STEAM Education, College Readiness, and Policy Hopes of Urban Schools: Teachers and Administrators as Implementers

• In Event: 25.009 - Interactions Between School Leaders and Teachers and Impact on Improvement

Abstract

Urban schools traditionally operate in significantly under resourced and challenging environments. These factors further complicate a priori challenges concerning policy implementation. The plights of minority students at these schools often include low socioeconomic and academic achievement factors that perpetuate the opportunity gap. Nevertheless, urban schools remain the intended targets for reform policies. With the increased national focus on college and career readiness and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics (STEAM) opportunities, resource scarce urban schools are now charged with instilling the 21st century skills these reforms require. Using Weick’s notion of sense-making as an interpretive lens at the implementer level, this paper examines how two different urban contexts across the U.S. implemented college readiness and STEAM focused policies.

Authors

• Victoria Christine Rodriguez, University of San Diego

• Xavier J. Monroe, Stanford University