Pathways to college and STEM careers: Enhancing the high school experience

During high school, developing competence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is critically important as preparation to pursue STEM careers, yet students in the United States lag behind other countries, ranking 35th in mathematics and 27th in science achievement internationally. Given the importance of STEM careers as drivers of modern economies, this deficiency in preparation for STEM careers threatens the United States’ continued economic progress. In the present study, we evaluated the long-term effects of a theory-based intervention designed to help parents convey the importance of mathematics and science courses to their high-school–aged children. A prior report on this intervention showed that it promoted STEM course-taking in high school; in the current follow-up study, we found that the intervention improved mathematics and science standardized test scores on a college preparatory examination (ACT) for adolescents by 12 percentile points. Greater high-school STEM preparation (STEM course-taking and ACT scores) was associated with increased STEM career pursuit (i.e., STEM career interest, the number of college STEM courses, and students’ attitudes toward STEM) 5 y after the intervention. These results suggest that the intervention can affect STEM career pursuit indirectly by increasing high-school STEM preparation. This finding underscores the importance of targeting high-school STEM preparation to increase STEM career pursuit. Overall, these findings demonstrate that a motivational intervention with parents can have important effects on STEM preparation in high school, as well as downstream effects on STEM career pursuit 5 y later.

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Supporting the needs of students with undiagnosed disabilities

Phi Delta Kappan ◽

10.1177/0031721718808264 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 100 (3) ◽

pp. 45-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Julia Silverman Schechter

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Special Education ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Public University ◽

School Experience ◽

Recent Survey ◽

Special Education Services ◽

Education Services ◽

Underserved Students ◽

Postsecondary Success

Students with disabilities, especially those with non-apparent conditions, are entering universities in growing numbers. Yet more and more students are going off to college unprepared to manage their disabilities, in part because their high schools are overburdened, understaffed, and uninformed to identify and support them. A recent survey of students receiving disability supports at one public university revealed that the majority of these undergraduates with disabilities did not receive special education services in high school, instead waiting until college to seek help. Respondents reflected on what could have been improved about their high school experience, and they offered advice to school practitioners as to how to support these underserved students for postsecondary success.

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Enriching the Lives of High School Teenagers With Science Cafés

Enhancing Learning Opportunities Through Student, Scientist, and Teacher Partnerships - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-4966-7.ch005 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 59-79

Author(s):

Michelle K. Hall ◽

Michael A. Mayhew ◽

Jessica Sickler

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Program Evaluation ◽

Nature Of Science ◽

Science Careers ◽

Stem Careers ◽

The Public ◽

School Programs ◽

Realistic Perception ◽

Understanding Of Science ◽

Science Cafe

This chapter provides a roadmap for any who are inspired to start a teen science café program as a member of the teen science café network. These out-of-school programs are a free, fun way for teens to explore the advances in science and technology affecting their lives. Teens and scientists engage in lively conversations and activities to explore a topic deeply. Teens get increased understanding of the nature of science and develop a realistic perception of scientists, science careers, and the lives they lead. Scientists gain skills in communicating science to the public and inspire youth to STEM careers. Adult leaders serve as guides for the teen leaders and are the linchpin of the program. Evaluation shows programs positively influenced teens understanding of science issues in the news, the ability to use facts to support scientific points of view and considering multiple sides of an issue before making a decision.

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Deep learning practice for high school student engagement in STEM careers

2020 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON) ◽

10.1109/educon45650.2020.9125281 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Otacilio Antunes Santana ◽

Barbara Alves de Sousa ◽

Sandra Razana Silva do Monte ◽

Mayara Lopes de Freitas Lima ◽

Caina Ferraz e Silva

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Deep Learning ◽

Student Engagement ◽

High School Student ◽

Stem Careers

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Physics for the Disadvantaged, Part II: The High School Experience in Project Beacon

The Physics Teacher ◽

10.1119/1.2351628 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 134-139

Author(s):

Lester Siegel ◽

Robert Weinstein

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

School Experience

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Family and High School Experience Influences on the Postsecondary Educational Plans of Ninth-Grade Students

American Educational Research Journal ◽

10.3102/00028312029002425 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 425-451 ◽

Cited By ~ 168

Author(s):

Don Hossler ◽

Frances K. Stage

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Ninth Grade ◽

School Experience ◽

Educational Plans ◽

Ninth Grade Students

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Bioinformatics Education in High School: Implications for Promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Careers

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.12-11-0193 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 441-459 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Dina N. Kovarik ◽

Davis G. Patterson ◽

Carolyn Cohen ◽

Elizabeth A. Sanders ◽

Karen A. Peterson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Genetic Research ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Student Interest ◽

Stem Careers ◽

Career Information ◽

Science Technology ◽

Teachers And Students ◽

And Mathematics

We investigated the effects of our Bio-ITEST teacher professional development model and bioinformatics curricula on cognitive traits (awareness, engagement, self-efficacy, and relevance) in high school teachers and students that are known to accompany a developing interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. The program included best practices in adult education and diverse resources to empower teachers to integrate STEM career information into their classrooms. The introductory unit, Using Bioinformatics: Genetic Testing, uses bioinformatics to teach basic concepts in genetics and molecular biology, and the advanced unit, Using Bioinformatics: Genetic Research, utilizes bioinformatics to study evolution and support student research with DNA barcoding. Pre–post surveys demonstrated significant growth (n = 24) among teachers in their preparation to teach the curricula and infuse career awareness into their classes, and these gains were sustained through the end of the academic year. Introductory unit students (n = 289) showed significant gains in awareness, relevance, and self-efficacy. While these students did not show significant gains in engagement, advanced unit students (n = 41) showed gains in all four cognitive areas. Lessons learned during Bio-ITEST are explored in the context of recommendations for other programs that wish to increase student interest in STEM careers.

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