Supporting the STEM Pipeline: Examining STEM Course-Taking Patterns in Charter Schools and Traditional Public Schools

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Promoting STEM Education Through Policy and Practice (Table 33)

Abstract

Charter schools are positioned by proponents as a key component of reform efforts striving to expand school choice. Influential reports over the last three decades have highlighted the need to improve students’ preparation in STEM, and charters have emerged as a reform with the potential to do so. This study proposes matching methods to investigate how advanced course-taking patterns differ in Utah charters and traditional public schools (TPS). Our preliminary findings are consistent with other correlational research confirming that students in charters are more likely than students in TPS to be enrolled in advanced course sequences. Our next step is to minimize the risk of selection bias in comparing charters and TPS in terms of their course-taking behavior and achievement.

Authors

• Charisse A. Gulosino, University of Memphis

• Yongmei Ni, University of Utah

• Andrea K. Rorrer, University of Utah

• Bill Altermatt, University of Utah