students enrolled in 43 neighboring high schools in 2011-2012. Using data from the NCES Common Core of Data Public School Universe and data from North Carolina’s School Report Card, they identified comparison schools, which are traditional schools within the same districts as STEM schools. Some districts do not have any traditional high schools, or schools that are not charter schools, magnet schools, or otherwise affiliated with a partner like NCNS. In such cases, they included traditional schools in the neighboring districts.
Students within the same district or a neighboring district have similar STEM educational and employment opportunities in their geographic area and may thus have similar motivations to pursue STEM. To select a neighboring district, they chose the one that was most comparable in terms of student demographics, urbanicity, and average number of high school students, student academic performance and teacher qualifications including turnover rate, novice status, licensure status, and National Board certification status.