A Flawed Policy Metaphor: An Empirical Test of Earlier Academic Promise and Later STEM Outcomes
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| Title: | A Flawed Policy Metaphor: An Empirical Test of Earlier Academic Promise and Later STEM Outcomes |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng, Martha Moreno, Timothy Carroll, Sumie Okazaki, Okhee Lee, Amy Hsin, Stella M. Flores |
| Source: | American Journal of Education. 2024 131(1):93-124. |
| Availability: | University of Chicago Press. Journals Division, P.O. Box 37005, Chicago, IL 60637. Tel: 877-705-1878; Tel: 773-753-3347; Fax: 877-705-1879; Fax: 773-753-0811; e-mail: subscriptions@press.uchicago.edu; Web site: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/aje/about |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 32 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | STEM Education, Race, Ethnicity, Majors (Students), Scores, Educational Background, Educational Experience, Secondary Education, Higher Education |
| Geographic Terms: | New York (New York) |
| DOI: | 10.1086/732393 |
| ISSN: | 0195-6744 1549-6511 |
| Abstract: | Purpose: Although the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pipeline has been the most common policy framework to understand why ethnoracial disparities are some of the most glaring, few studies have empirically assessed whether the relationship between early academic preparation, such as for standardized tests, grades, and coursework, and later outcomes is the same across racial/ethnic groups. Research Methods/Approach: This study used administrative data from New York City, the largest, most diverse school district in the United States, and used descriptive alluvial plots and regression decomposition analyses. Findings: We find that STEM middle school-to-college pathways vary dramatically by ethnic groups within racial categories. Moreover, disparities in earlier test scores, high school diploma type, and school characteristics only explain why White English-speaking students major in STEM (in both 4- and 2-year institutions). Implications: The results of this study call into question policies that support a "one size fits all" argument that fostering earlier test scores can equalize access to STEM. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1448598 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | Purpose: Although the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pipeline has been the most common policy framework to understand why ethnoracial disparities are some of the most glaring, few studies have empirically assessed whether the relationship between early academic preparation, such as for standardized tests, grades, and coursework, and later outcomes is the same across racial/ethnic groups. Research Methods/Approach: This study used administrative data from New York City, the largest, most diverse school district in the United States, and used descriptive alluvial plots and regression decomposition analyses. Findings: We find that STEM middle school-to-college pathways vary dramatically by ethnic groups within racial categories. Moreover, disparities in earlier test scores, high school diploma type, and school characteristics only explain why White English-speaking students major in STEM (in both 4- and 2-year institutions). Implications: The results of this study call into question policies that support a "one size fits all" argument that fostering earlier test scores can equalize access to STEM. |
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| ISSN: | 0195-6744 1549-6511 |
| DOI: | 10.1086/732393 |
