State laws and charter authorizing standards have not kept up with the explosive growth of charter schools in the last two decades. Annenberg Institute for School Reform's (AISR's) 2014 report "Public Accountability for Charter Schools: Standards and Policy Recommendations for Effective Oversight," offers seven standards, each with a set…

Research on the test structure of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) has largely ignored gender, and research on FCI gender effects (often reported as "gender gaps") has seldom interrogated the structure of the test. These rarely crossed streams of research leave open the possibility that the FCI may not be structurally valid across…

This article draws on findings from a national review of the evaluation of access and equity initiatives across Australian higher education to argue that utilising responsive mixed methods focused on the values of participants enables crucial understanding of what matters to the people involved. Based on the evidence collected, a "what…

Inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois' groundbreaking innovation in spatial research methodologies in "The Philadelphia Negro," this study uses critical spatial analysis to examine impacts of race, poverty, and violence exposure on trauma vulnerability and educational outcomes of Black children and families in Charlotte, North Carolina. Geographic…

How do undergraduate student experiences and STEM gender gaps differ across diverse postsecondary sectors and programmatic contexts? The research presented uses mixed methods to examine how institutional cultures, practices, and policies play roles in both recruiting and retaining undergraduate women in engineering. Practical examples are…

In this paper, we present findings from a preliminary analysis of transcript data in the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS:09), a large-scale longitudinal investigation of academic achievement among U.S. high school students. Using proportional flow diagrams of course-taking patterns, we illustrate differences in calculus completion associated…

We test two models in which Latina/o students' school connectedness partially mediates the relationship between barriers (discrimination experiences at school and other educational barriers, respectively) and thoughts of dropping out of high school. Results of a moderated mediator analyses in a sample of 896 Latina/o high school students were…

The purpose of this systematic literature review was to appraise and synthesize the current scholarship pertaining to engineering identity development within the higher education context and create recommendations for future scholarship within engineering education. A review of the literature concluded that research on engineering identity…

In the past few years, four states have established programs that provide public financial support to students who choose to attend a private school. These programs--a tax-credit-funded scholarship initiative in Florida and voucher programs in Indiana, Louisiana, and Ohio--offer a glimpse of what expansive statewide choice might look like. What…

Stereotypes people hold about computer scientists contribute to underrepresentation in computer science. Perceptions of computer scientists have historically been linked to males and a "nerd" culture, which can lead to lack of interest, particularly for girls. This article presents two studies conducted with two groups of middle…

As an urban district reform for equity, the Model Schools for Inner Cities (MSIC) Program in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) was founded as a response to inequities in the city and opportunity gaps among groups of students. This study critically explores the equity discourses among various stakeholders in the MSIC Program between 2004-14,…

Nearly one half of students planning to earn a STEM degree either change majors or leave college without a degree. The completion percentage is much lower for underrepresented minorities, of whom less than one third complete their STEM degree within six years. At the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the STEM Boot Camp program was designed to…

The purpose of this literature review is to examine the experiences and representation of minority women in United States higher education faculty positions. There are a multitude of issues that derive from the lack of diversification in the workforce: unequal representation, a lack of cultural-social understanding and insufficient relationship…

Between the years 2012 and 2013, Black students in U.S. postsecondary institutions persisted to graduation in Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees at a rate that was 56 percent lower than White college students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain insight and understanding of how factors of campus climate,…

The National Science Foundation's (NSF's) mission of broadening opportunities for and expanding participation of groups, institutions, and geographic regions that are underrepresented in STEM disciplines is essential to the health and vitality of STEM endeavors and professions. Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) and other programs in NSF's…